Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-05-13

1
the educated. intelligent population ana
the material resources of state. Every
argument which Jackson and Johnson
made for a voteless delegate for the
District applies with undiminished force
| today to the demand of full representa-,
ton in Senate. House and electoral
| college. If Jackson were President 10.
day. in the spirit of his demand Of
| 1880 for a territorial delegate. he would
obviously now urge full national repre-.
sentation of the District as quasi
lnon-sovereign state.
Ready to Amend Constitution.
Many of those who favored the ex-
| elusive jurisdiction of Congress over
the District on the same grounds that
caused such a District to be estab-
lished were yet prepared to amend the
! Constitution when the proper time
should come in order to give the people
of the capital representative in Con-
sress. the body which. in theory. con-
| stitutes their legislature. AS early as
| December. 1900, Representative Dennis
said: IF it should be necessary the
Constitution might be so altered as to
give them delegate to the general
legislature when their numbers should
become sufficient a territorial dele
gate. which did not then exist. could
not have been intended. The time sug-
sestcd by Mr.. Dennis seems to have
now arrived The difficulty of providing
congressional representation for an
isolated collection of people, insufficient
~ numerous In themselves to be en-
Titled to a representative. is no longer
to be met. The population Of the Dis
trlct IS increasing with extraordinary
census of 1880 was the first enurnera-
ton which showed it to have acquired
population that would entitle 1t to
ask admission as a state if it were
upon the footing of ordinary terri
tory The number Of persons to be
represented by each member of the
House of Representatives is. according
to the last apportionment 212,407. One
representative in the House, and one. at
least. in the Senate, should be granted
the District.
This arrangement is found to be equita-
Bile when the population and growth of
the several states considered. The
District. with 331 ,O69 population, by the
showing of the census of 1910. already
surpassed in numbers Nevada 81, SO;
Wyoming. l 70. 49,: Delaware 2O2 800: Ari-
IONA, 2o4.a54 Idaho, a255e4. and New
Mexico. 327,3nl Vermont. :s:.5.a56 and
Montana. 3l6.033. are in the same class
with it. and New Hampshire. 430572 and
Rhode Island. 542.610 with Vermont.
Will probably in the future be exceeded
by it in population, in view of the COM
parative rate of increase and other con-
sideratons.
National Representation for District,
Much of what i said in 1888 in a Star
article concerning national representation
FOR Washington is as applicable today as
1t was twenty-six years ago.
Retaining exclusive Jurisdiction, Con-
gress may propose a constitutional
amendment giving the District represen-
tadon in the bodies which legislate for
1t and tax It, a voice as to the Presi-
dent, who is to appoint the Commits
sioners to manage its local affairs, and
in general. except as to the privilege of
choosing town or county officers, to place
the residents of the District upon the
same footing as the citizens of the sew
eral states
The adoption of this plan by Con-
gress would be a compromise between
granting only local, qualified suffrage
and consenting to absolute elf-govern-
ment. which involves a. surrender of ma
tional control over the capital. The
wisdom OF this course is sustained by
all the arguments which go to show
that the constitutional power of Eek
elusive legislation by Congress should
not be hastily yielded, and also by those
resentation and inequality of citizens be-
fore the law should not be allowed to ex-
list. The District would be placed in GER
tain respects on a level with, the states.
Taxed like them, it would have. like
them, voice in the disposition of the
general taxes. 1t would not. however.
stand upon precisely the same footing
with them. for the states are subordinat-
ed to the general government only in
certain defined particulars, whereas the
would
spects. This inferiority would be indi-
Gated, it has been suggested. by giving
the District one instead OF two senators,
and by a corresponding reduction in its
electoral vote Enjoying representation in
Congress and participation in the choice
of the President. who appoints local Off
GERS. Washington would resemble in its
municipal government city which. after
voting for the governor and legislature of
state, is managed by commission ap-
pointed by the former and approved by
the latter. Under this plan the sug-
gestions made in respect to the duty
of members of Congress as the exclusive
legislators for the capital would still be
applicable: the present financial arrange
ments between the District and the gen.
eral government would be maintained;
the expensive transportation of Office
holding voters to the states, from Maine
to Florida and from New York to Cali
fornia, would. after the abolition Of the
office apportionment system. be avoided:
the rights of residents of the District, as
American citizens, would be recognized
in a manner which would inflict the
smallest possible injury upon the inter
ests of the city as capital of the United
States, and this body of national terri
tory with all its patriotic associations
would be preserved to the Union.
Changes in Municipal Government.
II at the time of giving the District
the substantial representation suggested
can manage the minor concerns of the
District more satisfactorily by modifying
in details the present form Of municipal
government. such changes may then be
conveniently made. But every alteration
should be based upon a full recognition.
first. of the absolute necessity of a re-
tention by the general government of
such representation in and control Of
the management of city affairs will en-
able 1t to protect its vast interests here;
second. of the frightful warning from the
experience of other large cities against
recourse to unlimited popular suffrage
as factor in the decision OF purely mu-
nicipal and financial matters.
1t In conceded that the best method by
which Congress- can regulate the capt.
tai as a city may vary somewhat in de-
tails, with altering circumstances, but
there Is NO urgent present necessity for
change In this respect. The more inn
pOrtant question In, Shall not the people
Of the District. who now largely exceed
the numper of persons represented by
each member of the House, be admitted
to the Union ms citizens of a quasi
state, and be granted representation In
the national Iegislature and the privi-
lege OF voting for PreAideutY Without