Evening star., 1916-04-14


l Monroe, who. in his message of 1918,
said:
r by the Constitution the power of
) legislation is exclusively vested in the
Congress of the United States. In the
! exercise of this power, in which the
, people have no participation, Congress
, legfslates in all cases directly on the
i local concerns of the District. AS this
is departure for a special purpose
from the general principles of our sys-
, tem it may merit consideration wheth-
er an arrangement better adapted to the
i principles of eur government and to
the particular interests of the people
may not be devised which will neither
infringe the Constitution nor affect the
object which the provision in question
was intended to secure
/ Thus in 1918 President Monroe sug-
gested as alternatives either a separate
legislature for the District or some de-
vice under which the District should be
represented in Congress.
In 1918 Washington, Georgetown and
Alexandria were enjoying, by grace of
congress, municipal "self-government."
Washington. for instance, elected city
councils. who elected mayor. Non
participation by the people in the con-
gressional power of exclusive legisla-
tion was the departure from the gen.
ieral principles of the American sys-
TEN, of which Monroe suggested a cor
rection.
Andrew Jackson was the first Presi-
dent to urge specifically the election by
the District of a territorial delegate in
Congress. He made this recommends
tion in 1880 and repeated and enlarged
it in 1881 and 1885,. In 1881 he said:
1T was doubtless wise in the trainers
of our Constitution to place the people
of this District under the jurisdiction
Icomplish the objects they had in view
it is not necessary that this people
should be deprived of all the privileges
of self-government. Independently of
the difficulty of inducing the represent
atives of distant states to turn their at
teation to projects Of laws which are not
of the highest interest to their constit-
uents, they are not individually nor
In Congress collectively well qualified
to legiSlate over the local concerns of
this District. Consequently its interests
are much neglected and the people are
almost afraid to present their griev-
ances lest a body in which they are not
represented, and which feels little sym
pathy in their local relations, should in
it's attempt to make laws for them do
more harm than good. Is it not
just to allow them at least A delegate
to Congress if not local legislature to
make laws for the District subject to
the approval or rejection of Congress?
L earnestly recommend the extension to
! them OF every political right which
their interests require and which may
be compatible with the Constitution"
| President William Henry Harrison in
| 1S41 discussed the political status of
| the District sympathetically and ear
nestly, saying:
Are there indeed citizens of any of
our states who have dreamed of their
subjects in the District of Colum bia? ?
such dreams can never be realized by
any agency of mine. The people of
| subjects of the people of the United
States. but free American citizens. Be
| ing in the latter condition when the
Constitution was formed, no words
/! n
| been intended to deprive them of that
character. ." The grant to Con-
gress of exclusive jurisdiction in the
District of Columbia can be interpreted
| SO far respects the aggregate people
! of the United States as meaning moth
| ing more than to allow to Congress
the controlling power necessary to ac-
cord a free and safe exercise of the
functions assigned to the general gov
| ernment by the Constitution In all
other respects the legislation of Con-
gress should be adapted to their pecu-
liar position and wants and be con-
forma BILE with their deliberate opinions
| of their own interests
| President Andrew johnson repeated
| in 1866 Jackson's recommendation of
| territorial delegate in Congress. say
ing:
| :"Our fellow citizens residing in the
District, whose interests are thus con-
fded to the special guardianship of
! Congress, exceed in number the popu-
i lation of several of our territories. and
| no just reason is perceived why
| delegate of their choice should not be
admitted to a seat in the House of
Representatives. No move seems SO
| appropriate and effectual of enabling
| them to make known their peculiar
| condition and wants and of securing
| the local legislation adapted to them:
l therefore recommend the passage of
| a law authorizing the electors of the
| District of Columbia to choose a dele
gate, to be allowed the same rights
and privileges as a delegate represent
! ing a territory"
| Until 1880 Washington had only ter
f, ritorial population and resources, and
it's equitable demand of national rep
territorial delegate. Since 1880 it has
| had the educated, intelligent popula
| tion and the material resources of a
| state. Every argument which Jackson
| and johnson made for a voteless dele
gate for the District applies with un-
| diminished force today to the demand
| Of full representation in Senate. House
and electoral college. If Jackson were
demand of 1880 for territorial dele
! gate, he would obviously now urge full
/; national representation of the District
| as a non-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 peo-
pie of the capital a representative in
Congress, the body which, in theory,
constitutes their legislature. AS early
as December, 1900. Representative Den
mis- said: IF it should be necessary
the Constitution might be so altered
as to give them a delegate to the
general legislature when their num-
bers should become sufficient" A ter
rItorial delegate, which did not then
exist, could not have been intended.
The time suggested by Mr.. Dennis
seems to have now arrived. The dlf-
fculty of providing congressional rep
| resentation for an isolated collection
of people, insufficient1y numerous in
themselves to be entitled to repre-
sentative. is no longer to be met. The
population of the District is increas-
ing with extraordinary rapfdity, ana
now exceeds $4,000. The census of
1880 was the first enumeration which
showed it to have acquired popula-
tion that would entitle 1t to ask ad-
mission as state II II were upon the
footing of an ordinary territory. The
number Of persons to be represented
by each member of the House of Rep
resentatives Is, according to the last
lapportionment, 212, ,407. One represent
in he House and one. least.