Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1938-05-18
Vote Hearings
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Vote Hearings
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sioners at the time, sat in the hear
ing room.
Il have long been an ardent adnirer
and follower of our chairman and
first citizen, Mr.. Theodore w. Noyes
in this movement" Commissioner
Allen declared. land upon every rea-
sonable consideration the people Of
the District are entitled to the same
representation in their national Gov
eminent as any other people in the
United States.
Our local government no doubt can
be improved, as is probably true OF
every local government. but in my
opinion. there can be no really worth
while improvement until the District
of Columbia is granted voting repre-
Sentation IN the Senate and the House
of Representatives and right to vote
for presidential electors.
The Congress and the electoral
college possess those vital and fun
damental powers in which we are most
interested and it is in these bodies
in which We deserve and desire to be
given full voting participation"
Commissioner Allen then presented
Mr.. Lesh and Mr.. Suter, who, as vice
chairmen of the Citizens Joint Com
mittee. had been assigned to conduct
the rest of the hearing on behalf of
the Citizens Joint Committee.
Before leaving the witness table,
Commissioner Allen handed the COM
mittee chairman long list of local,
State ana national organizations sup
porting national representation tor
the District of Columbia.
Mr. Lesh told the committee the
Citizens Joint Committee is primarily
interested in advocating what local
citizens have popularity referred to as
national representation"
Backs Both Detectives.
by that" the witness explained,
I'VE mean the election by citizens of
the District of Columbia of voting
representatives to sit in the House OF
Representatives in numbers in &C
cordance with our population, the cleo
ton 10y us of two Senators or one Sen
ator and the election by us of presi-
dental electors equal in number to our
Representatives and Senators"
,,oivofoi fhot h0th tho
Capper-Norton resolution and the
Lewis-Randolph resolution provide
these things. and that, therefore, the
Citizens Joint Committee appears in
support of both.
The Capper-Norton resolution,
Mr.. Lesh said, includes also a pro-
vision giving citizens of the District
access to the Federal courts under the
diverse citizenship clause. We ad-
vocate that
The ewis-Randolph resolution
provides that Congress shall have
power to delegate power to repub-
lican form of government to be set up
here. Though the committee for
which I speak has Endorsed the Lewis
Randolph resolution in its entirety, we
have agreed with the representatives
Of the District Suffrage Association
that speakers representing it shall deal
more particularly with this subject.
which involves what national repre-
sentation does not-delegation OF the
exclusive legislating powers OF Con-
gress over this District as 1t may de-
termine.
Two Reasons Given.
I'VE advocate national representa-
ton for the District of Columbia for
two reasons:
First, for the identical reason that
your constituents value this right to be
represented in Congress and to partici-
pate in the election of the President
and the Vice President.
Second, for the obvious additional
reason peculiar to the District that
Congress is our local legislator and
the President our only chief execu-
tive.
ION the national aspect, we are
citizens of the Nation, subject to all
of its national laws paying our share
of all national taxes, going to war,
and in every way bearing all of the
obligations of national citizenship, of
precisely the same kind and to pre-
cisely the same degree as your con-
StituentS.
Therefore, regardless of whether or
not change in our local government
shall come as result of the adop-
ton of the first section of the Lewis
Randolph resolution, we have the same
vital interest in securing national rep
resentation as provided by both reso-
lutions.
I'm the opinion Of our committee. nc
matter what form Of local government
we have, it will continue as important
to the adjustment of relations between
the national and any local government
that we have national representation
Therefore, we put forward national
representation as the minimum fol
which we contend"
Suter Reveals Strategy.
In response to inquiries by Chair.
man Summers. Mr.. Suter said the Ctti.
zens' Joint Committee will concentrate
on the plea for national representation
while the Citizens Conference on Dis.
trict Suffrage, by agreement, will de.
vote the major part of its argument tt
the cause of local suffrage through In.
stitution Of a republican form Of gov
eminent in the District.
Today's hearings adjourned shortly
before l pm and Chairman Summers
announced that tomorrow's session