Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-12-22
Unity Of Effort Essential.

ton by the people Of the District of
four Commissioners, a Public Utilities
Commission. a board of education and
two voteless delegates in Congress.
A joint resolution pending before
the House judiciary committee pro-
Poses that by constitutional amend.
ment Congress be empowered to grant
voting representation to the people Of
the District in. Congress and the cleo
toraI college.
The first proposition increases con-
siderably the degree of participation by
District residents in the executive
. branch Of the municipal government
and experiments with voteless legisla-
tive agents in the House. To enact
1T only a ma ority vote of Congress is
required. r.
The second proposition empowers
the grant Of the full power of national
!, American citizenship to District resi-
I dents, so far as voting representation
in House. Senate and electoral college
il concerned. It Americanizes the.
Washingtonians. To make it law two
thirds Of Congress and three-fOurths
Of the state legislatures must vote
]; Tor it.
There is no necessary or logical con-
) 1tct between the two propositions.
They are not hostile alternatives.
Those who favor and those who op-
pose an overturning of the present
municipal government may fight over
the first proposition. but they have here.
tofore united to support the second
proposition, which is harder to win,
but which promises something worth
whihe in right and power when won.
These two propositions before sep.
arate committees should work out
their Legislative salvation. each on its
own merits, without Interfering with
one another, -
National representation does not
substitute itself for municipal govern.
ment changes or hamper the making
q them. On the contrary. what is
wise and right in local government is
, mone epk to Be obtained from a Con-
sress IN which the District partici-
!. pates with voting power. than one
frua which sWashingtonians are
barrtd a. II leprous- ~
Tho rnupicipaf government PROPOSE.
ton should not substitute itself for
! the Amertcanization proposal, or re.
lax IN the slightest degree our united
i fight to win national representation.
Our fatal blunder would be to permit
differences OF opinion in respect to
local government to break up the
united cooperation Of effort to gain
the primary essential, the vital Arneri-
can privilege and power Of national
representation.
II, abandoning our fight, we accept
as a substitute for national repre.
sentation any concession in respect
to the form Of local government which
leaves all legislative power in Con.
gress and fails to give the District
Voting representation In that Congress
we bunco ourselves. We swap what
Is vital, power-giving and permanent
Tor what Is easily revocable, power.
lacking and comparatively valueiess.
With only voteless territorial dele
; Eates this community. which exceeds
in population seven Of the states, and
which has more population than any
new state except one at the time Of
its admission into the Union, would
have less representative privilege and
power than it had in 1874; for in
those years when it was not half 50
large in population as now and was
bankrupt in resources a form of ter.
rftcrisI legislature. was added to Its
voteless delegate. ~. -r=,
The people Of the District need and
want and on American principles are
entitled TO votes fn the national lesis.
1ature Hike all other Americans Of the
continental and contiguous United
States. They are not satisfied with
the deiusive privilege Of casting bal
lots--mere scraps of paper"-for a
legislative agent or delegate who Il
himself voteless and almost irnpotent.
They want votes with power like
those cast November 2 all over the
CnIte0 STATES.
The vital feature OF the District plea
Is thus the demand for its share of
American sovereignty and for voting
representation in Congress and cleo.
toral college through which this right
and this power are expressed.
We must not permit ourselves to be
deiuded into abandoning our Just de.
mahds for national representation by
the oRer q some temporary, constitu.
tfon2uy limited and easily reyocable 10.
cal foserunaent privilege. We must be
certain that our differences Of opinion
concerning local government shan not
be permitted to interfere with our
unity OF actton in the campaign for
national Representations which We
nearly al desire and which the COM
munity most needs.
NattonAl representation for the Dis
trict n Inevitable at some time in the
future. It cannot forever Be denied.
1t vM come tie sooner in accordance
With the degree of unity with which
washington appeals ana reasons for
1t aAd IN equity demands II. Those
who wish TO change radically the form
Of local government and those who
desire to setatn it have been united or
co-opeFating and must continue to
Cooperate IN the. fight to secure ma.
tioaa representation. Their earnest