Evening star., 1922-01-16

to the Distsict solely to impose nmi,
tations. II applied at al! It shouio
Since the territorial status 10 not
enjoyed by the District, and since the
grant of a voteless delegate Will not
raise the District to the territorial
status, dignity and power, the nml-
taon to HoIse .Sdud od mot
necessarily apply to any legislative
agents which Congress may grant the
District.
The theory that some peculiar sane
tity attaches to the Senate as an as
sembly Of ambassadors OF sovereign
states on a more exalted plane than
the state representatives In the House
is untenable. The people Of the states
now elect senator's. who are like rep
resentatives at large in the House.
ereign states only the original thir-
teen states can claim for their sena-
tors this status under the constitu-
tional pledge. Equality In the senate
was twice refused in the consttu
tional convention by a majority OF
to in the end only because certain
small states which, under the fedora
ton, had equal power with the other
states would not enter the Union un-
less this equality was preserved IN
one of the two legislative chambers.
The states shaping the Constitution
were, therefore. coerced into an ar
ranEement which was offensive to q
majority Of them by the necessity OF
yielding on this point to q small mi.
nority In order that the Union might
be formed. 1t was recognized that
the privilege of equality in the Senate
was thus wrung unwillingly from
majority of the states and that 1t was
yielded solely for the benedt OF the
few small original states which neio
up the convention and blocked the
creation Of the Union. Neither large
nor small states Of the original thir-
teen were, with two exceptions (Mary-
land and Virginia), willing to put In
the Constitution provision tnat ne"
states should be admitted on the same
terms as the original states. The con,
vention, by vote of 8 to 2. refused
to add to the power of Congress TO
admit states to the Union the words
ION the same terms with the Original
states" And debate showed that tne
reasons for this refusal were as above
stated.
senate, states and Constitution.
The Senate is not by the Constitu-
ton the assembly Of ambassadors of
equal sovereign states. The Consti-
tuition makers representing the thirteen
original states, refused to pledge this
equality to the new states (by vote
Of nine to two.) It was pointed out
in the constitutional convention that
the fact that senators voted per
CAPITA and not as for states contra
dicted the theory Of equality Of state
representation. Veto power by the
President, who represented only one
state. gave to that state one-thiro
of the legislative power OF the Senate
and contradicted equality OF sta te
representation in the Senate. Patrick
Henry denounced the preamble 1--WE
the people, etc" He said it should
have been I'VE the states" Senator
Hoar said that If the Constitution
were amended SO that senators were
chosen by the people of the states
Senate. representing the states. con-
templated by the Constitution. The
amended May 81. 1913. The constt-
tuition cannot. therefore, under this
construction Of it be quoted as hos
| tor Hoar was right the Constitution
as thus construed has been over
! thrown Cor altered by amendment
and is imperative against our prop.
osition: or il Senator Hoar was wrong
| this construction Of the Constitution
ton properly construed is no more
! hostile to our proposition than to the
election Of senators by the people Of
| the state instead of by the state
; through its legislature.
Asking for Bread. Given a Stone.
In speaking at the 1916 hearing or
our constitutional amendment before
the Senate District committee. I said
| Those of us who are intent alone
on the constitutional amendment dc
not look upon a territorial delegate
as national representation at all. We
look upon the territorial delegate as
merely the legislative agent Of ter.
ritory with the privilege Of the f1ool
OF the House for the purpose OF
speaking on District subjects and no,
as mart Of Congress under the Consti.
tuition, s.s / do not believe that any
! thing authorizing a territorial dele'
gate in the House can be found IL
The Constitution which will not au-
thorize a similar voteless delegate IN
the Senate. It Is a PROVISION naans ~
outside OF the Constitution Tor the
i, territory of the United States, giving
that territory a legislative agent In
the transition period between ter
ritory of the United States and a
state of the United Stataes, and from
! our point of view it is just as easy te
grant to those who live in the Dis
trict of Columbia a political status
which shall give them speaking rep.
resentation on the floor of the Senate
as it is to give them the privilege
on the floor of the House; but such
representation is not real representa-
| tiOn and under the existing condi-
tions Of the District of Columbia 1,
| fs not national representation at all
To grant it alone is when we ash
for bread to give us stone"