Evening star., 1938-05-19

Hamilton believing that one set OF
citizens would have the same interest
in a government as another set when
the first group, by the very document
he was instrumental in drafting, was
made a political outcast? The ques-
ton on its face shows its own abb
surdity"
When Mr.. Finch announced that
he would like to make some "old-fash-
ioned" observations regarding democ-
racy, Chairman Summers remarked:
well, we are pretty modern here.
but go ahead anyway"
The chairman joined in the general
laughter.
Mr.. Finch, in reverting to Madison's
quoted statement, explained that
Madison was answering some objec-
tions which had been raised in New
York against the adoption Of the Con-
stitution by that State and which
seemed to anticipate the very situ-
alton in which we of the District now
find ourselves"
Sought to Calm Opponents.
He'said Madison sought to calm the
fears of his opponents by telling them
that "as it (the Federal district is to
be appropriated to this use with the
consent of the State ceding it, as the
State will no doubt provide in the COM
pact for the right and the consent of
the citizens inhabiting it; as the inhab-
itants will find sufficient inducements
of interest to become willing parties to
the cession; as they will have had their
voice in the election Of the government
which is to exercise authority over
them; as a municipal Legislature for
local purposes. derived from their own
suffrages, will, of course, be allowed
them, and as the authority of the Leg
islature of the State and of the inhab-
itants Of the ceded part of it, to concur
in the cession, will be derived from the
whole people of the State, in their
adoption of the constitution. every
imaginable objection seems to be OBJ
Waited"
Mr. Finch held that this statement
showed a firm belief on Madison's
part that the Constitution had made
adequate provision for protection of
the political rights of those who were
to reside at the seat of Government,
Notwithstanding that Congress was to
have the power of exclusive legisla-
ton over it.
The witness called the attention of the
hearing to the radio address last Mon
day night of Theodore w. Noyes,
chairman of the Citizens Joint Com
mittee, in which Mr.. Noyes pointed
out that the Constitution makers were
engaged in a desperate struggle to
create union and were uncertain
from day to day whether their efforts
would succeed and that it was not sur
prising, therefore, that they did not
concern themselves with all of the
details regarding voting rights Of
possible future population occupying
a possible future seat of government
of possible future republic.
Must Look Beyond Constitution.
Il believe it is only fair to the
founding fathers and to those Of us
who must live here at the seat Of
Government" Mr.. Finch declared, Ito
interpret the congressional power
of exclusive legislation over the seat
Government as curtailment of our
political rights only in so far as neces.
sary in the interest of the superior
public necessity which motivated its
inclusion in the Constitution.
THE founding fathers knew that
the right to share in the making of
laws. its ancillary right of self-taxa-
ton and all other rights of American
citizens-such as the right of trial by
jury, the right Of petition, the right
of all men to be dealt with equally
before the law and. so on-did not
originate in America and therefore
not in the Constitution OF the United
States, but was heritage of the whole
English-speaking race; that to find
the true foundations of the political
system Of which they were a part we
must look beyond the Constitution,
beyond the Declaration of Independ-
ence, even beyond the coming of the
Mayf1ower to Plymouth; that the
privileges of free citizens, as estab-
lished by Magma Charta, the Bill
Of Rights, the Habeas Corpus Act