Evening star., 1934-05-26

The next Congress will be urged
by Senator Capper, Republican. Of
Kansas, to take the steps toward
granting the people Of the District
representation In the House and SEN
ate and the right to vote for Presi-
dent and Vice President.
The Kansan, who is sponsoring the
joint resolution for a constitutional
amendment under which Congress
would be empowered to extend ma
tional representation to the District
of Columbia, made this announce
ment In a speech In the Senate yes
terday afternoon In which he de-
clared the voteless condition of the
District is "a glaring violation Of
the theory of Republican govern
ment."
Senator Capper said he had cherish
ed the hope at the beginning of
this Congress that there would be an
opportunity to consider the national
representation resolution. but the
pressure Of urgent national legiSla-
ton prevented.
Vital Interest.
There is no matter affecting the
National Capital community which is
of as vital importance to the half mil
lion inhabitants of the District of
Columbia as this proposal. whether
viewed from either a local or ma
tionai angle" Capper told the Senate.
Here, at the very heart OF our great
Republic. we have a most anomalous
condition. great intelligent COM
munity OF patriotic Americans deprived
of all representation and participa-
ton in their Government, both local
and national, though privileged to bear
the burden of taxation and all other
obligations of citizenship.
In has always seemed to me to be
the very height of Inconsistency for
Congress, representing the worlds
great representative republic, to main
tain at the seat of Government under
its exclusive control such a glaring
violation of the theory of Republican
government.
Exceeds Eight States.
THE District of Columbia, accord
ing to the 1880 United States census.
has a population of 486,869. which Is
greater than that of eight Of the
Sovereign States of the Union-New
Hampshire. Idaho. Arizona, New
Mexico, Vermont, Delaware, Wyoming
and Nevada The Districts population
exceeds that of Delaware and Wyo-
ming combined; Delaware and Nevada
combined; wyoming and Nevada COM
bined, and Vermont and Nevada COM
bined
Each OF these combinations Is
represented in the Senate by four
Senators and in the House of Repre-
sentatives by two Representatives,
while the District of Columbia has no
representation in either body.
With population of persons OF
voting age of BAL ASS, the District ex-
ceeds the population of voting age of
10 of the States. The good people of
our country do not understand these
facts regarding the District of Colum-
bia or that these unrepresented Amer
leans bear all of the burdens which
are borne by all other national
Americans.
Pay Local and U. S. Taxes.
These people Of the District of Co.
lumbia pay both local and national
| taxes, just as do the people in the
States. For the fiscal year 1888. the
District residents paid in Federal in
come and miscellaneous internal rev.
enue taxes an amount greater than
that paid by each of 25 of the States
and more than the combined payments
Of 10 States.
Among many erroneous impressions
regarding the District of Columbia Is
| the idea that most of the residents
| here are Government employees and
hold a voting residence back in the
States. Nothing is further from the
| truth. In the first place, those en-
gagged in gainful employment outside
the Government far exceed in number
| the Federal employees. and, secondly,
| the number possessing and exercising
| the voting privilege is comparatively
! small
During the 1880 census enumera-
tion special QUESTIONABLE was used
to ascertain just what this local voting
strength was. The result reported by
| the Census Bureau is that there were
found l5,l05 in the District having a
| voting residence in the States, which
they had recently exercised. While
the accuracy. or adequacy. of these
figures has been challenged by the
local political groups, the most ex-
travagant and unreasonable claims
cannot raise the number with power to
| vote in the States above 10000.
25l,439 Remain.
| eff from the population Of voting
| age in the States and the District is
| first deducted the number of unnatu-
rallied foreigners, and there be a
further deduction in the case of the
District of the extravagant estimate of
10000. the District is still found to