Evening star., 1939-03-28


Hears Capper Urge
Representation
VitoI to improvement,
He Says; Honor Given
Frank B. Noyes
Belief that mo worth while and
satisfying improvement" in District
government will be attained until
the citizens here are given national
representation in Congress, through
the right to vote. was expressed last
night by Senator Arthur Capper of
Kansas in an address before the So
ciety of Natives of the District of
Columbia. meeting in the Washing
ton Club.
At the meeting. the society Sc
lected Frank B. Noyes, president of
The Evening Star Newspaper Co.,
to. receive the society's certificate of
merit as the native Washingtoniar
who rendered the most outstanding
civic service to the District during
the past year.
Senator Capper, who referred in
his address to the proposed plans for
reorganization of the District gov
ernment. said:
Il think we should bear in mind
that no matter what plan of gov
ernment is proposed for the District
OF urcbia, it is highly essential
that the District be given national
representation"
Sees Omission Unintentional.
Early in his address Senator Cap
per said he was convinced the
trainers of the Constitution uninten-
tlonally omitted to fix the political
status of the future residents of the
10 square miles constituting the
seat of government and uninten-
tionally failed to give Congress the
power. analogous to that which it
possesses in relation to the admis-
sion OF Territories to statehood, of
granting representation in Congress
and the electoral college to the peo-
pie of the District"
Senator Capper pointed out that
for number of years he has intro
duced in the Senate joint resolu-
ton to give the citizens of the
District the right to vote. OF the
resolution he said:
ut would also give the District
residents the right to sue and he
sued in the courts of the United
States or an equal footing with the
citizens of the States. This right,
now denied to District citizens, is
open even to aliens in the States" "
Points to Tax Payment.
Senator Capper referred to the
right to vote as "a fundamental
American principle" and asserted
that the citizens of the District are
excelled by no one as citizens,
although deprived of certain rights
enjoyed even by aliens in the
States. He condemned the un-
American principle of persons not
being given the right to vote and de-
plored the principle of taxation with
out representation.
Elsewhere in his address, Senate.
Capper, referring to the question
Of the vote and the joint resolution
for national representation, said:
This distinctive American privi-
lege decorates the American with 9
badge of honor and arms him with
power. It's lack slurs the Washing
tonian as unfit and defective and
slurs the Nation as in this respect
un-American and impotent.
National representation of the
District will remove the shame of
impotency.'' he said.
1T will proclaim to the world that
the great Republic is as devoted ts
the principles of representative gov
ernment and as capable of enforcing
them as other republics with capt.
tails in nation-controlled districts,
like Mexico. Brazil and Argentina.
These nations have not found them
selves impotent to give full national
representation to the people of their
capitals.
Would Proclaim Fitness.
1T will proclaim to the world that
the people of Washington are as fit
to participate in national repre-
sentative government as the people
of Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires and
Mexico City. Washington will cease
to be the only capital in all the
whole world whose people, slurred as
tainted or defective, are unworthy
to enjoy the same national repre-
sentation as that enjoyed by all
other cities of the Nation.
washington will cease to be the
only American community-numer-
Gus, intelligent, prosperous, public
spirited and patriotic-in all the ex-
panse of continental and contiguous
United States whose fitness to exer-
else national privileges as well as to
bear national burdens is denied"
Ihe society adopted a resolution,
introduced by Miss Eta L. Taggart,
lndorsing proposed legislation by
senator Capper in the Senate and
py Representative Ambrose j. Ken
nedy OF Maryland in the House pro-
vlolng 1or the election of delegates
from the District to the national DO
litical conventions.
Regret Death of Judge Schuldt,
"A resolution of regret over the
recent death of Judge Gus A.
Scnuiot and expressing sympathy
70 ms relatives was adopted. The
William E. Richardson ~
Mr.. Noyes' selection to receive tn.