Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-02-29
NEED Of DELEGATE.
FOR D. c. IS URGED
Continued from First Page)

Il hope that the committee VIII re-
ably to the Senate" he said. But in
any event. ] hope that the bill will be
reported to the Senate so that body can
act upon 1T soon.'
Former Senator Blair's Argument.
Former Senator Blair of New Hamp-
shire told the committee that he appeared
in the interests of the people Of the coun-
try as we'll as those of the District. and
declared that the question of suffrage for
the District was of great and vital inter-
est to the United States.
THE people of the District are now
held in political slavery said Senator
Blair. What legal right has any citizen
Of the District today? Can he say how
tuition we have enslaved the people of the
District And Yet the people of the Dis
trict had nothing to say about the franz
ing of the Constitution nor have they
anything to say about additions to it.
We are raising political despotism
which in years to come will cover mil
lion or two or five million people. In
such a despotism there is sure to ex-
list the danger of corruption and fraud.
And in addition to this there will come
the danger of mob violence from peo-
pie who cannot get their rights in any
other way"
Should Be No Conflict Over Bills.
Senator Blair said that he would
not oppose the Poindexter delegate bill,
since 1t might lead to the establish
ment Of government in the District, as
provided for in the constitutional
amendment which he advocated. There
should be no conflict between the
friends of the two measures. he said.
I'VE are choking the right to govern
themselves out of the people of the
District" he said. Yet these people
are our equals in every way.
What citizen of the District has ever
been appointed to the Supreme Court
of the United States? i recall none
Yet 1 could select twenty men from the
local bar who would be fitted for such
appointment. Have any citizens of the
District been appointed to important
diplomatic posts? Yet there are men
here especially well qualified for such
positions.
Beg Right of Petition.
The people of the District are beg
ging the right of petition today, for
they have it not unless you are willing
to give them the right of petition. No
such condition exists even in despot-
isms. for even there the people have
the right of petition. A citizen of the
District cannot say whether there shall
be a tag on his dog or not"
Senator Blair declared himself for
woman suffrage. and pointed out there
was nothing in the Chamberlain con-
stitutional amendment which would
prevent women from voting in the Dis
trict. He discussed the question. too,
of the large colored population of
Washinpton and declared that In bis
opinion no real reason lay in that pop
ulation to prevent the extension of the
franchise to the people of the District.
He pointed out that the white popula-
colored to l, anyway.
Advocates of D. c. Rights.
Senator Blair said that he had first
turned his attention to the question
of suffrage in the District in 1887. and
that in 1883 he had introduced in the
Senate a resolution for a constitutional
giving the people of the
District the right to elect a senator
and as many representatives as they
were entitled to numerically.
He mentioned the name Of the late An
pleton P. Clark and other prominent
residents Of the District who had been
interested in the matter at that time.
He said that March 10, 1888, The Star
had published an article by Theodore w
Noyes advocating a constitutional amend
ment, and Mr.. Noyes had taken every
opportunity since that time to get for
the people of the District their rights.
Question of Vital Importance.
Senator Blair said his resolution had
been Kicked out" by men who would
now be for it. He said that the uue.-
ton had become one of vital impor-
lance to the country
Senator Gallinger succeeded him In
the Senate. said Senator Blair, and SEN
ator Gallnger in his turn introduced
such a resolution. He said that many
persons had come to favor the grant
ing of suffrage to the people of the
District and that the American Fedora.
ton of Labor had recently indorsed it.
In 1908 Senator Blair said he had
presented petition to Congress
through Senator Gallinger asking for
a constitutional amendment: Recently.
he said. he had been gratified to see
how all the business men and other
people of the District appeared to be
uniting in favor of the amendment.
Il do not believe you will find a man
outside of the District" he said, who
Is opposed to giving the people of the
District their rights"
Senator Blair suggested that it would
be wise in amending the Constitution
to provide that the vote of the District
of Columbia could be used to break a
deadlock in the election of the chief
executive, but never to create a dead
lock.
Would Cede District Back.
In conclusion. he said that if the
present situation in the District was
not to be remedied- the District should
be yielded back to Maryland, as the
Virginia part of the original federal
district had been coded to Virginia.
Roy c. Claflin. chairman of the Dis
trict Delegate Association, spoke in |
support of the Poindexter delegate |
bill. He told the committee that the
delegate association represented the
views of $4,000 citizens, and declared |
that he and the members OF the asso- |
citation also were strongly in favor of |
the Chamberlain constitutional amend |
ment. He discussed the history of the |
movement for suffrage in the District |
in the Chamber of Commerce, which |
now has a committee supporting the |
amberlain resolution.
Mr. Claflin said that it had been es-
.imated 1T would take at least from |
Jour to six years to get the constitu-
ional amendment adopted and rati-
led. He said that it would be possible
% have the District represented by
delegate in the House Immediately If
Congress would enact the Poindexter
bill into law. And he added that a |
District delegate in the House would |
lid very materially in obtaining the
ldOptfon OF the constitutional amend