Evening star., 1940-08-04
Suffrage
Continued From First pa

Continued From First Page.)
1t to restore to the original reso-
luton the provision that would al
low the people of the District to
have representation in the Senate.
I am prepared to resist it, and
believe the House will support me.
Reeds View.
Il can't see any reason why the
District should have two Senators.
l am in favor of national repre-
sentation for the District but that
representation should be limited to
the House of Representatives. Mem
bers of the House represent the peo-
pie of the country. The Senate rep
resents the governments of the
S Stes."
The contention that the Senate
represents the governments of the
States has been advanced many
times In opposition to proposals to
grant the District Senate repre-
Sentation. 1t Is an argument aris-
ing from the one-time theory that
Senators were State ambassad dors.
This argument is held generally to
have had more validity before State
Legislatures ceased to elect Sena-
tors and they began to be elected
by the people.
In briefs filed with various con-
sressional committees by the Citizens
Joint Committee on National Repre-
sentation, the facts against the old
time argument have been stated in
full, particularly in the brief filed
with the House Judiciary Commit
tee in 1925. Twice in the past the
Senate District Committee itself has
met the argument against possible
District representation in the Sen
ate, first in reporting favorably in
1922 on the Jones amendment CIV
ing Congress power to permit the
election of "one or two Senators
as determined by Congress" and
again IN reaffirming that report In
1927.
The Committees Argument.
The following is a quotation from
the Senate committees argument:
("' Nor Is 1t of any impor-
tance that the people by whom this
Senator or these Senators would be
elected would not have any separate
Legislature. Even when Senators
were elected by State Legislatures
the Legislatures did not act as the
Legislature in the sense of the law
making body of the senate, but as
specially designated oody Of cleo
tors by virtue of an express power
conferred by the Federal Constitu-
ton itself. Senators are no longer
elected by the State Legislatures,
but oy the people. Under the pro-
posed amendment the people of the
District If Columbia, in choosing
their Senators would, to that ex-
tent, but to that exetent Only, stand
on the same footing with the people
of the States. But as the people of
a State, in the election of Senators
as in the election of representatives
in the Lower House, exercise this
right without regard to the form
and organization of their respective
local Legislature, so would the people
OF the District of Columbia elect
their Senators and Representatives
without regard to the existence or
non-existence of local legislature.
1T is, of course, no answer to say
that the Senate is composed only of
members selected by the several
States. That is merely to declare an
obvious fact as the Constitution now
stands. The Senate shall be COM
posed of two Senators from each
State. ."
More Than Territories Have.
Going on with his statement to
newspapermen yesterday, Mr.. Reed
said:
THE resolution as amended by
the Judiciary Committee on nv
recommendation will give the Dis
trict OF Columbia greater dignity
than the Territories now have.
Delegates from the Territories only
have representation in the House.
they cannot vote for President and
Vice President. Neither can they
vote in committee or on the House
floor. The people of the District
under my plan could vote for Presi-
dent and Wire President and alaot
their own representatives in the
House, VINO would have authority to
vote In committees and on legisla-
ton before the House"
Representative Reed said he had
received no complaints about the
amendments he offered to prevent
people of the District from having
representation in the Senate.
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