Evening star., 1935-12-18
Full Advisory Vote
to Show Strength
of ID. C.. Voters.
Full Vote Adds Force to
Districts Plea for
Fair Laws.

prom Editorial Correspondence Of 1918
and 1850
Because the scope Of application
and the usefulness of the initiative,
referendum and recall have been ex.
it does not follow that they
are of no value whatsoever and should
not be utilized at all. These devices
are of the most value in the smallest
political subdivisions, where their ef-
feet corresponds to the action Of
town meeting, as in connection with
city government. They are Of less
value in the States and are hardly
claimed as yet to be applicable at all
nationally.
The initiative, referendum and recall
may also have valuable application as
supplements of representative govern
ment in special cases where public
opinion should be taken into account
in legislation and administration, and
where the securing of that expression
of public sentiment through the ordi-
nary forms of representative govern
ment is denied by the Constitution
for example, in the District Of Co
lumbia, where Congress in acting for
the people under the Constitution
should heed and give effect in local
concerns to local sentiment and yet is
deprived of power to learn this public
sentiment in any conclusive way by
absence from the District Of all
representative elections and al elec-
tions of any kind. These devices
might in contingencies serve a very
useful purpose in securing expressions
of local public sentiment, to which
Congress, as exclusive legislature,
might respond.
Congress has on occasion in the
past adopted the referendum for the
District to the extent of permitting its
people to vote upon some question
vitally affecting their interests, as in
Buchanan's administration, in 1858,
when the people of the Capital voted
on proposed code of laws. Congress
has not always needed these express
sions of local public sentiment after
they have been rendered, especially in
cases where it had not authorized the
election and where the corporate au-
thorities had attempted to exercise
the initiative. For instance, in John
sons administration the President
vetoed an act of Congress affecting the
District which in its terms disregarded
and reversed the almost unanimous
voice of the community expressed in
an unauthorized referendum vote, and
Congress passed the law over the
Presidents veto. The act in question
established Negro suffrage in the Dis
trict and in the local referendum vote
which preceded the Houses action it
was favored by only IS votes in Wash
ington and one in Georgetown. Presi-
dent Johnsons message, vetoing this
act 1866, is a clear and interesting
discussion of the relation of Congress
to the Capital and of the obligation Of
the Districts constitutional legislature
on American principles to heed and
give effect to reasonable local senti-
ment and wishes.
Local Referendum and Recall.
As long as the Nation is the Dis
trict's multimillionaire citizen, by far
the largest property owner and quasi
taxpayer in the Capital, it will not
surrender control of the tax-raising
and tax-spending function in the Dis
trict, and the exclusive legislative
power of Congress will be maintained,
and probably also the appointing
power vested in the President. It has
been affirmed by several Presidents
and is generally conceded that all
American rights should be given to the
Americans in the District of Columbia
which are consistent with this full
national control of the Nations city.
There would be no interference with
such control even if the Americans in
the District of Columbia voted for
President, or if the District had rep
resentation in both houses Of the Con-
gress, which exercises this unlimited
national control. 1t is, however, gen.
orally held that constitutional
amendment is necessary to enable the
District to be represented in the House,
Senate and electoral college; If this
is conceded there is. a practical denial
of such representation for many years
to come. Without amending the Con-
stitution it is possible, however, for the
progressives of all parties in Congress
to experiment upon the District with
the initiative, referendum and recall
in a manner which will recognize
some American attributes in the
Americans at Washington, and which
will promise benefit rather than injury
to the local community. For instance
all three Commissioners might be re-
quired to be appointed from the Dis
trict las is now the requirement In
respect to the two civilians, and
power of recall might then be given to
the District in respect to these Com
missioners, or any Of them, such re-
cali not being operative in itself, but
addressed with a powerful persuasive