Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-16

MISS JE
this existed in the Colonial days, oul
| forefathers went to war. Should not
the fruits of their victory be enjoyed
by every American citizen, including
those resident in the District Of Colum.
bia?
Military Record Is Cited.
In every national war the District
has sent its sons to the field Of battle
to fight and die for their country. Ir
the Civil War, the War with Spain ano
the trouble on the Mexican border the
District sent more than its quota. Ir
the World War the District sent 1914
volunteers into the Army, Navy and
Marine Corps. The number indicted
into thu Army during the first and sec
ond registrations was 1851, making q
total al 17,94S sonSoof the District In
the defense Of the Nation. The propo-
sition which the voluntary enlistmentS
bear to the total number of eriiStmentS
and tnductions was greater for the Dis
trict of Columbia than for every State
of the Union except five. They went
by the thousands to offer up their lives
II need be. yet they had no representa-
ton in the councils which determined
that war should be. Is this in accord
with the basic principle that insepa.
rably couples military services with rep
reSfntatioa? @,.-
aside from the purely local consider.
ations which demand representation In
Congress and votes in the electoral
college, there is a broader principle in.
| volved which merits our attention. The
| opportunity for national service as dis.
| ttnguished from sectional considera-
lions is very great in the halls Of Con-
gress. Members of that body while
serving their immediate constituency
In local matters, nevertheless perform
larger service for the country as Q
whole.
THE welfare of the Nation is in the
| hands of Congress as national policies
are determined and statutes are adopted
We always have had, and have today
in Congress men of vision, discernment
| and craftsmanship. We need more such
men and women to sit in that body.
: "Withont any disparagement what.
ever OF other sections of the country.
think 1t may well be said that in Wash
ington are many men and women whG
are pre-eninently fitted for nationa
service. BY reason of their natura
abilities, educational advantages anC
long continued residence in close con.
tact with the currents and cross cur.
rents of national and internati0na
anAlrS, they have a wealth of knowl.
edge, experience and political acumen
which would be of incalculable bene.
mt to the Nation If given an opportunity
TO use 1t. You or I can call to mind
the names of many men and women
whose genius for craftsmanship and
good government has been, or is. 50
great that they belong to the Nation
and the world, rather than to some
particular State or locality from which
they originally came. Some of them
come from States with populations less
than that Of the District Of Columbia
Nation Loses Brilliant Men.
Consider for a moment what =
weakening and loss to the ranks OF
American craftsmanship If the door
OF Congress had been closed to those
small States as 1t is to the District OF
OoIumnaa! is there not reason to sup
pose that the Nation is now losing and
has already lost from its ranks OF law
makers, men and women whose genius
ana experience would add new luster
70 the history of this great republief
washington Is no longer a CITY OF
uanslentS. Its population is stable and
welded into a homogeneous comnnunity
with civic consciousness and a civic
pride, equal to that Of any other Amer
icap community. Its schools, colleges
and universities rank with the best. aInd
annually turn out classes Of intelligent
well equipped young men and women
70 take their places in the world OF
affairs. Its citizenship is intelligent
public spirited, patriotic, with a high
percentage of native-born Americans
1t is from such people that the leader
ship OF the Nation must come. WHY
should the Nation be deprived of the
opportunity to draw from this COM
munity of loyal, patriotic and intelli-
gent citizens. men and women who. be-
cause OF their quality and quantity OF
knowledge and experience and the fibeT
of their character, would be national
asset in the legislative chambers?
1T may be objected by some that the
location of the District at the very
heart of Government is so close to Con-
greSs its representatives would become
so powerful that distant States would
be at disadvantage in legislative pro-
grams. 1t Is inconceivable to me that
any one could seriously think that the
two or three representatives which the
Districts population would entitie 1t tc
could dominate so large a body as the
Congress. There are some eight OF
nine States which have smaller popu-
lations than the District, and from
some of them may be found the out
standing members of the Congress to-
day, but nobody has suggested that any
one of these small States has dominated
Congress or has advantages over others
Neither Maryland nor Virginia, which
are contiguous to the District. has by
reason of such close proximity gained
any legislative advantage over the States
at distance from washington.
Situation Is Held 'Un-Ameriean.
1.-THE whole matter resolves itself into
the simple proposition that the half
million people residing in the District
of Columbia of a right are entitled tt
the same privileges accorded American
citizens everywhere else. 1t Is CRY
that aScends to high heaven that ar
American citizen residing in the Ma
tionaI Capital, amenable to the laws Of
the Nation, paying taxes for its sup.
port. sending his SOAs to the nelds o.
battle to fight and die in its defense, Il
denied in its courts the privileges &C.
corded to aliens, and is barred from
participation in the legislative councils
which frame the laws he must obey
This Is unjust and un.American, con.
trary to all those principles which w
have proclaimed to the world and writ.
ten into the basic laws upon which thu