Evening star., 1918-02-16
Rum Tne Star. Dec. q. III. to Jan. s. '1sJ
THE WASH|NGT0N|AN
AMER|CAN|zAnON
CATECH|SM.
Cd What do You seeks

Ife1entA tton In the national government
The status of American citizens and cfti-
zens of q state in House, Senate. elec-
| toral college and the courts Of the
United States.
CD How do you seek national
representation By the pending
constitutional amendment we ask the
people Of the United States to empower
Congress in 1T. discretion to Hrant US
this representation. When this power
lis given to Congress by a two-tniI1s
vote Of the state legislatures we shah
seek to persuade majority OF Con
gress OF the justice and wisdom OF the
speedy exercise of this power. by
representation II taken from fnacces.f-
bility and made possible. BY the SUD
seQuent action of Congress- District
representation will be made q reality.
(3.) What do You omit to seeks
We do not seek to disturb in any way
national control of the capital through
Congress. We seek merely to participate
like Americans OF the states shts cnntrn, IN rne
and in the national government which
makes and executes laws for the Wnoie
United States, the District OF Columbia
included.
We do not seek in this movement for
national representation either to oreak
down or to protect the form of munici-
nal government which Congress repre-
senting the nation has given US. Con-
gresS has now the power by a majority
vote to set up here any municipal gov.
ernment it pleases. with any aegree Oh
self-government which does not Involve
a delegation by Congress of its power
of general legislation. 1t will have pre-
cisely the same power. no more Ano NO
less, when the constitutional amendment
empowering Congress to grant Dlstrlct
national representation has been
adopted.
Some of us favor retention OF the
present form of municipal government
some of US favor its change by Con-
gress in the direction of a larger meas
ure of local seH-government- We All
come together and cooperate neartiiy
in seeking representation in the ma
tional government and the honor. the
privilege and the power of national rep
Tresentative citizenship. We are not SO
foolish az to drop out Of campaign Tor
something that we all earnestly want
and absolutely need in order to quarrel
without result over the entirely distinct
questio on of local self-government
Those who want District national
representation by constitutional amend
ment and no more. and those VINO want
Il
tional representation through constitu-
tional amendment plus approximate To-
cal self-government through majority vote
Of Congress. travel together har-
moniously up to the point of the adop-
tion of the constitutional amendment
Here the two groups separate and be-
gin to fight
The few of the first group who de-
stitutional amendment as the ~enterins
redxeo for local self-goyernment are
illogical. An entering wedge pushes
into the point of least resistance and
more vitality important. which could
not otherwise find entrance. A consti-
tutional amendment, requiring two
thirds Of Congress and three-fourths of
resistance. and the national representa-
ton which results is Of far greater inn
portance than the approximate local
self-government. The entering wedge"
The few Of the Second group who.
clamoring for "full citizenship" hold back
from pushing the pending constitutional
amendment on the ground that it is in
representation. which is by far the more
important factor in full citizenship"
can only be obtained by constitutional
amendment. The other factor. approxi-
tanned by majority vote of Congress
The "full citizenship" advocate must fight
with all his might for both, and pri-
marily for the more important and the
harder to win, the constitutional amend
ment.
The unreasonableness of those who
refrain from pushing the constitutional
amendment because of the delusion that
it is the entering wedge" for local
self government is no less than that of
those who are lukewarm in support of
the constitutional amendment, because
it does not cover and include any pro-
vision of change in the local govern
ment
In seeking the Americanization of
Washingtonians we ask through constf-
tutional amendment only that which is
vital to that Americanizntion and which
can be obtained In no other way than
by constitutional amendment We do
not seek to secure two-thirds vote of
Congress and three-fourths vote of
the state legislatures for any legislative
proposition whntsoever which Congress
now has the power by a mere majority
20 81