Evening star., 1926-04-19
Americanize the Washingtonian.

AHlEIlCdIlLC I1lE " doAAA D eOAAAA
Tomorrow morning the House Ju-
dietary committee will give consldera'
tion to the appeal of the people of the
District for submission TO the people
OF the United States Of constltu-
tional amendment which shall give
Congress the power to admit to voting
representation in the House. Senate
and electoral college the half million
Americans Of the District.
The vital question to he answered is
whether the thought is forever to pre-
vail that while the WashinGtonians
ore good enough Americans to pay ma
tional taxes and go ia war they are
not good enough Americans to be rep
resented in the Congress which taxes
them and sends them to war.
In all the eXpanse of the continental
and contiguous United States. from
ocean to ocean. from Canada to MeXi-
CO, every territory has been exalted
into statehood, and the District of Co
lumbia is the only remaining Ameri-
can community whose people are still
compulsory occupants of the National
Hospital for Politically Defective and
Delinquent Americans.
The community thus Disseminated
against is already in numbers, intelli-
EenCe and resources fit to enjoy the
specified national rights and privileges
IF citizens of State We are American
citizens assembled in sufficient num-
hers in a limited space" and meet
all the territorial requirements of a
community about to be admitted to
full statehood. The District exceeds
in population seven of the existing
States. 1t exceeds in population every
new State in the Union at the time of
its admission except Okla homa. The
Community in intelligence. in public
spirit. patriotic devotion. in every dis
tinctive American characteristic is un-
surpassed in the United States. What
new State has ever been admitted to
the Union which at the time of admis-
sion had so large, so intelligent and
So thoroughly American population
as the District? What new State at
the time of admission. mea sured as to
its taxable resources. was raising so
much in local taxes and contributing
SO much in national taxes as the
District of Columbia? In the World
War the voluntary enIistments from
80 District were greater than those
tt~rn eight States, and the percent
age Of voluntary enlistments to total
enlistments and registration was
greater than in forty-three States
If, however, any one thinks that the
population of the District is not now
fit for admission to partial statehood.
no reason results for opposing this
constitutional amendment which mere
" gives Congress the power in its
discretion in the future to grant this
representation and which postpones
the test Of the Districts fitness until
Congress shall see fit to apply it. To
vote against our constitutional amend
n1ent is to say that the detectives and
delinquents of Washington will never
he fit for national representation and
should be denied the possibility of ever
convincing Congress that they have
become fit.
These gross determinations against
the Americans of the District of Co.
lumbia find no excuse in national i'm
potency or national necessity.
The suggestion that the nation is
lmpotent TO cure this evil is an insult
To American character and capacity.
No other nation in the world decrades
in national representation the peonle
"f its r"pitll below the residents of
its other cities.
These Determinations are not
necessary to the constitutional control
by Congress Of the ten-mile square
Correction of them America nizinC the
District Of Columbia does not DESTROY
or diminish that control.
In Eenuin" representative govern
ment rights and privileges are insep-
arably welded to obligations and re-
Sponsibilities. WaShingtonians bur
dened with every national oblisa ton
cannot forever he denied the CORE.
spending American rights, powers and
privileges.