The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1921-11-22
DENIES CAPITAL
BELONGS SOLELY
TO GOVERNMENT
81. II. Classic Pleads for
Greater and Voting
Washington.
BALL SEES FLAW S
G. w. Ayers, Of Opposition,
Would Penalize Failure to
Exercise Vote.

District suffrage hearings were
continued by the Senate committee
Yesterday. until after December 5.
when the new Congress will be In
session. Henry H Classic, an at
torney of the Department Of Jus
tice. and J. Milton waldron, repre-
.senting the negro citizenship, were
heard in favor of suffrage yester-
day, while g. W. Ayers, a resident
representing the unoreanized op-
position, spoke for nearly an hour.
Ayers proposed an amendment to
the resolution proposing suffrage,
by which those who advocate the
cause would be subjected to penal
ties for failure to exercise their
franchise. Senator Ball, chairman
Of the committee, halted Ayers in
the midst Of the reading OF clip
pings from newspapers rejecting
upon the virtue of elections, ana ex-
pressed the belief that Ayers did
not favor any kind of a ballot The
clippings were similar to those read
at hearings last week.
Denies Senator'S Assertion.
Classic challenged Senator Balls
statement of last week that wash
inston belonged solely to the gov
eminent Of the United States, de-
clartng II was never intended that
the people here should be denied the
right of a voice IN their own gov
eminent and citing records to show
that self-government had not been
failure under the previous test
What was the object of separat-
ing the District OF Columbia and
placing II under control of Con-
Eress. * IL were not intended that
Washington should be the seat OF
the government rather than a bus
Ting municipality-the home of the
fsS. where employees of the govern
ment and those who feed and clothe
them should reside?" Senator Ball
asked
Classic said he thought IL was
the intention of the forefathers TO
make this the seat of the govern
Ient. bat In no way to restrict its
citizenship. In fact" he said. at
was expressly stated that the Capt.
tai should outrivai in population.
wealth and in everything else
every other city in the world, in
Guiding London. The location wa.
advantageous as national point
of exchange between the sea-
board and the mountains. Wash
inEtOn rode horse back 500 miles
before agreeing that this alluvial
Fat was the very place for a com
mercial City
He quoted George Washington as
saying that the Capital City should
be the greatest commercial en-
porium OF the country. and declared
II was never intended that the
people should be voteless.
Stresses Congregational Control.
Senator Ball called attention TO
the fact that Congress had been
given control of the District Of Co.
lumbia and that the original grant
spoke OF IL not as the foundation
Of a city but OF a seat OF govern
ment- He declared the population
consisted largely OF persons who
were not residents. Classic said
the number under this caption
would be negligible.
The colored spokesman dweIt on
the qualification OF the negro voter.
the fact that he constitutes a large
portion Of the population and as
serted the negro is impartial in
politics He believed a proper ex-
ercise OF the ballot would solve
many OF the problems confronting
not only the colored people of
Washington. but the white people.
and thought il proper that every