Evening star., 1919-04-08
GRANT Us WHAT We
NEED AND DESERVE
At Least Empower Congress
to Give Us, When Fit,
American Representation
in Congress and Electoral
College.
DO EQUITY, HARM NO ONE
THEODORE w. MOVES.


Editorial Correspondence Of The Star.l
More than 400. 600 Americans in the
District of Columbia ask as a basic
American right voting representation in
Congress and the electoral college. Busi-
ness men, professional men. working
men. employers and employed. including
employees of Uncle Sam, and embracing
women as we'll as men. have through
their organizations united in an appeal
for this equity.
Senator King suggests for us legisla-
dive agent, municipal expert, to be
paid by private individual subscription.
to represent US on Capitol Hill. Ex-Sen-
ator Dubois recommends an additional
Commissioner, paid like the present
Commissioners. and to be appointed by
them, as our congressional representa-
tive. Along the same line is the sug-
gestion of the election by us of a vote
less territorial delegate in the House as
our sole national representative.
OF course, these friendly suggestions
of relief are inadequate. We ask for
bread and are offered a stone.
Voteless, Negligible, Impotent.
Our privateiy-paid legislative agent
would be- denounced as lobbyist, rep
resenting not the community but the
selfish personal interests of those who
paid his salary. Our fourth Commits
sioner. to be appointed by the three ex-
listing Commissioners, who are them
selves not chosen by us. would be abso-
lutely devoid Of representative capacity.
With only voteless territorial delegate
this community. which exceeds in popu-
lation six of the states, and which has
more population than any new state ex-
cept one at the time of its admission
into the Union, would have less repre-
sentative privilege and power than it
had in 1914; for in those years when
it was not half so large in population
as now and was bankrupt in resources
form of territorial legislature was
added to its voteless delegate.
The people of the District need and
want, and on American principles are
islature like all other Americans of
the continental and contiguous United
States. They do not ask or desire the
delusive privilege Of casting ballots
mere sc raps of paper"-for legisla-
tive agent or delegate who is himself
voteless and fmpOtent. ~-s--
They do not, however, ask for this
representation Immediately or direct
ly. They recognize the obstacles to be
overcome in securing constitutional
amendment, and they now seek only the
equitable rounding out of the Constitu-
tion to extend to them the possibility in
the discretion of Congress of participat-
ing in the national government. which
is possessed today, for example, by
Alaska and Hawaii. The Constitution,
by an unintentional omission or over
sight, neglected to define the future po-
litical status of the prospective popula-
ton Of the District, not exceeding ten
miles square," which was to constitute
the seat Of government. Provision was
made for the possible participation in
national government of the Americans
of every other portion of the United
States, present and future.
But it was uncertain when the Con-
stitution was framed whether the fed
eral District would contain one square
mile or one hundred and whether it
would ever secure a population equal to
that of any of the states. In the bick-
erings, the jealousies and the distressing
anxieties of Constitution making it's
trainers overlooked provision for the
possibility that the District might some
day have a population emitting 1T to
participate in the national govern
ment. The people of the District-in
numbers and resources among the
states-now seek the correction In
equity and on American principles Of
this unintentiOnal omission and neg
lect.
Enlarge Power of Congress.
By the constitutional amendment
which they urge they ask the people
of the United States to empower Con-
gress in its discretion to grant them
a COnpTpC0
the electoral college.
When this power is given to Con-
gress by two-thlrds vote OF Con-
gress and a three-fourths vote of the
state legislatures we shall seek to
persuade a majority of Congress of
the Justice and wisdom Of the speedy
exercise of this power. BY the con-
stftutiOnal amendment national repre-
sentatfon is taken from inaccessible
ity and made possible. By the subse-
uuent action of Congress District rep
resentatiOn will be made a reality.
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 in the Congress which exer-
cises this control and in the national
government which makes and exc
States, including the District of CO.
lumbia.
No Effect on Local Government.
We do not seek in this movement for
national representation either to
break down or to protect the form
Of municipal government which Con-
press representing the nation has given
us. Congress has now the power by
a majority vote to set up here any
municipal government it pleases, with
any degree of fself-government which
does not involve a delegation by
Congress of it's power of general leg
isIation, 1t will have precisely the
same power, no more and no less.
when the constitutional amendment
emDoWering Congress to grant Dis
trict national representation has been
adopted.
A Distinctive American Right.
We seek national representation as
a dfstinctive basic right of the Amer
ican cftixen-in a government of the
pcoDle by the people for the people
in government which roots it's JUS
reDresentntive government which in
seDarnbly couples national taxation
and arrns-bearing with representa-
tiOn.
District are concerned, the American
government is not government of ali
the people by all the people for all the
people. 1t is a government of all the
people by a part of the people. The
400, 900 District residents are among
the people who are governed, but not
The 400, 900 Americans of the Dis.
trict dn not rive their cOnaent IA <h q,