APPORTIONMENT BILLS, in the United States, are laws of congress after each decennial census, to .define the number of members of the house of representatives to' which the several states are entitled. Every State haS at least One member. Nine A. B.
have been passed. The first constitution adopted by the original 13 states fixed the number of members at 65, and the number of representative population required to be entitled to a member at 80,000. Representative population then meant all free white citizens and three fifths the number of slaves; two fifths of the slaves, all aliens, and Indians not taxed, were excluded from any share in choosing members of congress. The extinction of slavery has made all colored people, except the very few aliens iiinong them, representative citizens. The following figures show the variations of apportion ment made for each census: Pop. to a I Pop. to a Period. States. Members. member. Period. States. Members, member.
1789 13 65 30,000 1830 24 240 47,700 1790 15 105 83,000 1840 26 223 70,680 1800 16 141 83,000 1850 82 231 93,423 1810 17 181 35,000 1860 34 243 127,581 1820 24 218 40,000 1870 37 293 131,425 The house had grown rapidly in number of members until 1830, when it was found that it would soon become unwieldy unless the number required to a member should be largely increased; so the ratio was nearly doubled (raised from 47,700 to 70,680). Since
then the purpose has been to keep the house below 300 members, and the ratio is raised regularly, while the number of members is seldom increased unless by the addition of new states. In that way the house was increased by the admission of Oregon in 1859, Nebraska and Nevada in 1863, and Colorado (making the 38th state) in 1873. A. B. are passed in the states for the distribution of the state senators and assemblymen, after cer tain periods, generally of 10 years intermediate with the federal period. Thus New York apportioned after enumerations of 1845–'55–'65–'75.