Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-19
Mr.. Lesh's Speech
Mr.. Iesh's speech in part follows:

! MT. L6SnS Speech part IOllOWSs
II am speaking on behalf Of the citi-
zeils' joint committee on national repre-
sentation for the District Of Columbia,
and this is one of q series of talks
planned as greeting to the Seventy
first Congress. 49,
I'VE of the District are more direct
ly interested In the new Congress than
any other group OF people in the Nation.
THE normal American city has a
municipal government for its strictly
local affairs, State government and a
Federal government. We of this Dis
trict have all legislative power for all
three kinds Of government in one body,
the Congress of the United States.
And in that Congress, we alone of
all the people In continental United
States are not represented.
I'VE are advocating representation
according to our numbers In the House
and the Senate, and among the electors
of the President and Vice President.
Proposal Explained.
Practically no one who understands
our proposal is against 1t. Those who
actively oppose us assume without
knowing the facts that we are In some
way trying to take the control Of WASH
ington away from the national Gov
eminent. They have horrible mental
picture of the Nations Capital being
governed by a petty legislature COM
posed Of persons elected in small geo.
graphical subdivisions of the city. They
forget that we are proposing only the
election of Representatives and Sen
ators from . constituency as large as
many and as intelligent as any Of the
States, and that we propose to leave
the government of the District precise
ly where it is, In the hands Of Con-
gress, in which, however, we viii be
represented.
1T is not opposition, however, that
we have to fight. It Is lethargy.
This is not surprising, because we
are just the same kind Of people who
inhabit the rest Of the United States.
The persons who should be the lead
ers In many communities are Indifferent
about the vote. The proportion who
vote In most elections is so small as to
be alarming. The people Of the Dis
trict, who are only cross-section some.
what above the average of the people
Of the United States, have among their
number those superior persons who
would not engage In politics, those busy
persons who have not time, and those
ignorant persons whom politics would
be better without, but this Is no more
true Of the District than 1t is Of the
rest of the Nation.
If you, despite the indifference Of
some of our voters and the incompe-
tence of others, nevertheless believe in
the American principle of representative
self-government, then you must believe
in national representation for the Dis
trict of Columbia. 's.-'
ssNIra nf11ar r,,,,n,.vaf,.<, NJn1fa,, a..
1t necessary to maintain a tyranny at
the capital Of the nation. a.
For example, We. are accustomed to
think our capacity for self-government,
sometimes called political genius, as
superior to that of our neighbor on the
South, Mexico. Yet Mexico does not
ind 1t necessary nor desirable to de-
prive residents of It's capital, Mexico
City, OF their representatives, according
to population, in their national govern
ment. Mexico City Is a part Of the
Mexican nation.
Compared With South America.
so with our sister republics in South
America. Buenos Aires Is not disen-
franchised because 1t is the capital of
franchised because it is the capital OF
Brazil.
The capitals OF these sister. repub-
lies are III federal districts as Is ours:
they are more or less under national
control. as our District is completely;
yet they have found no dificulty In
reconciling control by the self-goverr-
ing nation Of its capital with particle
patton by the residents Of the capital
in the general government Of the nation
so with the other great nations.
Paris Is q part Of France. London OF
England, Copenhagen of Denmark,
Toxic Of Japan.
There Is no logical difficulty In max
ing the District of Columbia q part Of
the United States. We are not asking
that the United States surrender its
control over Its Capital City. We are
asking only that the loyal and intelii-
gent citizens of the District be made q
part Of the Nation.
"A constitutional amendment more
difncult to obtain than the one we pro-
pose would be required to change the
provision OF the Constitution, Article I,
Section 8, wherein Congress Is given
the power TO exercise exclusive legisla-
ton, in all cases whatsoever, over such
District .(not exceeding 70 miles squars)
~ i. 49, a.