Evening star., 1928-03-16

ward against it,
1t seems 10 us that the gentlemen
who have appeared here. opposing oui
proposition. have based their cast
principally upon diStrust of or al
least an indifference toward the
American system of f-government
rather than any specific objection tt
our proposal that the people of the
District of Columbia in national affairs
shall be counted among the people OF
the Nation who III national affairs
govern themselves and the Nation.
Let me explain what I mean. II
has been pointed out by the only one
of our opponents who spoke for Others
than himself that the control OF gov
ernment of the American people was
indirect He said that ii was SO in
direct as to be negligible.
We admit that the American people
only indirectly control their National
Government We nevertheless believe
! in the system that we have.
| That system contemplates the elec-
| tion by the people Of only portion
of the persons who constitute the Gov
/, ernment. The people of the United
States elect only their representatives
in the House and Senate and the
| President and Vice President. A great
deal of important governmental ma
chinery which operates very directly
and practically to govern the people
| is officered by persons who are not
elected and who are not directly re-
| sponsible nor responsive to popular
| control.
Nevertheless. this is the American
| system and We believe in it. If 1t is
said to be wrong, 1t is outside the scope
! of the present discussion even to at
| tempt to defend it.
/ Political Units for Election.
| The representatives of the people
who are elected, and I refer now to
/ Senators and members of this House.
are so elected by people who are di-
| vided for the purpose Of expressing
their choice by territorial lines. The
political units for the purpose of elec-
| ton under our American system are
not accomplished by dividing the peo-
pie into classes, nor are they made
along occupational lines We do not
believe in the Soviet system. which
elects. as understand. representatives
Of different trades and occupations
rather than representatives of all
classes living within a certain terri
torial limit.
Therefore. in every territorial SUBJ
division which is a political unit under
OH. system. we have people of all kinds
There are in each State undesirable
voters. Some of them are not useful in
assisting to elect desirable representa-
tives because they are ignorant or ire
sponsible: some because they are not
in sympathy with our institutions: and
some because. though we'll educated
and well circumstanced. they consider
the business of politics common and
low and distasteful TO them.
There Is not Representative on the
judiciary committee who has not in
his congressional district people who
you or might think were better with
out the vote and people who. like some
of the persons who have appeared here
to oppose us. do not value the vote. and
consider politics dirty and distasteful.
a business in which one must mix with
the rabble and give unwilling ac-
quiescence to a theory of equality of
men. Such supposedly superior peo-
pie, who are in greater or less numbers
in every congressional district, are the
| ones who stay away from the polls
because they think their vote will not
count anyhow, and then deplore the
| result. They are the people who think
that one vote does not count, and the
ones among them who hold such views
| to an extreme degree think that the
| vote or presence of one voting repre-
sentative In Congress does not count.
The Non-voting Citizens.
We have such people In the District
OF Columbia. We are not proud OF
them. but We have TO admit that they
are here because this committee has
had a few samples appear before 1t in
the narGnns 0f QSiF aOO0Uentg
Such people who would not go TO
the polls and do not 60 to the polls
in the congressional districts that al
ready exist. OF course. do not consider
IL important that the only remaining
territory on continental United States
which is not divided into congressional
districts should be so divided and rep
resented In Congress.
They would be perfectly satisfied
with vigorous and splendid despo,ism.
and more or less unconsciously would
prefer 1t; provided only II did not re-
suit in an increase In the tax rate.
MY point. gentlemen, is that the only
person who came before you authorized
to represent else than himself was not
opposing us and our proposal. but was
opposing the American system OF gov
eminent. In which he does not thor
oughly believe No other Interpretation
can, In my opinion be put .on what
he said. and In order that you may
know that / am not exaggerating or
migrepTesenttng our opponents argu-
ment let me give you direct quota
ton copied from the stenographic rec
ord of February I6 Our opponent said:
In population as large al this.
where government by suffrage Is not
direct, but representative. the voters
are far from governing themselves.
The vote merely serves 10 permit the
voters 10 have new rulers when dis
/ satisfied with the occupants, But AZ
| Congress rules the District. the presence
| of one or two members would not en-
/ able the people of the District TO effect
change In congressional policy In
| District matters The amendment viii
/ merely serve as basis upon which
may be organized an irresponsible ma
chine rule such as disfigures too many
other large cities"
At another phase. referring to an
/ alleged small vote on an election for
Il local legislature In the laJ0s, our
| opponent said
They did not vote then, nor will
/ they now
| ] am inclined 10 admit that there
are persons of the type Of mind of this
! opponent of ours vino will not vote as
/ residents " the District III Columbia.
but such persons are here In no greater
| DFOportion than they are in the dis
tftcts which elect the representatives
from the balance Of tne United States,
Non Voting Illinois Critic.
While Admiral Rogers. The repre-
sentative 0f the Dupont Citizens Asso"
citation, from gbom | have been quot
ing. argued. AZ above quoted. that Our
vote would De ~ ineffective as 10 be
futile. his associate from the Dupont
citizens, Mr. Llnebarger. who turned
cut 10 be a cltizen VI the State 0t
Illinois anf II potential voter there ~-r
and note that he did not claim ever
| tn have ayaiIed himself III that priVl~
! lEAG II ltllEEEa Q latlaI L. uI14E and nlaL.