Evening star., 1922-01-17
CONSTITUTIONAL
AMENDMENT FIRST
Delegate Bill Should Bt
Amended and POST
poned. -
THEODORE W. MOVES.

Whether the voteless delegate bill Is
considered prematurely. before action
upon the constitutional amendment.
with the effect Of delaying and per-
haps defeating the latter, or is post
poned until the constitutional amend
ment Is ratified. certain strengthening
and helpful amendments should be
made to it
(. /. There should be provision Of d
voteless delegate in the Senate as well
as in the House for the reasons already
set forth.
2. Some provision Of local legisla-
tive power should be enacted upon
which as a basis the courts may be
caused to review and modify the court
decisions limiting the powers that can
constitutionally be delegated by Con-
gress to local legislature. These cases
are Van Ryswick vs. Roach tMacA. and
NJ. I'D and Stoutenburgh vs. Hennic!S
d2s U. S. 14f. 147).
3. The provisions in regard to cleo
tions should be SO shaped as to de-
velop the real voting constituency OF
the District. II it had previously Sc
cured national representation. 1t
should be ascertained by registratio
" election how many Washingtonians
have no voting residence in the states
and how many Washingtonians with
technical power to vote in the states
would vote at home in the District If
sentation In the House. Senate and
electoral college. II this amendment
were enacted the campaign for ma
tional representation would be sub
stantially benefited.
The constitutional amendment should
hn n a NJ
bill in order to put the District in any
important respect even on a territorial
basis.
Constitutional Amendment First.
The natural order OF legislation con-
cern;ng national representation for
the District is:
1. Passage of the constitutional
amendment.
2. Census or registration to deter
mine the strength of the Districts
voting constituency.
3. Territorial form Of government.
so far as the constitution permits, or
admission to voting representation
in Congress and the electoral col
lege by a majority vote of Congress
in accordance with the power given
10 SOuSToSS py tue CoHSiitutIOHdl
amendment. The kind of District vot-
ing constituency disclosed by the cen
sus or registration will determine
whether Congress. after passage OF
the constitutional amendment, will
postpone exercise of it's power to give
voting national representation. and
will institute preliminary approximate
territorial government or will at once
exercise the power given by the con-
stitutional amendment and give to the
people of the District voting repre-
sentation in Congress and the elec-
toral college.
The natural order of procedure is
thus first to secure the constitutions
amendment. which merely empowers
Congress to give the District national
representation when in the opinion OF
Congress 1t is fitted for such repre-
sentation. If after adoption Of the
amendment Congress thinks that be-
fore exercise Of this limited national
representation the District should &c
through a preliminary training course
as quasi-territory the pending legisla
ton might then, with Amendment. be
adopted. But the territorial delegate
iegisla tion ought never to be permitted
to get in the way Of the constitutional