Evening star., 1922-01-16

AMENDMENT FIRST
1t House voteIess Delegate,
Then One in Senate
Also.
THEODORE w. MOVES.

For reasons which have been stat
ed, the voteless delegate proposition
should not be adopted or pushed for
adoption until by constitutional
amendment such delegate, when
created, shall have the possibility Of
conversion into a voting representa-
tive of the District by majority
vote Of Congress
But whenever considered the pend
ing delegate bills should be amended.
!. There should be provision of a
voteless territorial delegate in the
Senate as. well as In the House. The
voteless delegate is merely the Ieeis-
lative agent of the District with priv
ilege of the floor and the right to
speak on local subjects as the advo-
cate Of the petitioning District. No
genuine national representation is
involved. The delegate is not recog-
nized by the Constitution and is not
a part of Congress, either of the
House or the Senate, under the Con-
stitution. The delegate is not en-
dowed with an atom of legislative
power. NJ with intent to benefit the
Capital community In presenting it's
needs and wishes to the alien legis-
lature (Congress) in which it has no
representation, and In order to SIM
plify and expedite the alien local leg
islatGre's work, Congress decided TO
equip the District with this legisla-
tive agent, there Is no reason what
ever why there should not be such
an agent for the Senate as well as for
the House. Indeed, every considera-
tion which suggests value to such an
agent in dealing with the House sug-
gestS also the necessity or the desir-
ability of similar agent in the Sem
ate. There is no weight to the con-
nothing but states can be represented
In the Senate and that. therefore. the
District cannot be represented there
even by voteless delegate. Under
the Constitution nothing but states
can have representation in the House.
these representatives being appor-
toned among the states according to
census population. The District of
Columbia is not any more to be iden-
titled with a congressional district OF
a state than with a state as q unit.
Ii may be debatable whether it will
be as easy to give the District vot-
ing representation in the Senate as
in the House, but the proposition to
give it legislative agents in Senate
and House with privilege of the floor
to speak on District matters does not
involve the grant to the District OF
real representation in either body.
Senate Delegate II Any.
Without participation in the voting
power there can be no real represen-
tation in a legislative body and vote
less delegates are, as / have said
| merely the recognized advocates OF
agents Of petitioners before the leg
! islative body. differentiated by law
from the unofficial lobbyists repre-
| senting special interests and strength
ened by unusual facilities for pre-
sentIng arguments in behalf of the
petitioners whom they represent. not
| merely in committee, but on the leg.
| islative fiooh Congress-, in granting
them special privileges of this sort
within House or Senate, or both, OBJ
| viously does not endow them with
the smallest particle Of legislative
power in either House or Senate
No constitutional provision admits
them to tha House and shuts them
out from tHe Senate. They are un-
recognized " and outside the appli-
| cation of Yhe Constitution whether
+, House delegates or Senate delegates
The idea that the Constitution per-
| mits nominal representation in the
House, which is forbidden in the SEN
ate, grows out of the fact that legis-
lation concerning the territory has
given to their legislative delegates
privileges only in the House during
| the transition stage between the ter
ritorial and the state status.
Vital Territorial Privileges.
If the District is to be treated
strictly as a territory in this particu-
lar it should be put on the territorial
basis in other particulars. Especially
should it be given by passage of the
pending constitutional amendment tht
territory's power of securing. when a
majority of Congress wills it, genuine
voting representation in both House
and Senate. And also by modification
Of the court decisions and by appro.
pirate legislation it should be given
some of the territory's local self-gov-
ernlng legislative powers The ter