Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-11-14
Kate BY Asil-Payable In Advance.
Mar land and VirTinia.
District National Representation.

District National Representation.
The Board Of Trade committees re
port concerning District national rep
resentation, printed elsewhere in The
Star, urges continued concentration OF
unified effort to secure the adoption OF
the pending constitutional amendment
and deprecates abandonment of this
campaign in order either to attempt to
create q state of Columbia by major,
ity vote Of Congress, or to change rad,
ically the present form of local gov.
eminent.
Decisions of the Supreme Court OF
the United States and of the Supreme
Court Of the District are cited which
lay down the principle that Congress
cannot delegate to a local District
legislature its power Of general legis'
lation, intrusted to and imposed upon
it by the Constitution. If Congress
may not constitutionally delegate its
power OF general legislation in the Dis
trict to local legislature created by it,
it may not delegate that power OF
general legislation in its entirety to a
sovereign state also created by it.
Before anything can be accomplish
ed through legislative enactment to
secure any worthwhile representation
Of the people Of the District either in
the national or local government,
the decision of the Supreme Court that
Congress cannot delegate its power
Of general legislation must be reopened
and reversed or radically modified.
1t may be wise. especially for the
purpose of larger power Of participa-
ton by Westinghouse in the legis-
1ation by a local government. to push
a test case which shall reopen the de-
cision In the Stoutenburgh case and
perhaps lead to its modification in the
Districts interest. But meanwhile
there should be no abatement OF q
Vigorous campaign to secure the en-
actment Of our pending constitutional
amendment.
There should be no cessation Of this
campaign In order to work for changes
in the local government.
National represents ton and change
in local government are not hostile
alternatives. The securing Of national
representation will make it easier to
get what is wise and fair in respect to
local government legislation by Con-
gress; and will also give additional
strength to the movement to convince
The Supreme Court that it should re-
verse or radically modify the decision
In the Stoutenburgh case.
It Is not necessary or desirable to
relax a particle in our campaign for
national representation, whatever We
may do or leave undone in respect to
the form Of local government.
Pending a modification Of the Su-
preme Court decision which will en-
able Congress to grant us worthwhile
powers in respect to local government,
and while the national representation
issue n being fought out and is at a
crucial point, 1t is wise in the COM
mittee's opinion to concentrate all our
energies temporarily on the constitu-
tional amendment campaign.
The committee Is enthusiastically
hopeful Of victory in the campaign
during the life Of the new Congress.
The trend in the United States is
toward the fullest Acknowledgement OF
men and women with claims as ma
fional Americans. Every part Of the
continental and contiguous United
States except the area Of the District
Of Columbia has been transferred from
tho territorial stage to state status,
and With the passage OF the constitu.
tional amendment Americanizing wom-
en-. every man and woman in the
Contiguous continental area is made
. national American except those
among the 437, 900 Americans who live
in the District OF Columbia.
The Congress and President elected
ON November 2 and functioning after
maxt fourth of March may reason
ably and confidently be expected to
SIS1lI I'd WAidS VIC etGh 3uU " <AlISIl-
canize the un-Americans Of the Dis
tric& Of Columbia.
The new government will reflect the
spirit. the thought the will of mil
lions Of newly enfranchised national
Americans, as well as of the other
millions who have Just Americanized
them. The instructive impulse Of true
representatives Of the women Of Amer
lea, enjoying for the first time nation.
wide national representation and
the rights. privileges and powers, of
national Americans, will be to extend
to all the women and men Of America
Gneluding Washingtons 437 .oo9 the
Americanization which they have just
fought for and won for themselves.
On March Washington, d. c., will
1ivo Mp HARDING tho croupin q, ss~,or