for the lower; so that more persons could vote for members of
the lower, which is always the "most numerous" branch, than for the
higher. Desiring to make the United States house of representatives as
"popular" as possible, the framers of the constitution determined that all
whom any state was willing to trust to vote for a member of the lower
house of the state legislature, the United States could trust to vote for
members of its lower house.

_Clause 2.--Qualifications_.

_No person shall be a representative who shall not have attained the age
of twenty-five years,[1] and been seven years a citizen of the United
States,[2] and who shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant of that state
in which he shall he chosen.[3]_

[1] For business and voting purposes a man "comes of age" at twenty-one
years. Four years of probation are considered the least amount of time
necessary to fit him for the responsibilities of a member of the house of
representatives.

[2] A born citizen will at twenty-five years of age have been a citizen
for twenty-five years. A naturalized citizen must have lived in the United
States for at least twelve years, [Footnote: Eight years in the case of an
honorably discharged soldier who may become a citizen on one year's
residence.] five years to become a citizen and seven years afterwards,
before being eligible to the house of representatives. These twelve years
will have given him time to become "Americanized."

[3] Residence in the state is required in order that the state may be
represented by persons interested in its welfare. No length of time is
specified, however. Residence in the district is not required by the
constitution, because the distribution of representatives within a state
is left to the state itself. A person _may_ be chosen to represent a
district in which he does not live, and this has been done in a few
instances. One does not lose his seat by moving from the district or even
from the state, but propriety would impel resignation.

WHO MAY NOT BE REPRESENTATIVES.

1. Persons holding any office under the United States. [I., 6, 2.]

2. Persons who by engaging in rebellion against the United States have
violated their oath to support the constitution, unless the disability be
removed. [Am. XIV., 3.]

_Clause 3.--Apportionment._

The parts of this clause enclosed in brackets are now obsolete.

_Representatives and direct taxes[1] shall be apportioned among the
several sta