Evening star., 1927-04-24
Capital Sidelights

now undEr consideration are worked
out. PrEiident Coolidge and Attorney
General Sargent have been appealed
to regal fling the proper procedure for
the div k,ion of Florida into two States
Mort b Florida and South Florida.
T-s EEami Chamber of Commerce is
one of3 the important agencies urging
such q. division.
TIE consensus Of opinion of those
who A, opinion seems most worth
viii n, on this subject is that there IS
rea ~ no precedent to guide the Flor
ida proponents and that they will have
to make history" The nearest guide
" Auld be the procedure in setting on
Fest Virginia from Virginia, over
' s lich the squabble still continues.
The only provision in the Constitu.
ikion covering this question is that
New States may be admitted by the
Congress into this Union: but no new
States shall be formed or erected
within the jurisdiction of any other
State; nor any State be formed by
the junction of two or more States, or
parts Of States, without the co"Jent
of the Legislatures OF the States con-
cerned as we'll as of the Congress.
There are those who recall the effort
to establish the State of Franklin, ana
who are endeavoring to find prece-
dent for South Florida in the estab-
lishment of the State Of Tennessee.
The admission of North and South
Dakota throws no light on the Flor
ida problem, for the territory was dl'
yided before the Dakotas were ad'
mitted into the Union.
- NryNn
some thought to the proper procedure
and who have consulted the records Is
that first the State Legislature of Flor
ida should be petitioned. There would
of necessity have to be a careful can"
vass as to the boundary lines and as to
how the public property should be di-
vided, and for a refunding of any pub.
lie debt and as to how it should be
shared. SO, a careful and detailed
study of the financial obligations is a
prerequisite to legislative considera-
tion. The proposal would have to be
submitted to both the proposed halves
of the State for determination of the
wishes of the majority in each half.
The State of Florida would have to
act first in approving such a proposal
and then ask Congress to satisfy the
proposed division into two States.
But the ultimate decision is still a
long way off, and Congress will have
to worry along for quite while yet
with only 96 Senator's. Also, do not
overlook that there would be strong
Republican party opposition in Con-
gress to giving Florida another two
Senator'S If that State continues to be
as strongly Democratic as In the past.
1t looks as IL the Republican party
must grow considerably stronger in
Florida before there will be division
of the State.
&* 4
Here's another little political conun-
lrum that the wisecrackers are trying
out on their mental molars. The Ohio
Legislature Is now engaged in an eff
fort to legislate Representative Mar.
tin l.. Davey, Democrat, out of the
Republican fourteenth district, in
which he has been four times elected,
the last occasion by the largest plu.
rality ever recorded in Ohio The OBJ.
1ect is to put him in a Democratic dis
trict, where either he or the present
Democratic member would have to
give up his congressional life. t...
Davey argues that a candidate for
Congress may run in any district that
suits his fancy, provided he stays with.
in his own State. II the voters are
willing to elect him, he may live in
one district and represent another, as
Davey himself has. Boundary lines of
congressional districts, as drawn bv
State legislative bodies, can be en-.
forced only by public opinion, he
claims, and so wants to know what
all the shouting is about?"
Davey says he does not care what
the Legislature does, because he owns
house in his old district and needs
TO move only a few hundred yards
TO get back where he started from.
Ii ne does not want to go to that
exertlon he is confident he could be
reelected without moving.
But he thinks that the public will
De interested in learning that the
good old Constitution won't permit a
State Legislature to eramp a Con.
gressrnan's style SO long as he STAYS
within his own State.
The constitutional requirements are
No person shall be a Representative
who's shall not have attained to the
ago OF 20 years and been seven years
citizen of the United States, and who
shall not, when elected, be an inhabi
tant OF that State in which he shall
be chosen"
1t has been decided time and again
that no State may add to the qualIflca.
tions prescribed by the Constitution.
This enables a candidate for Congress
to disregard any boundary lines set
up within his State.
Davey points out that I'm earlier
times great many congressman rep.
resented districts in which they did
not live, among them Rufus King,
fNnIVnrnnIYF nd A..
Kean. Congressman Of the present
day have the same right IL they want
to exercise it, says Davey.
y y y
Probably due to the Nation wide in.
terest aroused by President COOLIDGE s
PRONUNCIATION on Washington's birth
day of an address before House and
Senate and official Washington in
joint session regarding the bicenten-
NAL celebration Of Washington's birth,
the tide OF tourist travel through the
Capital is taking growing interest
In side trip to Wakefield. Va, the
birthplace of THE Father of His
Country" There is an extremely mod
est home on the banks of the Potomac,
where the first President, who might
have been King, had he been willing
to accept such an office, first saw the
light OF day and spent the golden
days of his childhood. During recent
years considerable interest has been
aroused in preservation Of Wakefield
as one of the Nations shrines.
"Washington's ancestors came to
Virginia in the seventeenth century
and secured a grant of land along the
Potomac River. Wakefield was the
name of the homestead which in.
cluded about 1000 acres and occupied
the blunted point of the triangle lying
between Pope and Bridges Creek In
Westmoreland County, Virginia. 1t
was made up of wooded and bottom
lands and was of wonderful fertility.
The house, which faced the Potomac
River, was the typical settlers home
of the period, comprising four rooms
of fair size on the first floor, with
loft above. At each end q stone Chin