Evening star., 1936-01-05
VOTELESS FORCES
OF CITY MOBILIZE
Committee on National Rep
resentation to Press Claims
Before Congress.

The executive committee OF the
Citizens Joint Committee on National
Representation for the District OF Co
lunnbia is to meet shortly as the nrst
step toward mobilizing the civic forces
for the renewed campaign before Con-
press in behalf of the District political
eo,Iity amendment to the Constitution.
At this meeting plans will be laid for
arranging hearings before the COM
mittees of Congress and the bringing
of all supporting data and arguments
up to date.
The proposal to grant to the resi-
dents the right of participation in the
Upuncils of the Nation involves the
passage by Congress of a joint reso-
luton proposing an amendment to
the Constitution of the United States.
For passage of such amendment and
submission to the State legislatures
for ratification, it will require two
thirds vote of the Senate and House
of Representatives. A ratification by
the legislatures of three-fourths Of
the States will then be necessary be-
fore it becomes a part of the Consti-
tuition.
Congress Has Authority.
The proposed amendment does not
disturb the control of the District by
Congress or affect the present form
OF local government The matter OF
the local government is entirely with
in the power of Congress, which can
at any time change or modify its form
BY majority vote of the two houses
and approval by the President, as IN
the case of any other legislation.
The amendment would simply en-
power Congress to grant to District
residents the right to elect one or two
Senators, as Congress may provide,
and the number of Representatives
in the House of Representatives to
which the Districts population would
entitle it. These Senators and Rep
resentatives would be en- an equal
footing with those elected by the
States. thus giving District residents
the same representative participation
in both national and local legislation
as enjoyed by the citizens of the States.
The amendment would also give the
District the right to vote for its own
electors for President and Vice Presi-
dent, being entitled to as many
electors as the aggregate OF its rep
representation in Congress.
Court Rights Sought.
There is another important Amer
;oL fn
amendment to District residents and
that is the right to sue and be sued
in the courts of the United States
This is a right which the Constitution
guarantees to the citizens of the sew
eral States of the Union and even tc
the citizens of foreign states, but
denied residents of the District on the
ground that they are not the citizens
of a State. In this respect the pres
ent rights of the District residents are
less than those of an alien.
The joint resolution providing fol
this constitutional amendment is Spon-
sored in the Senate by Senator Arthur
Capper. Republican, of Kansas, and
in the House of Representatives by
Representative Mary T. Norton. Demo-
crat, of New Jersey. Hearings have
been held on this question in the past
by both House and Senate Committees,
but there has never been consideration
by either house. The Senate District
Committee in 1922 made a favorable
report which was reaflrmed some
years later. The last hearing was be-
fore the House Committee on the
Judiciary in 1923.
The Citizens Joint Committee on
National Representation is headed by
Theodore w. Noyes, who has been its
chairman since its formal ton in 1916.
Its executive committee consists of
more than 100 citizens representing
practically all of the civic. labor and
trade organizations of the National
Capital. There is greater organiza-
tion unity represented in this commit
tee than in any other agency urging
legislative action for the District.