Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-05-12
Local Primaries and Recall.


tions in the District for presidential
candidates. for instructed delegates to
. national presidential nominating con-
ventions and for national committee
men. The District Is now allowed rep
,resentation in presidential nominating
conventions. though its people may not
vote for the candidates when nomi-
mated. The proposed law would make
these local elections more orderly and
! dignified than at present and give
them greater representative force. The
/. only certain objection to the project is
+: that the game is not worth the candle;
that it is not worth while to incur the
expense and labor involved for repre-
sentation in a convention to nominate
:, candidates for whom the District may
not then vote.
To meet this objection 1t is suggested
: that a primary election for this pur-
pose, which does not count. may lead
to primary elections for other purposes.
which do count, As long as the ma
ton is half taxpayer and approx
mately half property owner in the
capital 1T will not surrender control of
the tax-raising and tax-spending func-
ton. and the exclusive legislative power
probably also the appointing power
vested in the President.
It has been affirmed by several Presi-
dents and is generally conceded that all
American rights should be given TO the
Americans in the District of Columbia
which are consistent with full national
:: control Of the nations city. No inter-
ference with such control is Threatened
II lrao R1~
vention delegates. There would be no
In the District of Columbia voted for
the President after they had helped to
nominate him, or II the District had rep
-resentation in both bodies of the Con-
gress which exercises this unlimited ma
tional control. 1t is, however, gener-
ally held that a constitutional amend
i, ment Is necessary to enable the District
to be represented in the House, Senate
= and electoral college; and If this is true
there IL a practical denial Of such rep
resentatton. for We all know that it Is
salmost impossible to secure constitu-
= tional amendment.
y. Without amending the Constitution It
- possible. however. for the progress
stves Of both parties In Congress to ex-
Z pertinent upon the District with direct
. primaries initiative, referendum and re-
call In q manner which will recognize
some American attributes in the Amer
leans at Washington. and which will
promise benefit rather than injury to the
local community.
! For instance, all three Commissioners
might be required to be appointed from
the District tas Is now the requirement
: IN respect to the two civilians), and power
OF recall might then be given to the Dis
trtct In respect to these Commissioners.
or any of them. such recall not being
operative in itself. but addressed with a
powerful persuasive force to the Presi-
dent. the appointing power. who would
I'LL the vacancy caused by the recall
With the Commissioners thus selected
from the community and indirectly re-
sponsible to II, the power of initiating 10
cal legislation and requiring a vote by
Congress on such propositions, and of
4 referendum to the limited extent of ad-
vising iniuentially upon local bills COM
. pulsorily referreu to them. might be
: vested in the Commissioners.
The Commissioners now have under the
law power of initiative in respect to the
y local appropriation bill. and in practice
, aother local bills have been perfunctorily
referred to them by District committees
for their opinion: but the Commissioners
are not now responsible in any way ia
the local community, which they repre-
sent. and the power of recall in respect
; to them, even though exercised Indirectly
through the President and subject to his
veto. could hardly fail to be beneficial in
its effect.
The President now has practically alb
solate and unlimited power Of recall In
respect to the Commissioners which he
would not lose II the community had in
= addition the suggested limited power 'of
recall. which might on occasion require
him to name a successor to some in
cumbent who had incurred the COM
8. munitys strong displeasure.