Evening star., 1936-04-28
CAPPER WILL ASK
C. G.0.P.TO|ND0RSE
vOTEFOR DISTRICT
Mrs. Norton to Carry Case
Before Democratic
Party.
KANSAN CITES TAXES
PAID BY RESIDENTS
Senator Would Safeguard Control
Now Exercised Over Capital
by Congress.
BY J. A. O'LEARY.

Voteless Washington's plea for rep
resentation in Congress and the right
to vote for President and Vice Presi-
dent will be presented to the Repub-
lican National Convention, meeting in
Cleveland June 9, by Senator Arthur
Capper, Republican, of Kansas.
The Kansan announced today that
he will 60 before the Platform Com
mittee at the convention and urge
inclusion Of Q plank indorsing the
national representation resolution now
pending in Congress.
II believe the Republican party will
recognize the justice Of this appeal
of District residents" said Senator
Capper, who Is co-author Of the joint
resolution for a constitutional amend
ment that would empower Congress
to grant the District representation
in the House, Senate and Electoral
College.
Democrats to Hear Plea.
Representative Mary T. Norton of
New Jersey, chairman of the House
District Committee, also has made
known that she will advocate approval
of the national representation plea at
the Democratic convention in Phila-
delphia later in June. Mrs. Norton
is sponsoring the joint resolution in
the House.
This joint resolution" Senator
Capper continued, would not inter-
fere in any way with the exclusive
control. which the Constitution gives
Congress over the seat of government.
1t would merely give the half million
residents of Washington the number
of Representatives in the House they
would be entitled to on the basis of
population, and one or two Senators,
as the Congress may determine. It
would also lift Washingtonians out
of the humiliating position in which
they find themselves on national elec-
ton day every four years. when they
are forced to stand on the sidelines
while all other American citizens go
to the polls to register their choice
for President and Vice President.
Cites Tax Payments.
II am satisfied that the people Of
the United States generally have no
desire to keep their fellow-Americans
in Washington disfranchised. Sub
mission by Congress of the proposed
constitutional amendment would give
the citizens Of the States, through
their Legislatures, chance to pass
on the question.
1T should be remembered that
Washingtonians pay national taxes
and are subject to national laws, but
have no voice in the making of those
laws. In times Of emergency the
District also furnishes its share of
man power to the forces of national
defense.
Sees Aid in Drafting Laws.
mot only would representation in
Congress give District residents the
voice to which they are entitled in
national affairs, but it also would
prove helpful to the House and Senate,
when those bodies are dealing with
purely local laws for the Capital City" 4"
Senator Capper expressed the be-
lief the people of the District would
get greater degree of consideration
by Congress of questions they regard
as vital If they had authorized spokes-
men to present their views. He said
developments at this session have en-
phasized this need.
AS an active member of the Senate
District Committee for more than q
decade. Senator Capper is thoroughly
conversant with District problems.
For q number Of years prior to 1888
he was chairman Of the committee,
and Is now the ranking minority
member.