Evening star., 1938-04-23

| 1t will alter the existing law Of con-
gressional and electoral college rep
resentation and will create q new
American constituency with repre-
sentation in Congress and the elec-
toral college; not = new State. but q
politically uplifted District Of Colum-
bia, an enfranchised ten miles square
already created and made unique by
the Constitution. This new factor in
our scheme Of National Government
representation may be unusual. Pc
culiar. extraordinary; but it is not 50
unusual, peculiar and extraordinary
a. the original creation and present.
day retention by the great republic
Of the totally unrepresented ten miles
square, the seat Of Government, =
district physically within the United
States, even containing its Capital,
but politically outside Of the United
States.
The States uniting under the Con-
stitution had the power, which they
exercised, Of creating this unique, un-
represented, Capital-containing, Ma
tion-controlled District Two-thirds
of Congress and three-fourths Of the
States have the same power, which
they should exercise, to give to the
half million people of this unique
District an equally unique political
status.
Who is there in all the world who
does not think that the more than half
a million Americans in the seat of
Government of the United States are
entitled to representation in the leg
1slature which alone makes laws for
them and taxes them and may send
every man of them to war. perhaps
to be wounded or killed? Who con-
tends that these Americans are not as
intelligent, as patriotic, as public
spirited as American, in short, as the
same number of Americans anywhere
else in the United States, or as the
smaller number Of Americans collected
in ten Census estimate, 1880 of the
States?
What new State has ever been ad-
mitted to the Union which at the
time OF admission had so large, 50
intelligent and so thoroughly Ameri-
can population as the District?
What new State at the time of adj
mission measured as to its taxable
resources, was raising so much in
local taxes and contributing 50 much
IN national taxes, as the District of
Columbia? The District TODAY il con.
tributing in national taxes, to be dis
bursed by legislature in which it is
not represented, greater amount ab.
solutely than twenty-five (fiscal wear
1880 Of the States.
Statehood Not Demanded.
Though the District can make this
showing of fitness for admission to
the Union as a sovereign State. no
demand for such admission is pre-
sented. Our proposed legislation con-
firms the national control of the Ma
tlon's city and the exclusive legisla-
ton clause of the Constitution is
untouched.
All that Is asked is that the Con-
stitution empower Congress to de-
clare that residents of the seat of
Government are on the same footing
as citizens Of the States in relation
only to Congress, the electoral college
and the courts Of the United States
This action, though 1t will Ameri-
canize a community now politically
alien, which Is larger than any one
Of ten States Census estimate, 1897
and will empower Congress to enlarge
the basis of congressional representa-.
ton, does not bring into the Union
new sovereign State.
Surely Congress will not bubble
or delay in cooperating to secure
to itself by constitutional amend
ment the power to cure the evil and
shame of completely non-representa-
tive government in the seat of Gov
eminent Of the great representative
republic. To accomplish this good
end Congress ought not to hesitate to
propose to the States this enlarpe-
ment of its own powers. Surely
Congress does not distrust itself.
The injury to the Nation from this