The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-08-06
WEDNESDAY. AUGUST 6, 1913.
A District Delegate in Congress.

a UlSu1Ct Deiekote ~ SoA6
The question whether the District
shall have a delegate in Congress IS
one that intimately concerns the peo-
ple of this community.
There are many arguments to be
made in favor of the proposition. The
first and most important is that mem
bers OF Congress are confessedly ig-
norant concerning District affairs. They
know little or nothing regarding con-
ditions here and the District is COM
PEELED to rely, during debates on local
questions in the House, upon sucn
members as may have taken the time
and trouble to acquire information.
They cannot be expected, however, to
be so thoroughly equipped as to meet
all arguments, combat misstatements
with facts, or present the real senti-
ment of the city. A delegate who was
thoroughly posted upon the details OF
the District who could acquit himself
creditablv in debate and who would
by knowledge, experience, and char
acter command the respect OF the
House would undoubtedly be able to
render the District efficient service.
The election of any other kind of a
delegate would be a waste OF time and
money.
A delegate could occupy no other
role than that of adviser. He could
not vote and would have no influence
beyond that which might be exerted
through appeal to the intelligence and
esteem OF members. He would be in
the same category as the delegates
from Porto Rico. Hawaii and the Phil
ippires, whose presence in the House is
merely a courtesy to distant depend
encies. More than this. the election
of delegate would inject politics into
the District. a condition ardently de-
sired by some and equally derlcred by
others.
There is some reason 10 doubt
whether Senator Poindexter's bill.
which apparently proposes unrestricted
suffrage. would meet the approval OF
the House and Senate in its present
form. 1t must be remembered that
some 5000 or 10000 OF the residents
OF the District would not sacrifice
their citizenship iii various States by
voting here. The conditions which led
10 the abolition of the franchise in this
District many years ago have by no
means been entirely remedied and
might again prove troublesome. This
feature of the> situation undoubtedly
will be considered should Congress
give serious attention to the proposed
measure.
The ignorance which is manifested
in Congress concerning the District.
and which it would be the duty of
a delegate to remove. cannot be justly
criticised, perhaps. when District peo-
pie themselves manifest lack of knowl-
edge in relation to their political
status. When it is stated. as it has
been by an advocate of the PROPOSE
ton. that delegate would be pref
cradle TO a representative on the
ground that in the latter capacity he
would have to study national questions
in order to vote intelligently upon
them. it certainly cannot be known
that the District cannot have a repre-
sentative in Congress unless the Con-
stitution is amended. The District is
not State. and only States are al
lowed representatives. For the same
reason the District can never have a
seat in the United States Senate. The
best that it can hope for is delegate,
and he would have to be a man of
more than ordinary caliber to be other
than the fifth wheel of the wagon.
The experience of the District with
delegate in Congress many years ago
was not productive of good result, but
conditions have changed and there is
enough substance in the present sug-
gestion TO warrant a full discussion of
lis merits and dement's. If it can be
shown conclusively that the election
of delegate in Congress will material
ly aid the District and advance our
development. the experiment might at
least be tried.