Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-10
surrounding circumstances might rem
der a solution necessary.

surrounding circumstances might rem
der solution necessary.
Omission Not Considered Strange.
ut should be remembered, also, that
there was no voice authorized to speak
on behalf of the unknown inhabitants
of this conjectural domain. Since the
attitude of many minds toward the
National Government was still colored
by the traditional view that it was but
an agency exercising certain powers by
delegation from the sovereign States, II
is hardly to be expected that any one
in that day should propose that ter
ritory to be thereafter created for Fed
eral purposes out of some existing State
or States should be declared in ad-
vance to possess any OF the attributes OF
a State.
"It is by no means strange that the
constitutional convention Of 1897 should
have omitted to provide a political
status for a community yet unborn, but
would it not be strange, indeed, If after
a century of unparalleled national de-
velopment the Seventy-f1rst Congress,
in 1929 or 1880, should decline to pro-
vide a political status for a community
surprising in population, in wealth and
in the magnitude of its national con-
tributions a number of the States whose
Senators and Representatives have their
rightful places on the floor of the two
Houses?
Privilege Is Due Citizens.
"In order to enlist the interest and
support of the people of the entire coun-
try in this worthy project, the repre-
sentative civic and trade organizations
of the District of Columbia have deter
mined to bring to their attention this
nYdnQVnr
interest them in its correction-for GER
tainly it is right and privilege which
should be theirs.
1.-THE right of participation is en-
loved by the residents OF every other
capital city in the world. and against
this privilege no sound objection can
be made.
at has been contended by some that
the form of government enjoyed here
is equal, 1t not superior, to that Of other
jurisdictions and municipalities. The
same suggestion was probably made to
the Is colonies when they rebelled
against the mother country.
ut has been argued that many OF
the residents of the District Of Column
bia participate and enjoy citizenship in
other States. This is true to only very
limited degree. as the laws Of many
States make it legally impossible to
vote without actual domicile within the
State.
Tells of Population.
Further, some contend that the
population of the District is transitory
and that those who come here have
only a temporary interest in the Dis
trict of Columbia.
"As chairman of the committee on
the District of Columbia in the House
of Representatives. have come in con-
tact with many of the trade and civic
bodies of the District. have learned
to know of their intense interest in the
affairs of their local and National Gov
eminent: their serious consideration of
the problems before them, even though
they do not have a voice in their solu-
ton, and I say without hesitation. that
not only would the District benefit by
the granting of this privilege, but the
Federal Government would be the
gamer thereby, for the ability and the
quality Of the electorate proposed in