Evening star., 1928-06-22
D. c. PLANK WINS
HOUSTON BACKING
Democratic Delegates From
Capital Aided in Represen-
tation Fight.
BY WILL p. KENNEDY,

HOUSTON, Tex, June 22.-wher
John B. Colpoys, chairman of the Stats
central committee for the District o
Columbia. and Robert N. Harper lead
er of the delegation representing the A
Smith fer President Club of the Ma
| tional Capital. formally present to tn;
resolutions committee the plea in be-
/ half Of the 500.00o oisenfranchiSed resi-
dents of the District for nstiona
| representation plank I'm the Demo.
cratic platform .as directed by the C.ti-
| Gems Joint Committee in Washington
| they will have strong support represent
| ing every State in the Union.
| John H Kirby. president of the Ma
| tional Council of State Legislators, or-
ganiZed in Washington Scme months
go, which indo:sed the Districts plea
for representation in the electoral col
! lege and for a vote and voice in Con-
gress. and which formally presented its
/ brief in behalf of the voteless people OF
| the National Capital at a hearing before
/ the House judiciary COMMITTEES on the
Dyer resolution for constitutional
amendment authorizing Congress to
grant the voting privilege in national
| councils and the national legislature
will appear with the District spokesmen
before the resolutions committee.
Situation Called Anomalous.
The situation in the District of CO.
lumbia Is anomalous" said Mr.. Kirby
1T is the one outstand. monumental
inconsistency in our form of reprsS anta-
tive government The plank should be
brief. something like this: We favor
national representation for the residents
| of the District of Columbia
The proposal pending before the
House judiciary committee, which the
Senate has once approved after ex-
tensive hearings, and on which favor
able action by the House Is expected
at the session of Congress opening next
December, is entirely reasonable. To
which any one with a sense of justice
could not make objection
Mr.. Kirby is known as a careful stu
dent of the Constitution and one of the
most Stalwart objectors to frequent pro-
posals for changing the Constitution
He carries a copy of the Constitution in
his wallet and frequently conSults it.
Long and deliberate study has con-
vinced Mr. Kirby that the founding
fathers" never intended that residents
at the seat of government should be
diSenfranch,seo; that in peace and war
in contribution Of taxes. lives and cul-
tilral influence. by virtue of their edit
caticnal ana moral status and in the
number of citizens they have earned
and are entitled to fun voting citizsn-
ship. with unrestricted participation In
the national councils.
Hopes Plank wiz Win.
Mr. Kirby hopes that the Democratic
party win place this plank in Its plat
form in simple justice TO a half mil
lion people" and will use his powerful
influence to this end and to ask Con-
gress for early action on the pending
joint resolution. He feels sure that the
State Legislatures win ratify the pro-
posed Constitutional amendment when
it has been presented to them by act of
Congress and pledges the persistent and
active efforts of the National Council of
State Legislators to round up approval
by the 4S State Legislatures.
In doing this, said Mr.. Kirby, I'VE
viii be following out a principle which
actuated the hearts of our forefathers,
who SO strenuously objected TO taxa
ton without representation and who
left us the basic principle that gov
ernments derive their just powers from
consent of the governed.
In antithesis to this We have today