Evening star., 1940-08-05
Summers 10 See
King on Strategy
For Suffrage
Meeting to Decide
On Senote Hearings
Is Postponed
BACKGROUND

BACKGROUND
Platform adopted In Democratic
platform tavoring District sut.
trdoe tDds tollo,oed by House Ju-
dietary Committee approval of
Summers resolution for a consti-
tutiordl amendment empowering
Congress to grant District ma.
tiondl represention and to dele
gate legislative potoer to a local
government. Committee limited
proposed congressional poaoer by
amending resolution to make
permissible representation in
House, instead of Congress, thus
preventing representation In Sen.
ate. Original Summers resolution
introduced in Senate by Chair
man King of Senate District
Committee.
Chairman Summers of the House
Judiciary Committee announced to,
day he planned to hold a confer.
ence with Chairman King Of a spe.
cial subcommittee of the Senate
Judiciary Committee to map out a
plan Of strategy for expediting con-
gressional action on resolutions pro-
viding a constitutional amendment
empowering Congress to grant ma.
tional representation to the District.
Representative Summers said Sen
ator King suggested a conference
and he agreed to arrange a meeting
later In the day.
In view of this development. the
Senate Judiciary Committee, 1t was
learned, will delay a meeting SEN
ator King arranged to call today to
decide whether to begin public hear
ings Immediately on the King reso.
luton to wait until the House
completes action on the plan to
franchise the people here in accord.
ance with the revised Summers reso.
luton, which in its present form
would empower Congress to grant
District residents representation in
the House only, rather than In both
houses of Congress.
Duplication Of Original Resolution.
The King resolution is a dupli.
cate of the Summers resolution, as
originally introduced. which by con.
stitutional amendment would give
Congress the power to grant the
people of the District the privilege
OF voting for President and Vice
President and electing their own
representatives in both the House
and Senate, ...s~s
At the same time Chairman Sum.
ners delayed his plans to confer
with Chairman Sabath of the House
Rules Committee to request q spe.
clal meeting Of that committee to
give his resolution a privileged
status In the House SO 1t can bs'
acted on without delay.
Representative Summers said he
probably would be too busy today
to confer with Representative
SABBATH, but indicated he might do so
tomorrow morning.
Meanwhile, Chairman Randolph
OF the House District Committee re-
vealed he already had started q poll
Of members Of his committee to as
certain if they believe action should
be taken at this time on q bill pro-
viding self-government for the Dis
trict. He expects to complete the
poll early this afternoon.
Representative Randolph, who has
long supported the move for both
national representation and local
suffrage. declared he would drop the
self-government legislation tempo
rarily if it is the wish of a majority
of his committee and concentrate
his efforts to get favorable House
and Senate action on the Summers
resolution.
He also said he would support
move in the House to restore to the
Summers resolution the provision
(See SUFFRAGE. Page A.2.0