Evening star., 1940-07-31
Ashurst Favors
Full District
Representation
Summers Group
Is Called to Meet
Again Tomorrow
BY WILL P. KENNEDY.

Chairman Ashurst of the Senate
Judiciary Committee, the last of the
leaders in either House or Senate
directly concerned with the ma
chinery of expediting action on the
Summers resolution providing ma
tional representation for the Dis
trict, announced today his emphatic
support of legislation to give the
District OF Columbia voting repre-
sentation in both the House and
Senate.
II believe profoundly" the Arizona
Senator said, that the people of the
District of Columbia should have
the opportunity to elect their own
representatives to speak in their in
terests and to vote for their interests
in both houses of Congress.
Il have thought so for q long
time. I am no recent convert to
this creed. To be exact, I have
been convinced of it for % years. ]
I believe in representative govern-
ment, and representative govern
ment for the District is that they
should have fellow citizens of their
own selection, who know their needs
to speak for them in the National
Assemblage. If I had my way the
District would have two such repre-
sentatives in the Senate and two In
the House"
Summers Group Called.
Senator Ashurst's support was
voiced as Chairman Summers called
the House Judiciary Committee tc
meet at 1890 am. tomorrow to re-
sumo consideration of his resolution
providing for constitutional
amendment that would empower
Congress to grant representation to
the District.
Mr.. Summers said the COMMITTEES
may vote on the resolution tomor-
row. At the same time he reiterated
a statement he made after the frs,
meeting on the suffrage resolution
yesterday that "the committee still
has good deal of thinking and q
good deal of work to do before i,
acts"
Regarding the procedure in the
Senate in handling the Summers
resolution after 1t has been passed
by the House, Senator Ashurst
pledged that "it will receive imme-
diate consideration before the Sen
ate Judiciary Committee and that
he will treat it as an emergency
measure"
Safeguard of Interests.
Senator Ashurst explained that
he has not given special study tt
the Summers resolution, and that
the form in which suffrage Is
granted must be carefully studied
to safeguard all the Federal in.
terests.
He declared. however, he person
ally Is profoundly in favor of
granting the more than 600 900 resi-
dents of the National Capital a
full share in their Government, ir
self-government," and promised
that their long-expressed desires
shall not be thwarted by delay when
the legislation reaches the Senate
Senator Ashurst paid tribute tt
the eagerness and care shown b,
his colleagues in consideration O.
legislation affecting the District, bu
pointed out that while Congress.
wants to do what is right by tn,
District we can give only abou
three days year for consideration
of all the varied matters which af
feet their daily life.
Personally, I am a friend of tn,
District" he said, "but with othel
multifarious demands upon my tim,
I cannot give the local problem,
and the local interests all the study
that I feel they should have. Yol
may write me down as one of thl
staunchest and most emphatic advo
Gates of national representation fol
the District"
Senator Wheeler, Democrat, O.
Montana today indicated his willing.
ness to give sympathetic considera.
(See SUFFRAGE, Page A-30