Evening star., 1923-06-07
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN
riners-Front and center.


How many OF you stop to realize
that your hosts-the people OF the
National Capital-are still to be
Americanized?
How many of you stop to realize
that residents of the District of CO.
lumbia have no voice in the selection
of the President of their country, nor
a voice in the selection of the men
who tax them and appropriate their
money?
How many of you stop to realize
that under the ruling of the Supreme
Court of the United States the resi-
dents of the District are less than
aliens in the right to sue and to be
sued in the federal courts?
In no other capital city of any
nation-where the people have
voice in their own government-are
the residents disfranchised as they
are in the capital of the United
States.
Yet the principle of self govern
ment-the right to voice In the
leyying of taxes and all that i'm
plies-is the American idea.
According to the census of 1920
the District of Columbia had popu-
lation of $4,000. 1t is greater now.
1t is estimated that the District can
take care of a population of 100000
persons. Eventually the population
of the District will approximate that
number.
Ranks Above Several States.
In the list of forty-nine political
and territorial divisions which today
make up continental United States
forty eight states and the District of
CoIumbia-the District ranks forty
second in population. There are
They are. in the order of their popula-
lations than the National Capital.
The are, in the order oftheir popula-
tion, Idaho. New Mexico. Vermont,
Arizona, Delaware, Wyoming and
Nevada. Yet the people in those
states have been Americanized in
full. They have all the high privi-
leges of citizens of the United States.
No one would suggest that they be
deprived of these rights-least of all
the disfranchised citizens of the Dis
trict of Columbia.
Is there any good and valid rea-
son that citizens of the District of
Columbia should be deprived of a
voice in the national government,
the government which necessarily
rules over the National Capital? The
citizens of the District are as law
abiding as those in any of the states.
They are as Intelligent and as we'll
educated. They have done their full
share in every war that the country
has engaged in. They have given
in men and lives and money freely
to meet these national emergencies.
They have paid their full share of
the federal taxes.
The people of the District are ask
ing for national representation-for
the power to vote for members of
the electoral college. who in turn
vote for President and Vice Presi-
dent, and for the power to elect to
Congress senators and representa-
tives as do the people of the forty
eight states.
Ask Only Fair Share
The people of the capital are not
federal district be turned over TO
them. They recognize the justice
of the contention that the country,
through Congress and the chief ex-
ecutive. is entitled to govern the
Capital city. that the national in
terest in the Capital city is unde-
niable. But they do contend that
they are entitled to have as much
say in the government of this city,
through Congress and the chief ex-
ecutive. as have the people of Mary
land. Virginia, Delaware. New York,
California or Idaho.
Each of the seven states whose
population is less than that of the
District of Columbia today has two
senators in the Senate. Idaho and
Vermont each have two representa-
tives in the House of Representa-
tives. and each Of the other five
states mentioned has one.
The District on this showing is en-
titled to two senators and two rep
resentatives in Congress. 1t is en-
titled to votes in the electoral COL
lege.
The only privilege which the Dis
trict is accorded under existing con-
ditions is the sending of delegates
TO the national conventions of the
republican and democratic parties.
Once every four years these dele
gates are selected and take part in
the conventions which nominate the
candidates for President and Vice
President.
Amendment Proposals.
An amendment to the Constitution
IS necessary before the people of the
District can take the part in the
national government which should