The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1922-01-14
COMMITTEE HEARS
FINAL ARGUMENTS
ON DC. SUFFRAGE
Take Best We Can Get, y
Col. Winfield Jones
Pleads.

Arguments for and against sur
frage in the District marked the
conclusion of the hearings by the
Senate District Committee yester-
day.
Most Of the speakers advocated q
constitutional amendmsnt granting
washtngtonians the right to vote in
the Presidential elections and q
vote In Congress- Otherx fearful
that thu oppositinn in Congress to
amend the Consultation would leave
the issue IN status quo. argued for
a delsgats IN Congress.
Arguments against the proposal
were merely read
Col. Winfield Jones, chairman of
TIM national press committee. er-
planned that some time ago a poll
of Congress had been tak-n and bun
ten members OF the Senate ana
Twenty-Five members OF aha House
had been IN faTrr OF n cpns1lrn-
ttnnal amendment and II wns there
FINN EppEen- thai Rny effort To
havs either HOUSE pnss lssislAtlon
Of This kna wBnld h tunlesa
C. VI Ayrr- Opposes Suffrage
Arm WI zntrg ID work for some
thing that's Impossible or are we
going to accept the best We can
get2- jones inquired
/ c. Cm1ey. representing thu
Federal employees, supported the
arguments OF Col Jones
c. W. Ayrcs appeared before the
committee To offer the only oppnsi-
tion tn District suffrage He read
a volum mons artick-
William NICK C1Rytnn- of he
Federation of C1tfzenx Associations,
and Washington TOphan urged =
constitutional amsndment
oyster D>fenAs AnenAment-
Commissioner Oyster, In defend
ing TIM amendment proposed said:
II taxation without representa-
tiun n wrong, then the people OF
the District have been treated I'M
rightnouslJ from the beginning OF
the Institution of the seat of gov
eminent here II cannot be argued
that became this condition has pre-
vailed for more than q Century n
should continue 1t Is never toe
late To correct 4 wrong Nor mas
this wrong been lessened by the
fact that for many years the peo-
pie Of the District elected their mu-
nicfpal officers and conducted their
own Affairs
while that local self-government
prevailed Congress continued to ex-
ercise exclusive legislative turis-
diction' over the District and the
people of the District cast no votes
for Presidential electors They
were as unrepresented In the ad-
ministratiye and legislative branch
es of the government as though
they cast no votes at all, as unrep-
resented As they are today"
Need for Representation.
Commissioner Oyster said that no
matter how interested members of
Congress may be in the affairs of
the District. they cannot devote to
the city's problems the time neces-
sary to handle these questions ef-
fectively when they arse in the
course of legislation.
He pointed out that frequently in
tiers the need for representatives
familiar to lifelong association with
local conditions is felt by members
OF Congress who are striving to do
what Is best for Washington.
The time has come to correct
this wrong" the Commissioner con-
tinued mo longer can It be said
that there Is danger in an enfran-
chised community at the seat of
government. The virtual abolition
of the patronage system of public
appointments has left the Capital
community free from any form of
compulsion by the national admin
istration. II vested with the right
of national representation in the
electoral college and Congress, the
people Of the District could be trust
ed to vote as citizens, not as par
takers of public bounty and parti-
sans of marty in pouer