Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 280, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 November 1910 — AN EVEN DOZEN MAY BE OUR CONGRESSMEN. [ARTICLE]

AN EVEN DOZEN MAY BE OUR CONGRESSMEN.

Durand Says That Unless Apportionment Increases List 10 Per Cent Indiana Will Be Loser. In the opinion of E. Dana Durand, director of the census, Indiana probably stands to lose one member of Congress by the forthcoming apportionment, thus reducing the Hoosier delegation in the house from thirteen to twelve. After making the most accurate calculations possible based upon the statistics of this year's census, Mr. Durand said: , “Unless the-total membership of the house is increased at least 10 per cent, Indiana, I think, will have to give up one congressman, The total increase in population of the United States probably will be between 17 and 21 | per cent. The-increase of population I in the state of Indiana has only been cent. Thus it will be seen that Indiana has not kept pace with the growth in some other sections of the country.

“Of course,” continued Mr. Durand, “I have no information as to how many members of the house congress will provide for in the legislation fixing the unit of congressional representation. That is a political problem which remains to be worked out. But it is not difficult to see that unless congress largely increases the membership of the house, Indiana can not retain its present thirteen. I believe that anything less than a ten per cent increase would cause Indiana to forfeit a member. Under no circumstances that I caiT conceive of will it be possible for Indiana to gain a| member, and the loss of one member is to be expected under the circumstances.” The present membership of the house is 391. An increase of 10 per cent would mean the addition of thir-ty-nine members, bringing the total membership up to 430. There is a very powerful sentiment among influential members of congress against any considerable increase in the house membership. It is contended that the house already is so large as to be unwieldy and cumbersome and that wiser legislation would be to reduce its size from 25 to 50 per cent. Everybody recognizes, however, that the political influences against reducing the membership of the house would render that suggestion entirely impractical of fulfillment and it it pointed out that the next best thing is to hold the membership practically where it is. now, under which arrangement Indiana would lose a member. When congress meets at the beginning of the short session, on Dec. 5, Director Durand will lay before it the total population of the United States and the total population of each state, excluding Indians not taxed. This information is the constitutional basis for apportioning members of congress among the several states. Mr. Durand also will submit figures showing how many representatives each state will be entitled to -if the total membership of the house is fixed anywhere between 391, as at present, and 450, so that the lawmakers will enter upon the task with all of the light possible. By having all of this information available by the opening of congress Mr. Durand will accomplish a noteworthy feat, demonstrating the efficiency of the census bureau under his direction.

Representative Crumpacker, chairman of: the census commil1ee, will immediately call a meeting of the committee. If history repeats itself congress is likely to 'wrangle all winter over the fixing of the congressional unit. Combinations will be formed and the art of log-rolling will be exemplified in its superlative degree. States that are in danger of losing members will combine with other states similarly situated and they will unite in a common purpose to enlarge the total membership to the exact point where it will let in all parties to the combination. Ten per cent increases are not usual, however, and not since 1870 has there been as large a percentage of increase in house membership as would epable Indiana, in Mr. Durand's opinion, to retain its thirteen. Since the government was founded the house has increased in®size from sixty-five to 391. Each decennial census. with one exception, was followed by an increase. The exception was the census of 1840, following which congress reduced the membership by cutting off ten representatives. The subjoined table shows how the house lias grown in size; constitutional apportionment, 65. First census, 1790,106; second census, 1800, 142; third census, 1810, 186; fourth census, 1820, 213; fifth census, 1830, 242; sixth census, 1840, 232; seventh census, 1850, 237; eighth census,. 1860, 243; ninth census, 1860, 243; ninth census, 1870, 293; tenth census, 1880, 332; eleventh census, 1890, 357, and twefth census, 1900, 3911 Miss Grace Worland returned Wednesday evening from St. Paul and Pittsburg, Kans., where she has been for the past eight months. She had : been in poor health for some time and 'the trip to the southwest was made to improve it. The result was very i satisfactory and she is now very , much improved.