Evening star., 1916-04-14
the Washingtonian.

NclSHtu III tHe ScdleS Ol equity. 1Hey
are being remeasured and redeter-
mined by Congress in the light of pres
ent conditions
A constitutional amendment defining
this status is pending before commit
tees of the Senate and House, and hear
ings upon it have been had before the
Senate District committee.
The Board of Trade is preparing to
discuss this question of vital concern
to Washington; and every thoughtful
Washingtonian is deeply interested at
this time in considering earnestly his po-
litical relation to other Americans and
in answering for himself the twin ques-
tions: Where am I at.' and HWhere
ought l to be?"
The financial and political relations of
nation and capital are intertwined in
the organic act of 1873. One cannot be
disturbed without in equity affecting
the other The financial relation is now
being remeasured on the basis of the
report of the joint fiscal committee.
The political relation must in fairness
be simultaneously readjusted to do JUS
tice in the light of changed conditions
since 1873. This is the psychological
moment for the District to ask and to
receive full national representation.
Elsewhere in The Star today is printed
an argument before the judiciary sub
committee of the Senate District COM
mittee by Theodore W. Noyes in sup
port of the proposed constitutional
amendment giving the District voting
representation in the House. Senate and
electoral college.
The Star has long favored granting
the residents of the "seat of govern
ment" under the Constitution the status
of citizens of a state for the purpose of
representation in Congress and the cleo
toral college and for the purpose of
suing and being sued in the courts Of
the United States. .
This status and this representation
are demanded by all the equities. Grant
of them removes from the Washing
tonian a needless stigma of defective
Americanism and arms him with the
means of securing the valuable rights
and privileges, the substantial benefits
and the fair legislative consideration
to which as an American he is entitled.
It is assumed that the capital should
remain under the control of the nation
through Congress. No disturbance Of
that control will result if the people
of the capital are represented like all
other Americans in that Congress.
The people of the capitals of all other
nations of the world have the same ma
tional representation, whether much,
little or none at all, that is enjoyed by
the people of all other cities. What
faint attaches to the resident of the
American "seat of government" which
units him to stand on an equal foot
ing both with other Americans and
with the people of other capitals, like
Buenos Aires, Rio and Mexicof
The sole purpose of this amendment
ie to define equitably the status as Ameri-
can citizens of the residents of "the
seat of government of the United
States" in respect to whom Congress
has the power to exercise exclusive leg
islation.
BY the Constitution the nation ere
ated this unique District under national
jurisdiction. The soil now constituting
this District was part Of Maryland at
the time of the adoption Of the Consti-
t1tion. 1t became and remains an in
tegral part Of the United States, not
States like the Philippines. Its resi-
dents at the time of the adoption Of
the Constitution became American citi-
zens, and have not been and cannot be
deprived by Congress Of that eonstitu-
tional status.
The exclusive legislation section Of
the Constitution creating the seat Of
government made no specific provision
looking forward into the future, and de-
fning the political status and judicial
rights Of. and providing national rep
resentation for, the prospective popula-
ton of the "Ten Miles Square"
1t was not, however, intended that
the seat Of government should remain
uninhabited. George Washington pre-
dicted a population for it exceeded
only by that Of London. It was not in
tended that the capital should, when
populated, be inhabited by aliens ps-
liticaHy and less than nliens in relation
to the United States courts.
Both in Congress and at the White
House there have been in the eity's his.
tory suggestions from time to time Of
full national representation when the
population and other conditions entitled
the District to it.
The time is now ripe. for the fulfill.
mcnt Of that equitable pledge.
The residents of the seat Of govern
ment exceeded in numbers the popula.
fion in 1910 of six of the states. The
assessed valuation of the Districts
realty exceeds that of many of the