The Washington times., 1925-01-27

Congressman Blanton and
District Suffrage
By BILL PRICE.

mount of the seventeenth district states that in the
next Congress proposes legislation for suffrage
in the District Columbia which that he will keep the
subject active in that body
vbataver District people may think of this aggressive
Texan he may be depended on that he convinced
the District should suffrage to the limit in keeping
the subject Congress Having said he is going to
push legislation he will up to the full lnterpre
taton of that word.
that suffrage going to have chance in the
Congress Mr.. Blanton is mighty alert member Of
the House the District of Columbia and he
lively hand in everything relating to the District
as to makes friends enemies
cerned only to whether he may be right and just
Mr. Blanton will try get legislation which will permit
the people of the District to ELECT five tne
own school board and delegate IN Congress at the same
time aboshng the position of Engineer Commissions
and there others is that # would enable the people Of the
District have direct voice their affairs and to be
represented the floor Of the House by delegate who WILL
all times be able present their wishes to committees
and the whole House. and where he would an able and
popular man. be in position to favoraby influence much
legislation and to combat erroneous and false ideas tnat pre-
vail to the detriment of this fine city
The average Congressman who upon the
Committees and Senate is too vitality
national legislation and in the affairs Of his own
give undivided attention to District mat
ters He may be mighty good friend OF the District but
be always be hand at the right moment to fight
the battles of the District to promote legislation the com
mnnity desires
true that we deserve regular United States Senator
and least Congressman well the right to vote
for President and Vice District pays fully
threefout which support this National City and
lis citizens pay personal and corporation income taxes
year Federal Government than OVER HALF THE
STATES country which fully represented in Senate
This alone ought to justify Congress IN at once
submitting the States Constitutional amendment giving
MS the rights we should have without question argument
delegate the House would have vote while Senator
Congressman would vote thereby being far more IN
BUT Congress especially the Senate up to
this proposition while the election Of Commissioners the
Board Of Education and delegate have much stronger sup
port in both bodiesstrong enough rallied and united to
dive us local segovernent SO far as we can
with ede
There are number of bills before Congress cOnferrng
suffrage local affairs That is far Congress
can go without Constitutional amendment ratified by the
required number of States
The question for some people of this city determine is
whether they will insist SOMETHING THEY CAN NOT
GET at least for many years to come or whether they VIII
join in fighting for SOMETHING THEY CAN GET at al
comparatively early date.
The standpatters may yield anything except Con-
ionaI amendment which if ever agreed to by the States
right President and Vice President This we
again saw would be preferable to anything else if we could
get it, sandpatters do the people to
elect their Commissioners Board Of Education They
would handpick the Commissioners done at the
White House upon the recommendation OF handpcked po
this plan is plainly one of loudly insisting upon suffrage
the higher places but doubling its wisdom for strictly local
positions.
justice opposing the election of Com
mssoners and the Board of Education is understanding
even if we should get complete suffrage but is posi-
lively incomprehene when the face of the
situation plainly shows that CAN NOT now get all we
lowed at later bv OE for the same full suffrage rights that
accorded all other American citizens.
Bantons espousa local suffrage significant in
of the old bugaooo hear Congress and elsewhere
that the coored population of Washington would hold the
balance of power in elections Mr. Banton dyedn the
wool Democrat with all the political prejudices that exist
among Southern Democrats the question Yet sound
sense teaches him that this bugaboo should no longer stand in
way suffrage This objection would apply at
all, much full suffrage part suffrage rights
The population of Washington than twothrds white
and the colored population has among its citizens the best
there is of that and who their own
homes work regularly and indusrousy love their city and
patriotic the Large numbers of them in the
employ of the United States and District Governments
tgen well educated and STEPPED politically way
that they would be able qualities of
thoughtful and useful citizens election days.
AS ignorant are educa
ona and property qualifications that remove them
from TIE field of political permit the city to be
controlled by the better classes of all parties
United States Senator elected by balance power"