Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-10
z|HLMAN AND DYER
URGE vOTEFORD D. C.
Ask That Political Disability
CT Capital Be Romedied
by Congress.

ranking Republican member OF the
House Judiciary committee, and Repre-
sentative Zihlman of Maryland, chair
man of the House committee on the
District of Columbia, Joined last night
in radio appeal to the people of the
United States. and particularly their
colleagues in the Seventy-first Congress,
to remove the political disability of the
residents of Washington.
Their addresses, delivered at Station
WMAL and broadcast over the Columbia
chain. were the first speeches by mem
berS of Congress on national representa-
ton for the District that have been
carried to the whole country over a
Nation wide radio hook-up. AS such,
they marked dictinct advance in the
movement to Americanize Washing
tonians.
Mr. Dyer sponsored a resolution in
the House. advocated by the Citizens
Joint Committee for National Repre-
sentation. to submit to the States
constitutional amendment permitting
Congress to give to Washington the
right to vote for President and Vice
President and to be represented in the
House and Senate. He has long been
an active supporter of the movement
to give to District residents the national
rights enjoyed by other Americans.
AS chairman of the District commit
tee of the House, Mr.. Zihlrnan spoke
with special knowledge of the plight
of the voteless inhabitants of the Dis
trict. He, too. is fully in sympathy
with the political aspirations of the
disfranchised inhabitants of the Capital
City.
Heartily Commends Movement.
"This campaign on the part of the
people of washington for national
representation is in accord with the
true spirit of democracy" declared MI
Dyer. IT most heartily commend 1t.
1t is in accord with the spirit of red
biooded Americans everywhere
Mr.. Dyer declared that he had no
sympathy with those who belittle ma
tional representative government and
discourage those who would participate
in the enjoyment of the rights and
powers of American sovereignty.
when the question is fully under
stood" said Mr.. Zihlman, 'the people
of the Nation will insist upon giving to
their fellow citizens in the National
Capital the same right and privilege
which they themselves enjoy.
It is a right guaranteed by the Con-
stitution, ordained by the founding
of Columbia should not, and will not,
be satisfied until they have obtained
this privilege"
The addresses last night comprised
the second program in a new series OF
radio talks on national representation
for the District and were arranged by
the citizens joint committee with the
Columbia Broadcasting System, which
has placed its complete facilities at
the service of the committee.
Few Here Can Vote.
MIR. Dyer's speech, in part, follows:
ga Government of the people, by the
people and for the people, said Lincoln,
is a democracy. The United States is
democracy. Here the people legls-
late through Representatives, but unless
all the citizens are permitted to par
ticipate in their selection, there is not
a real representative Government nor
genuine democracy.
1.-The people of Washington, D. c.,
are not permitted under the ConSti-
tuition of the United States, to particle
pate in the selection of Representatives.
They are not allowed to vote for a
President of their country. The franz
ers of our Constitution did not foresee,
I am sure, the injustice of depriving so
large and splendid people as are now
resident of Washington of this right.
There live in this city half million
people.
1.-THE rapidity of it's growth and its
population in the last few years is EVIL
dence of the fact that it is not far dis
tant when there will be a million and
more people in the City of Washington.
Only few of them have a voting resi-
dence in various States of the Union.
The great majority are as effectively
disfranchised as though they were aliens.
mo one disputes the fact that there
are in the City of Washington as fine
people as there are in any portion of the
United States. There are no sound rea-
sons why they should be denied the OPP
portunity that all citizens in democ-
racy have the right to exercise.
ITO remedy this condition have been
pleased to submit to the Congress and
to actively support a resolution to amend
the Constitution of the United States so
that the Congress, if in its Judgment it
deems wise, can authorize the people of
Washington to vote for President cleo
tors, to have Representatives in the Con-
gress and to be permitted to sue and to
be sued in the United States courts.
Would Not Change City Rule.
''This is all that the Congress could
do If the resolution that I have pre-