OCR Text |
Show Will add seats en the lower house INCREASED POPULATION SHOWN -BY CENSUS MEANS MORE CONGRESSMEN. Analysis of Final Figures Shows That the West and the South Will Gain More in Political Way Than Other Sections. AVashington. Examination of the final census figures of the country indicates in-dicates that the west and the south proportionately will gain more in a political way than the east or middle west, through increased membership in the house of representatives, more votes in the electoral college and in larger delegations to the national political po-litical conventions. Tliis result will obtain whatever basis of apportionment is adopted jbj congress next winter, fixing the size of the next house, which in turn is reflected re-flected in the electoral college and the conventions of the big political parties. As a result of the increase of 13,-710,842 13,-710,842 in population during the past ten years fifty new seats could be added to the house. Should the present pres-ent membership of 435 be left unchanged un-changed by increasing the basis of apportionment ap-portionment there will have to be a transfer of thirteen seats, now held by twelve states, to nine other states. Leaders Oppose Increase. Congressional leaders are strongly opposed to any large increase in the house, as they regard the present membership mem-bership of 435 as too unwieldly. When the house census committee, headed by Representative Siegel of New York, begins consideration of the problem, effort will be made to hold down the increase, but pressure for the increase is expected to come from the states which would benefit from a larger house. The present proportionate basis is 211,877 inhabitants, or its major fraction, frac-tion, to the congressional district. |