Evening star., 1921-11-10
Americanizing the Washingtonian.

Americanizing the Washingtonian.
The Senate District committee will,
1t appears. supplement its hearings
upon the bills to permit the District
! to elect commissioners. board of edu.
cation. public utilities commission
and voteless delegate in the House
by thoughtful consideration upon its
merits Of the constitutional amend.
ment. empowering Congress to grant
to District residents representation
in House, Senate and electoral college.
After hearing the issues in respect
to which organized Warrington bit.
teriy disagrees. it will consider the
issue In respect to which organised
Washington Is practically united.
In 1916 one strong civic orsanixa.
ticn, the Chamber Of Commerce. ap.
peared before the Senate District com.
mittee to advocate national repre-.
sentation for the District through
: constitutional amendment. AS the
result Of a wonderful growth Of ma
tional representation sentiment In the
last five years. at the hearing last
January before the House judiciary
committee the national representation
constitutional amendment was Wig.
orously advocated by nearly every
civic organization Of the capital.
Those who wished to overturn and
those who wished to preserve the
present local government and both
those who thought a voteless terri
toral delegate helpful and hurtful to
the District were united to fight for
national representation, which be-
slows a high American privilege and
: cannot be secured except through con-
stitutional amendment
For the immediate present the or
ganizatiohs and individuals united to
fight for national representation are
divided in order that they may scrap
with one another over the local gov
ernment and voteless delegate issues.
. After these issues have been disposed
Of the belligerents may be expected
to come together again in united sup
port Of the Americanization OF the
Washingtonian through genuine vot-
ing representation in Congress and
electoral college.
It is suggested in this connection
that Congress at this time wishes to
approximate the District to the po-
litical status Of a territory and not
to that of q state: and that. therefore.
1t is disposed Ton the mistaken As
sumption that the constitutional
amendment proposes statehood) to re.
ject the amendment and, as . substi.
tute, to give the District voteleas
delegate or two voteless delegates In
the House.
II Congress- wishes to approximate
the Districts political status to that
Of a territory it will approve the con-
stitutional amendment, which merely
accomplishes this approximation. The
privilege Of voting for. voteless dele
gates falls far short Of approximAting
the American rights and powers Of 4
territory.
0) The territory has an elected leg
islature OF it's own. which makes its
laws. (2) The territory may at any
moment by a majority vote Of Con-
gress be admitted to statehood and to
privileges which include the represen.
tation in Congress and the electoral
college which the District seeks.
These are the distinctive and precious
rights and powers of the American
territory.
= The sole effect Of the pending con.
: stitutional amendment is to put the
Z District upon the political plane Of q
territory under the second Of the two
specified heads, but with radical resas.
vations and limitations. The amend.
n1ent makes it possible for the Dis
trtct to secure At some future time
representation In Congress and the
electoral college by empowering Con-
sfess, b, its discretion - 70 time. 20
grant this representation. retaining,
h1wever, national control oi the oApl.
tai and without sdnitting the Das64ct
10 sovereign statehood.
Our constitutional amendment
merely takes District representation
from inAccessibility and impossibility
and makes It possible.
or,Ths amendment thus meets the sus.
!, igested wish Of Congress to placs the
District approximately Out with radi.
cal restrtctions) upon the territorial
plane.
The bill enabling the District to
vote for q voteless delegate does not
put the District upon the territorial
plane At ali. It does not give the Dis.
arice the territorial power Of enActins
local laws or the promise and possi.
billy OF future power to participate
on American principles In making M.
GHnAl lawA
y II ws accept 1t as giving. us genuine
territorial status ana the .eonstisu.
tional amendment q On that account
rejected We shall delay indsslnitely
The securing by the District Of tho
real rights and powers Of the Anhsri.
can territory and later the national
representation Of quasi state.
II h hard to understand why either
any WashinktoniAn or any congress.
man who has rad the constitutional
a.ssslnsnt should OPPOSE IL since n
crssses NO new state. increases the
psWers II Congress h respect to the