Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-02-16
THE voTELEsS CAPITAL CITY
ny Frederic .. H.sk,n

Commissioners. There is rome scnfi-
ncnt In Congress- In favor OF this wids
Latitude for the District. but probably
not enough 10 insure passage.
The most promising bill. 80 far es
enactment is concerned. l. tho least
liberal. II leaves Congress In control
OF the city and allows the District
people 70 elect one delegate 10 Con
grese. This official would ia on par
faith the delegates from Hawaii, Por-
10 Rico, Alaska. and the Philippines.
He would hav. a voice In Congress.
but no vote.
a yoteless delegate IS obviously not
so desirable % city as asfull-nedsef
representative. But the District ~
Columbia has got 10 the point where
u will accept any measure that gives
/ munity.
1 Washington Aroused Slowly.
/ II has taken .wsahington some Tins
70 be aroused 70 interest IN this ques-
ton. Any other city would have iong
ago opposed the idea Of having 80
/ affairs administered for II by body.
no single member OF which was direct
/ ~ concerned in its welfare. But Wash
lngton has large proportion q tran
sient residents. The Government, clerk,
diplomat. politician. and Army ard
Navy officer tend 20 regard 10 IN
washington az n camping out ~
perience. In the past few years. how
ever. business men and citfzenss se-
sociaticns have succeeded 81 interest
Ing this casual population n tho
Capitals worries.
a few wealthy men who are inter
ested in banks. real estate, and ut'ii-
ties and who are powerful under the
present eystem are said to - tho
malnstay OF the opposition.
The need for a change IN the Gov
eminent OF tho Capital e n common
topic about the city. When the Dis
ltrict appropriation bill COINS up. Con-
/ gress Is told how many schoois az.
needed. Crowded conditions are point
Cd out. Congressman are taken % see
schoolrooms with every iegI taken
. md children sitting in chairs TOO hign
FOR them or az tho seacher's dest
! Perhaps tho COMMITTEES 81 eyrnpass s-i-
. and pares down the requested appro-
j Drl3tiOn only a little. But sonewher.
. between the COMMITTEES and the Pres
2 dents signature the funds Tor sde-
i saate school accommodations are
dashed 50 that conditions remain
! Iuch se they were
Congressional Interest Lass.
Washington shrues 81, shoulders
and remarks that II wouldn't happen
( anywhere else. But az course Con
gress. aside from a few members, pos-
: sLby. isn't vitality Interested In tha
District, and II IA easy 20 ecotorllzs
: here.
7 This goes On IN every pha-~ o.,
o Washington's government. The Gre
+ chief is now iamenting that he need,
= a searchllght truck--Shouls have has
II one long ago. a powerful Eight throw
= on the Knickerboc<er Theatre WIN.
rescue work was feverishly going OF
. in the dark would have been an iu
;, cauable aid. II might have save
a lives. But even now. the aearchlixh
g truck has been cut from he aopro
q pTiation bill as not urgently nec-s
= sary.
a Workers for local suffrage here "a.
: signs pointing 20 a change In IN.
y city's government. They firmly be
!, lieve that before this Congress eno,
= some sort OF suffrage viii be granite,
the people Of the National Capital
: and that they VIII be given som
" measure of the political liberty en-
loyed BY citizens OF the States.
y II IS strange fact that wasn.nx
= ton should be the only capital IN tn
'i world without q representative gov
: ernment Of some sort. L a eve.
te stranger. perhaps. that this city. vrnicl
10 mas 4 larger population than save
RS u the states. should be the only com
I'd munity under the United States F7a
es Pat Is completely disfranchised.