Evening star., 1919-03-03
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To the Governors of the States!

washington gives greetings through
their governors. meeting here today
with the President in conference on a
question of national welfare, to the
commonwealths unified in the Ameri-
can republic. At no time in its his
tory has it been more glorious to be
an American, participating in the gov
eminent of the nation. At no time has
it been more glorious to be a citizen Of
the state, a participant in the govern
ment of the commonwealth, many of
them exceeding nations of the world
in area, population and revenues, states
which are merged in the American
Union.
It is glorious TO be the governor of
one of these commonwealths, the chief
of one Of these nations within the ma
tien, every member of which has the
full right of citizenship and full free
dom of action.
At time when the national and
state citizenship and participation by
the American sovereign in control of
the destiny of the Union is most priced
We Of the District of Columbia find
ourselves lacking the joy, the pride
and the power of such participation
We are 10000 here, aliens politically,
less than aliens judieially.
Let the governors of the states who
are here in Washington today contrast
the political condition of each of the
states represented by them and the
people of the District. As national
Americans they have the right to vote
for President and for senators and rep
fesentatives in Congress. They exercise
that right and through it they have
voice in their taxation and in the franz
ing Of the laws under which they live.
Yet we in the District pay in ma
tional taxes more than the people of
many of the states. Our sons have
marched to war in numbers greater
than those enrolled in many of the
states. We are diseharging all the
duties Of citizenship, paying all the
tolls, bearing all the burdens, but have
none Of the privileges Of national rep
fesentation which cannot be denied to
the people Of the states and are jeal-
sosly safeguarded by them.
A constitutional amendment is pend
ing in Congress which will put the peo-
PIE Of the District on political equal
ity in certain specified particulars with
those Of the states, if adopted. It
asks but minimum, as BELTS a propo-
sition which must run the gauntlet of
two-thifds of Congress and three
fourths of the states 1t does not cut
down the control Of the capital by
Congress a particle. 1t increases the
power of Congress in respect to the
nations city by empowering Congress
to give its people voting representa-
tion on American principles in Con-
gfess and the electoral college.
Is there any reason, governors, why
this haif million of continental Ameri.
cans should not participate in the ma
tional councils like the people of your
own statess
Since the nation wishes to retain,
through Congress, control of the ma
toms city, we do not ask surrender of
that control and the status of a SOW
ereign state for the District of Co
anmbia. But We do ask to be made
politically an integral part of the ma
tion and of the Congress which for the
nation is to exercise this control.
Will you, governors, present this
matter to the people of your own
states to the end that the Districts
petition for the rights of citizenship
may be granted through the early adop
tion by Congress and the ratification
BY the states of the constitutional
amendments