"Representation...Shall be Apportioned"
By Morton Thomson
What exactly does apportioned mean and why should we care? You should care if you believe that you are one of "The People" and therefore hold all the power in America. That is why representation shall be apportioned. So let's define "apportioned".
Apportion
Divide and allocate.
synonyms: share out · divide out · allocate · distribute · allot · assign · dispense · give out · hand out · mete out · deal out · dole out · ration · parcel out ·
There's the word we're looking for. "Ration". So to apply the concept of "Apportion", all one would have to do is "divide and allocate" a given "ration" or "ratio" to a given group of a numerical kind. So all we have to do then is to figure out what "ratio" they had in mind when "apportioning" Representation, so hence the following guide;
Article I, Section 2, Clause 3, Sentence 3;
" The number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty Thousand, but each state shall have at least one Representative,.."
So there you have it. One for every thirty Thousand. But wait! How do we check to see if that really is what they had in mind, (approx. one Representative for every thirty Thousand people). Well here's how we know: they made provisions in that same sentence to immediately allocate a requisite number of Representatives to each state, beyond just the guaranteed "one". To whit;
"and until such enumeration shall be made, the State of New Hampshire shall be entitled to chuse three, Massachusetts eight, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations one, Connecticut five, New York six, New Jersey four, Pennsylvania eight, Delaware one, Maryland six, Virginia ten, North Carolina five, South Carolina five, and Georgia three."
If we wish to see how close they estimated, all we have to do is the math;
Population at the time was estimated to be around 3.8 Million. At that population level, each Representative would have been "Representing" or "speaking for", approximately 58, 461 constituents per district. Those are the numbers they "allotted" to each state on average. I call that DIRECT evidence of what size districts that they were shooting for. I would say that they were thinking "No more than 50 Thousand, preferably thirty Thousand". That's what I would say was the "RATIO" they had in mind before they even made the first census.
So there you have it. Solid evidence that our FOUNDING FATHERS believed that representation should be a given ratio and that that "ratio" should be 1/30,000. PERIOD! Even the "First Proposed Amendment" topped out at 1/50,000, which BTW, is very close to their first estimated "allotment" of 1/58,461.
So what we have here IMHO, is a Constitutional Crisis. NO QUESTION!
So what we have in specific constitutional terms is a situation where EVERY STATE IN THE UNION OF STATES has a massive number of vacant seats in Congress and therefore should be "entitled" "to fill such vacancies."
So how is that done, you ask? Simple.
Article I, Section 2, Clause 4, wherein;
"When vacancies happen in the Representation from any State, the Executive Authority thereof shall issue Writs of Election to fill such Vacancies."
So THERE you have it, the WHOLE truth, the whole ball of wax. Every state in the country now MUST be "allotted" "one (Representative) for every thirty Thousand,.." people. THAT IS THE LAW! *(Article 6, Section 2)
So now all you need to do is take this information to "the Executive Authority" in your state or perhaps the committee responsible for creating and approving Congressional Districts and their corresponding map(s). This is usually done by the Legislature.
If they don't listen to you or even directly tell you to go pound salt, don't be afraid to take it to your local Sheriff and let him know what's going on in his County, right under his nose. Let him know that you informed the Legislature of the vacancies.
That's what needs to happen in America and it needs to happen TODAY!
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In 1788 the State of Georgia had less than 80,000 but had three representatives in Congress. Today Wyoming has a popultion of over 600,000 and only has one Congressional Representative.If Wyoming had one representative for every 30,000, they would have 20 representatives in CongressThe House of Representatives in 1790 had 100 members representing a total of 3.5 million people. Today California has a population of 39 million and is represented by 53 Congressmen.
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If the House of Representatives in 1790 was apportioned as it is today, only Virginia with a population of approximately 700,000 would have had a population large enough to qualify for a Congressional representative.
Replies
The House of Representatives in 1790 had 100 members representing a total of 3.5 million people. Today California has a population of 39 million and is represented by 53 Congressmen.
If the House of Representatives in 1790 was apportioned as it is today, there would have only been 5 representatives in Congress.
your comparison is non-sensical. It is not just by the number of citizens, it is by states too.