Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1921.djvu/505

 CONSTITUTION AND GOVERNMENT

453

year in most States (bat the period varies) is necessary, in some States the payment of taxes, in others registration. On the other hand many of the Western States admit to the franchise nnnaturalised persons who have formally declared their intention to become citizens. Several of the Southern Stain have adopted methods — which differ from one another— too complicated for explanation here, with the expressed avowed purpose of excluding the

es from the franchise and yet avoiding the constitutional consequences of discriminating 'on account of race, colour, or previous condition of servi- tude.' Untaxed Indians are excluded from the franchise, in most States convicts, in some States duellists and fraudulent vot vssachusetts

voters are required to be able to read English. In some Southern States they are required to give a reasonable explanation of what they read. Women

kj (institution 19th amendment, 1920, have the vote and eligibility for both the Federal and the State Legislatures on the same terms as men.

The number of members of the House of Representatives to which each State is entitled is determined by the census taken every ten years. By the Apportionment Act consequent on the census oi 1910 the number of repre- sentatives is 433.

In 1912 with the admission of Arizona and New Mexico it became 435, distributed as follows : — Alabama Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut. Delaware Florida. Georgia Idaho. Illinois. Indiana Iowa Kansas. Kentucky Louisiana Maine.

On the basis of the census of 1910 there is one representative to every 210,415 inhabitants. Although the census of 1920 provides the numbers necessary to make a fresh apportionment of representatives, Congress has not yet (February, 1921), made such an apportionment. The House of Representatives has passed a Bill fixing the number at 435 representatives, as at present, and distributing them among the States, but the Senate has not acted upon the Bill.

The popular vote for President in 1920 was 26,661,606, or about one in four of the entire population.

According to the terms of the Constitution, representatives must not be less than twenty-five years of age, must have been citizens of the United States for seven years, and lie residents in the States from which they are chosen. In addition to the representatives from the States, the House admits a ' delegate ' from each organised Territory, who has the right to speak on any subject and to make motions, but not to vote. The delegates are elected in the same manner as the representatives.

Each of the two Houses of Congress is made by the Constitution the

10

Maryland

6

Oregon

8

1

Massachus- 1

16

Pennsylvania

36

7

Michigan

13

Rhode Island

3

11

Minnesota

10

South Carolina

7

4

Mississippi

8

South Dakota

16

Tennessee.

1

Montana

2

Texas.

4

Nebraska

6

Utah.

12

Nevada.

1

Vermont

2

2

New Hampshire

2

via

10

o-

New Jersey.

12

"on

13

New Mexico.

1

6

11

New York.

43

Wisconsin.

11

8

North Carolina

10


 * ung.

1

11

North Dakota

3

8

Ohio

22

4

Oklahoma

8

Total

435