Evening star., 1926-04-21

ACTION AS HEARING
ON SUFFRAGE ENDS
Seeking Way to Give District
Some Representation.
Graham Asserts.
10000 LABOR UNION MEN
VOTELESS, SAYS SPEAKER
Women Appear in Support of Plan.
Date Set for Hearing of
Opponents.

suranCe from Chairman Graham ana
other members that they are seeking
q way TO provide fair representation
in Government to the people of the
District. the hearings for those favor
ing national representation through
the Dyer resolution for a cOnsttu-
tional amendment was closed TO-DAY.
Two individuals have asked to he
heard in opposition, and the commute"
assigned a week from today a. the
time.
The judiciary committee room was
crowded today with officers and req
resentatives of practically all of the
important civic. business, suffrage
and welfare organizations in the Cap
ital. The individual members OF the
committee showed a sympathetic spirit
and by their series of questions M
dicated careful and deep study of tho
question. with an inclination 10 ElNe
some measure of suffrage to the dit
franchised citizens.
Labor Leader Backs Plan.
John 3. Colpoys. representing t,t]
Central Labor Union, heartily lni
dorsed the legislative proposal and
explained how voting representation
in Congress would be beneficial IT,
the people of the District.
In reply to a question by Repre-
,entative Dyer. Republican, OF Nils.
souri,. sponsor of the Joint resolution
as to how many members or organ
lied labor in the District, for whom
Mr.. Colpoys appeared as spokesman
there are who have no vote at pres
ent, Mr.. ColpoyS estimated the num-
Der at between 10000 and $4,000. MI
Dyer said that the committee is par
ticularly interested in asCertainiuS
facts of that nature. Mr.. ColpoyS
Femphasized that the District people
are not asking for any rights not en-
joyed by citizens of other parts of
the country.
Judge Mary O'Toole of the Municipal
Court appeared as local representative
of the National American Woman
Suffrage Association of the Womans =
Bar Association and the Women's CITY
Club. She argued that suffrage would
bring to District citizens self-respect, a
greater confidence and prestige and
greater persuasive power IN asking
! for legislation.
States Don't Realize Situation.
Mrs. George Alfred Kicker appeared
AS president of the District OF Column
bia League of Women Voters she
explained that women throughout the
States are giving united support 10
measures for which the association she
represents is working. She pointed out
that people throughout the states do
| not appreciate now that the people on
the District do not have a vote.
Mrs. Kicker referred to the appea
! of the President at the opening OF
| the u. A. r. Congress to get out the
vote and said that she expected as an
| outgrowth OF that, the ID. a. X. Con-
! rress Will indorse the campaign to Sc
cure suffrage for the District or Co
! lumbia.
I Representative Rathbone, Rcpuh-
/ lican. of Illinois, a native NashlhE
/ tonian and member of the House
/ District committee, said; FOR long
while past | have entertained q very
firm and fixed opinion that II is not
! only wise, but eminently just TO grant
! suffrage 20 the people of the District.
! The whole history OF the United
! States shows the growth OF opinion
! that suffrage is inherent in the 1nul-
J vidual and is a natural right. me
! steady development has been TO Ell
large it and to include all aduh
citizens. There is no reason why
500 900 citizens who have performed
their duty toward the Nation better
than number of States should De
deprived of that natural right. The
granting of suffrage will work TOT
decidedly better conditions in the
Government of the National Capital.
Suter Presents Report.
Jessie {. Suter. president of the
Federation of Citizens Associations.
presented a brief report from the
Citizens Advisory Council. of which
he is chairman. He explained that
this is a semi-oflicial body of nine
members advisory to the D1strlct
Commissioners. representing delegates
from As citizens associations and ~
associations of colored citizens. He
called attention to the fact that this
report was IN the same form as made
bv the Citizens Advisory Council or
all legislative proposals. which are re
ferred to it by the District commit
tees in Congress.
This report said that 1.-The Citizens
Advisory Council has carefully con
sidered the pending joint resolution
and recommends that it have YOU
approval This resolution proposes
an amendment to the Constitution of
the United States empowering the
Congress to gran. unto the people of
the District the status of citizens OF
a State for the purposes of represent
alton in the Congress and in the elec
toral college and a status before the
Federal courts.
This proposition appears to us ohc
of simple justice, so plain and funda
mental as to make argument before
a committee of American citizens
seem absurdly superfiuous. Surely
the nearly half million Americans
at the Nations Capital are by all
natural right entitled TO the same
participation in their national Gov
enrment as the citizens of the several
States.
Want to Govern Home.
Furthermore, through this national
representation we should be privileged
to participate in the governing of the
National Capital in the same manner
as enioyed by your own constituents
in the government of this District
which is our home.
1--WE believe that national represen-
tation is absolutely essential to the
preservation of our right as citizens
we believe that the great Lincoln was
fundamentally right when he said:
No man is good enough to govern
another man without that mans con
(Coati.raG ON Tie (. Column ~