Evening star., 1939-02-24
Disfronchised
From the Manchester Comm Herald.

From the Manchester Comm Herald.
1t is seldom in these days that anv
really important proposal is presented
to Congress that is not loaded with the
dynamite of partisan politics. Yet there
is measure before the present Senate
and House which has no relation to
partisan advantage and which should
stir the interest of the people of the
country through its own merits It is
a proposed amendment to the Consti-
tuition, long advocated by Senator Arthur
Capper of Kansas In particular, the
purpose of which is to give the resi-
dents Of the Capital City Of the Union
the full citizenship which they have
never yet enjoyed
OF course the Constitution Of the
United States is supposed to be an in
spired instrument, but after all 1t was
framed in the midst of controversy and
drafted in something Of a sprawling
hurry and it had few outs
One Of them was the omission of a
bill Of rights, which had to be supplied
later and without which it wouldn't
have amounted to so very much. An
other was the provision for the Gov
ernment of the National Capital. The
constitutional convention included in its
document the following paragraph under
the powers of Congress:
ITO exercise exclusive legislation in all
cases whatsoever over such district (not
exceeding 10 miles square) as may, by
cession of particular States and accept
ance by Congress- become the seat Of
government of the United States, and
to exercise like authority over all places
purchased by consent of the legislature
in which the same shall be, for the
erection Of forts, magazines, arsenals
dockyards and other needful buildings"
Just how this clause, because it failed
to especially endow Congress with au-
thority to establish the status of the
residents Of this specially governed COM
munity, came to convince the legal
minds of those days that it could not
be fairly assumed that Congress had no
such power inherently, might provide
the theme Of thesis. But anyhow 1t
has always been assumed that the ma
tional Legislature was under some sort
Of obligation to recognize the resident
of the National Capital as a political
neuter and had no power to bestow po-
itical virility upon him. And 1t is still
so assumed; doubtless with any amount
Of judicial backing.
Anyhow the Washingtonian pays taxes.
is liable to be called on for military
service, escapes none of the obligations
of citizenship. He could be shot for
treason in war time like any traitorous
citizen of State. But he has no rep
resentative in Congress. He cannot vote
for President. He cannot even sue or
be sued In q Federal court-and an
alien living In Connecticut can. He is
governed by a commission appointed
by a President in whose selection he had
no voice.
Constitution or no Constitution, ST.
preme Court or no Supreme Court it
doesn't make sense. And 1t isn't at all
true that any considerable part of the
people living in Washington can vote
In the States from which they came.
The vast majority of them are totally
disfranchised.
Several times an! attempt has been
made to get Congress to propose to the
States a constitutional amendment to
make full Americans out of Washing
tonians, but-perhaps just because there
is no party efnvolved- nothing
has ever been dons3s sout it.
The virile Capper1s doing quite bit
of spouting about his amendment. If
he can get a hearing on it and get it
before Congress that chronically angry
body might have, at last, subject that
1t could discuss calmly and intelligently
without particularly being swayed by
what some interests back home might
think about it, and without getting red
with indignation.
Which would be something.