Evening star., 1934-07-01
VOTE FOR CAPITAL
URGED BY ALLEN
Representation and Right to
Recall Commissioners
Proposed by Official.
Continued From First Page.)

published recently in The Star sug-
gesting adoption Of provision for the
initiative, referendum and recall in
operation of the municipal establish
ment, and emphasized that the
ultimate aim should be the granting
Of representation in Congress and
the right to participate in presidential
elections.
Appointed a member of the Board
of Commissioners last November.
Allen quickly became aware of the
lack Of representation afforded local
residents. He has declared several
times he believes the city heads
should conduct themselves in office
just as though they actually were
elected by the people, and that he
intended tc strive TO live up to that
conviction.
He has taken a number Of steps in
this direction heretofore. When q
draft of the proposed District liquor
law was pending before the Commis-
sioners, Allen called for public hear
ings on the subject. He joined with
SOALhlLockOlCL paClNAl ~ 1lALCa AZ
deciding to hold public hearings next
Fall on the proposed 1896 District
budget before it Is submitted TO the
Budget Bureau.
Favored Local Option"
Also, when the liquor law was being
drafted, Allen sought to have clause
inserted to provide for local option
for sections of the District, and pro-
posed establishment of voting ma
chinery to get clear showing Of
neighborhood sentiment. While that
suggestion was dropped, the law does
contain q clause giving power to the
owners of a majority of the property
within 600 feet OF q proposed licensed
place to forbid issuance Of permit
Drafting Of the proposed recall
legislation has been placed in the
hands Of Vernon E. West, assistant
corporation counsel. Allen plans to
have the measure ready some time
next Fall, and will urge the Boarc
OF Commissioners to send 1t to Con-
gress for action at the next session
While details of the bill as yet have
not been drawn, it is planned to give
all Washington residents, who can
show legal residence here for a year
the right to vote in any recall move
A vote would be ordered IN cases when
petition signed by certain per-
centage of the voting population. pos
Sibly 10 per cent, calls for action Gil
recall.
Registration and polling places
would be established in various Sec
tons of the District and careful rules
of eligibility and procedure for han
ding voting would be provided.
Il am firmly convinced" Commits
sioner Allen said, that residents oi
the District should be given their con-
stitutional right to representation in
Congress. IYbelieve they should be
given their constitutional right to vote
in presidential elections.
Sees Rights Abridged.
Granting of these rights would in
no wise deprive Congress Of any of its
powers Of exclusive jurisdiction over
the District, as provided in the Consti-
tuition. 1t would rather give to Dis
trict residents just and proper right
that also flows from the Constitution,
but now is withheld here.
Representation in Congress can be
provided by adoption Of the joint res
olution which proposes an amendment
to the Constitution for election of two
Senators and Representatives in the
House on the same basis Of population
as applied to the various States.
This. wish to emphasize. is the
basic remedy, as see it, for the pres
ent disfranchised condition Of the halt
million residents of the Capital. As
a matter of more immediate action, ]
believe real step in this direction
would be enactment Of measure per-
mitting residents Of the District, # and
when they find their municipal gov
ernment distinctly unresponsive, to re-
call the Commissioners and bring about
the appointment OF new officials.
And, I wish to add, if should be
the first Commissioner to be recalled
well and good. II am going counter
to the wishes of the majority of the
people of this great city and its tax
payers, then should no longer be per-
mitted to hold office"