Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-06

TO grant unto the people Of the District
OF Columbia representation In both
houses OF Congress, the vote for Presi-
dent and Vice President and the same
rights for District residents before the
United States courts As possessed by the
citizens OF q state. In q radio address
last June on q national hook.up Mr.,
Green made an earnest plea for the
| granting OF these fundamental rights
70 District residents. He said on that
occasion:
Voters Would Decide Issue.
"'There is no doubt In the minds Of
any fair-mlnded persons, and particu-
larry those who understand the broad
tolerant, fair attitude Of the resident
voters in all the States, that II this
questionable right OF the potential
voters in the District OF Columbia To
vote-were submitted to q referendum.
vote Of the people Of the United States
for final decision, it would be adopted
by an overwhelming majority. The
problem is to bring about this express
sion Of an almost unanimous opinion
Of our country's citizenship upon q
question so vital to all those who reside
in the District Of Columbia.
I'VE believe In equal rights for all
| political as well as personal-and the
| American Federation of Labor will es-
TEEN 1t a privilege to continue its adj
vocacy OF this great principle until the
Congress of the United States responds
to what is clearly the decisive majority
OF public opinion.
There are thousands Of working
men and women employed in the Dis
| trict Of Columbia who are forced TO
obey the laws enacted by those who do
not represent them and who are COM
PEELED to meet all the requirements OF
citizenship except the requirement TO
vote. These splendid, loyal American
citizens have no other home except the
home they established and built in the
District of Columbia. Their personal
interests are here, their property values
are here, and they are called upon TO
pay all taxes levied by the civic author
tiles and by the Congress Of the United
| States
Organized labor is firmly Of the
! opinion that 1t is not possible to safe
guard the rights Of the citizen except
| through selection by ballot of repre-
sentatives of his own choice and
! through such representatives have an
active part in the councils Of the
Nation.
Theory Il Impractical
|
of Congress or other citizen tell us
that the District Of Columbia has ass
! Representatives in the House and &c
| in the Senate. They mean, OF course,
that Congress, possessing exclusive leg
| iSlative authority and responsibility, 1t
naturally follows that the obligation to
! represent US rests on the entire MEM
berShip Of Congress. This Is a very
| beautiful but impractical theory /
| would like to ask such theorists II they
| honestly believe that such form OF rep
resentation would be satisfactory to the
| people of any State or congressional
district The right OF the citizen of a
republic to be represented in the gov
eminent by his own people selected by
his own ballot Is q fundamental right;
and no matter what authority there Is
for denial Of such right, it can in no
| way be justified or squared with Amer
| lean principles.
The residents of the District of
Columbia are just Is vitality interested
in all matters of national legislation
and are just as much affected by all
such legislation as are the citizens of
any State. They are also very natural
ly interested in local affairs pertain
ing to the management Of the National
Capital which are controlled by Con-
| greSS under its power of exclusive leRis-
lation. Surely as members Of the Ma
| tlonal Capital community they have ct
least as much interest in the affairs
of the Nations Capital a. the citizens
OF any State. The proposed conStitu-
tional amendment grants unto Congress
the power, which it now lacks, to per-
NIT these voteleSs and unrepresented
Americans to participate in the councils
OF the Nation and indirectly have q
| part in the AFFAIRS Of the District of
Columbia precisely as is the privilege
of every other American out In the
| States.
Frequently when this question is
mentioned there are people who will
extol the virtues of the present form
Of local government Of the District Of
Columbia and remind us that this is
the Nations city, necessarily under the
national control, and that national rep
reSentation would be turning the Dis
trict over to the local residents and
| that all sorts of dire calamities would
follow. Without going at all into the
merits or the dement's of the existing
local government of the District of
| Columbia, ! wish to emphasize that this
proposed constitutional amendment
granting national representation to the
| people OF the District does nothing OF
the sort. It does not in the slightest
degree affect the form of the local
government. If and when this amend
ment becomes q part of the ConStitu-
ton the Congress still possesses, the
same power of exclusive legislation over
the District; the same commission form
OF government exists and will continue
to exist until the Congress sees at
to change it under the power it has
always possessed. AS many people fail
! to grasp this idea let me repeat that
the proposed amendment will in no way
ahect or modify the form Of the local
government or disturb the control by
the Nation over its Capital.
Cites Green's Views
"In 1928 President Green stated
Labor recognizes that the District OF
Columbia Is the Nations Capital and
that there cannot be the same munich
! pal Self-government that exists In other
cities. It does not follow, however, that
the citizens OF the District should be
deprived Of voice in the National Gov
eminent. On the contrary the prin.
ciple OF representative government
should be most completely exemplifled
in the government Of the District OF
| Columbia
lone of the very striking things in
connection with this movement for ma
tional representation Ii the practical
unaninity Of sentiment in its support
by organized Washington. This should
impress the public generally and Con-
greSS in particular Support Of this
proposal by the leading organizations oil
the District through their ofiicial &C.
ton OF Endorsement and their member