Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-12-07
D. c. Government
CA[LEDDESPOT|SM
Greater Need of Representa-.
ton Than Any Other Section,
Says Burroughs.
SEVEN STATES SMALLER
Resources Larger Than Nine, and
Hliteracy Rate Is Half Figure
j of Nation ct Large.

Washington has greater need OF di-
rect representation in Congress than any
other section of the country, according
to Representative Sherman E. Bur-
-oughs Of New Hampshire, who spoke
before the Mems Club at the Mt
Pleasant Congregational Church last
night, because the House and Senate
not only enact national legislation for
tho District, as for the rest of the
c6untry, but also act as a city council
for the National Capital
The speaker explained the joint reso-
luton, now pending in Congress, of
which he is the author. and which would
give the District representation in the
House and Senate on the same basis
that 1t would have as a sovereign state.
He explained that it would not inter-
fere with the local government as now
II can see no reason why. IN an
American community. all of the people
should not have the right OF suffrage"
said Representative Burroughs. pro-
yided only that they have the wisdom
and the inclination to exercise that
right 1t seems to me that the burden
of proof in such a discussion would
rest on the other fellow to prove that
any such group Of people should not
have such a right
A Compete ,DcSpOtIsms
Not long ago I was in the library
of the State Department and I saw
there the original manuscript Of the
Constitution Of the United States and
the original of the Declaration of In
dependence. They are valuable be-
cause they are the title deeds OF
American democracy they express the
mind and soul of the people of this
country. In them is expressed and
reiterated in one form or another the
resentation is tyranny. and that all
Just governments derive their powers
from the consent of the governed.
when ] came out of that building
] looked around me. Here. thought.
are 437, 1000 people. all American citi-
gems, living at the heart Of the ma
ton, living in it's capital, where the
ambassadors and ministers Of all the
other nations are gathered. and it is
the only plAce on the western hemls-
phere where we have substantially, II
not really. = complete despotisn.
the personnel OF the District govern
ment, and am, willing to grant that
they are doing their best. but how
ever benevolent it may be. 1t Is a
despotiam just. the same"
The speaker then said that he would
lions necessary for the exerise OF the
right Of suffrage such as age, natural
ization of foreign-born persons, or at
tainment of an educational standard.
as none of them would shut the door
Of citizenship to any man or woman.
Comparing the District of Column
bia with some Of the states, Mr.. Bur-
roughS said there were seven states
with a population smaller than that
of Washington, xrd that with one
possible exception no state when adj
mitted to the Union had az large
population as this city now has. In
fact. there are more than four times
as many persons in the National
Capital now than there were in any
one Of seventeen states when they
were admitted to the Union.
Illiteraey Rate Low. .>s<-S I
A. for intelligence. the speaker
pointed out that in 1912 the rate of
cent, while for the whole country II
was TT per cent. and since that time
the difference has become even great
er. The rate of illiteracy is lower
here than in twenty-five states at pres
ent
There are at least nine states. he
said, with resources smaller than
those OF the District Of Columbia, and
there are i've states having a total
wealth less thanathat Of the District.
yet they are represented by ten sem
ators and more than that many rep
resentatives in Congress.
IF any man can state to me any
reason for this condition of AFFAIRS"
said Mr.. Burroughs, in conclusion. IT
viii listen to him attentively and will
be under obligation to him. But I
do not believe any such reason
exists"
Representative Burroughs shared
the porgram with Capt Albert Head
ley. head of the traffic force of the
metropolitan police, who spoke of the
aims and needs of the men under his
command. More men, more equipment
and a traffic court, where traffic cases
exclusively would be heard. were
suggested by the officer as necessary
changes. Ivan c. Weld. president Of
the club. presided at the meeting.