Evening star., 1937-02-28
Proposed Organization
For Local Suffrage.


INSPIRED by proposals in the So
called Jacobs report on fiscal
relations, the Burroughs Citizens
Association extended a general in
vitation to members of citizens as
sociations to a conference last Fri
day evening on local suffrage. In
its invitation the Burroughs ASso-
ciation stated that from time to
time various citizens and organiza-
tions have proposed that the cit
lzens be granted the right of suf-
rage In their local affairs, but that
there has been no organized move
ment for this purpose and there is
not in existence any committee or
organization of city-wide charac-
ter to represent the District as q
whole in this respect.
The idea Of the present move
ment Is to discuss the question of
local suffrage, what definite form
1t shall take, and whether the time
has arrived for a unified movement
for the attainment Of that end.
This movement is not to be con-
fused in any way with the well
organized movement for national
representation for the District.
Since 1917 there has existed the
Citizens Joint Committee on Ma
tional Representation for the Dis
trlct OF Columbia which has ar
ranged and conducted numerous
hearings before Senate and House
committees. 1t has also conducted
extended correspondence through
out the country and obtained the
active support of a number of large
national and State organizations.
To acquire national representation
IL Is necessary that the Constitution
be amended so as to empower Con-
gress to grant to the District voting
representation in the Senate and
House of Representatives and
among the electors of the President
ana Vice President, and the same
rights before the United Statee
Courts as possessed by the citj-
zens of State This proposal
would give recognition to residents
OF the District of Columbia as ma
tional American citizens: and. as
stated before, can only be obtained
through constitutional amenC-
ment.
The matter Of local suffrage-tha.
is a matter entirely within the
power of Congress by ordinarv
legislative enactment. For more
than 70 years, residents of the
District possessed local suffrage in
one form or another. 1t was taken
away by congressional enactment
and can be restored in the same
way.
Ihere is no clash whatever be-
tween these two distinct suffrage
proposals. The Citizens Joint
Committee on National Represen-
tatlon, created and maintained for
that purpose solely, naturally can
nave no attitude regarding local
suffrage. Among the membership
OF the Executive Committee of
the Joint Committee there are both
those who favor and those who
oppose local suffrage. But all are
united in the support of the
proposed amendment to the Con-
stitution for national representa-
tion.
Among the supporters of loca.
suffrage there has been a wide
divergence Of opinion as to lust
what Offices should be made cleo
tive and what changes would be
necessary in the form of the local
government. Some of those who.
while favoring national repre-
sentation, are opposed to local
suffrage contend that what the
District really needs is repre-
sentation in the all-powerful and
exclusively legislating Congress,
and not power to elect local Off
GERS whose acts would be COM
pletely controlled by congressional
appropriation and legislation.