Evening star., 1938-04-28

The tert of the argument presented
to Congress today With the petition OF
the Citizens Joint Committee on Ma
tiondl Representation toltotDs::
The Americans of the District Cf
Columbia constitute the only COM
munity in all the expanse Of the con-
tinental United Subscriptions, In
telligent, public spirited, Of adequate
resources-which Is denied represen-
tation in the national government and
is denied any voice in its local govern
ment.
The number of persons resident here
is now so large, $4,000 by the census
estimate as of July /, 1887. that their
claims can no longer be ignored.
National representation is a distinc-
tive basic right of the American citi-
zen-in a government of the people,
by the people, for the people-in a
government which roots its justice In
consent Of the governed-in a repre-
sentative government which insepa-
rably couples taxation and military
service with representation.
Since the 627 900 Americans Of the
District pay national taxes, obey ma
tional laws, and 90 to war in the Ma
tion's defense, they are entitled on
American principles to be represented
in the national government which
taxes them, which makes all laws for
them, and which sends them to war.
They exclusively are further entitled
to all the separate control of their local
affairs which is compatible with ma
tional interests.
Congress is impotent without con-
stitutional amendment to grant them
relief.
In recognition and reaffirmatiOn Of
the abOve-stated American principles
We urge most earnestly the approval
by Congress of Senate Joint Res0lu-
tion No. 13 and the identical House
Joint Resolution No. 232, and Senate
Joint Resolution No. 246 and the iden-
tical House Joint Resolution No. 564,
which propose constitutional amend
ments empowering Congress to grant
representation in the House, Senate
and Electoral College to residents of
the District of Columbia. and the
former of which grants them the same
access to the Federal courts as citizens
residing in the States, and the latter
Of. which grants to Congress power to
set up government elected by and
responsible to the residents of the Dis
trict and the power to transfer to that
government such powers in respect to
District legislation as Congress may
determine to be consistent with the
mutual interests of the Nation and its
Capital.
The reasoning of the Senate Com
mittee on the District of Columbia in
its favorable report in 1922 on an
earlier form of the Capper-NortoE
joint resolution applies with equal
force to the Lewis-Randolph joint
resolution. The latter resolution how
ever omits the provision giving resi-
dents Of the District access to the
courts OF the United States but in
cludes a new proposal enlarging the
power of Congress to delegate its power
OF exclusive legislation in respect to
the District. This power, except in
respect to municipal ordinances, has
been denied by the courts in constru-
ing the exclusive legislation section of
the Constitution.
Without this additional grant of
orr1-nc L.
impotent to set up in the District an
effective local government to which
could be delegated, in relief of Con-
gress, such Of the burden of local
legislation as Congress shall determine,
for which it lacks the time for thor
ough consideration because OF the
pressure of national business and the
demands Of active constituencies.
y xx
The amendment proposed by S. J.
Res. 13 and the Identical H. j. Res.
232 is to insert at the end of Section 3,
Article ~, the following words:
The Congress shall have power to
admit to the status of citizens OF a
state the residents of the District con-
stituting the seat of the government
of the United States, created by Ar
ticle I, section 8. for the purpose of
representation in the Congress and
among the electors of President and
Vice President, and for the purpose
of suing and being sued in the courts
OF the United States under the pro-
visions of Article III, section 2.
When the Congress shall exercise
this power the residents of such Dis
trict shall be entitled to elect one or
two senators, as determined by the
Congress, or such other representative
in the Senate as Congress may provide
for, representatives in the House, ac-
cording to their numbers as determined
by the decennial enumeration, and
presidential electors equal in number
to their aggregate representation in