Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-09-14
LET THESE CITIZENS
BE HEARD
From the Philadelphia Record.

From the Philadelphia Record.
Among the special events incidental
to the Sesquicentennial, District of
Columbia day promises to be by no
means the least interesting and lively.
Not only may notable gathering on
October be expected, but it will be.
it is'hoped, the occasion of an impor-
tant and appealing demonstration in
behalf of civil rights too long denied.
The residents of the territory which
has the distinction of being the seat
of the Government of the United
States are demanding relief from the
fantastic disability of being forbidden
to exercise the primary right of cit-
Zenship, the right to vote; and their
intention Is to associate their cause
with the celebration of the establish
ment of national sef-government.
The limitations of the official mind
are illustrated by the fact that this
perfectly reasonable aim has been dis
countenanced and INSTRUCTED. The
president of the Board of District Com
missiOners advised that the proposed
discussion would be ''unbecoming"
and probably distasteful to Philadel-
phia as host of the Neutrality-suspicious.,
and the committee in charge of the
arrangements submisSively ruled out
all references to the movement. But
it is unthinkable that this policy of
suppression will prevail.
Disfranchisement of the people of
Washington dates from the founding
of the Republic, when the District was
created and placed under the exclu-
sive jurisdiction of Congress- the citi-
zens were deprived of the ballot in
order to keep the Federal Govern
ment free from any State authority or
local influence. But this safeguard
imposed upon the residents an arbi-
trary rule of taxation without repre-
sentation," and nearly n century ago
President Jackson urged that the sys-
tenn be modified 1t was confirmed,
however. In 1871, when the courts
ruled that Congress could not dele
gate it's constitutional powers, and
legislative assembly that had been set
up had to be abandoned
Now that the District embraces
metropolitan city of 450,0 popula-
ton, the voteless state of it's citizens
is an anomaly that works serious in
justice and injury. They are quite
aware that their civic rights must be
limited. They do not aspire to state
hOO0, Wn1ch 1S lmpOSSlDIe DeCduSt IL
would create a dual sovereignty; nor
do they insist upon local self-govern-
ment in place Of rule by Congress
through a commission. What they do
| demand is some measure Of national
representation-the right to vote for
| presidential electors and for members
of the Senate and House of Repre-
sentatives. This limited enfranchise-
ment will require an amendment to
| the Constitution. change which has
| been strongly Endorsed by the commit
tee of Congress which deals with the
District. and by influential leaders
of thought throughout the country.
There is no valid reason for defer
ring the submission of this amendment
to the States, and there could be no
more appropriate occasion for popu-
larizing it than a gathering celebrat-
ing the birth of democratic representa-
tive government. The people Of Phila-
delphia do not make the best use of
their own privileges as voters. But
they would be the last to object to
this expression OF just grievance by
their fellow citizens of the National
Capital. To become the means Of ad
vancing a cause so just would be for
the Sesquicentennial an historic dis
tinction.