Evening star., 1940-07-31
Constructive Delay

The postponement in reporting out
the Summers amendment from the
House Rules Committee yesterday is
not the sort of delay which is hurtful
to the District. The House Rules
Committee is not seeking to pigeon
hole the resolution by dilatory tao
tics. The delay is to give the men,
bers more time to study the exact
phraseology of a proposed amend
ment to the Constitution; to test it
carefully in committee discussion
and fully to acquaint themselves
with the philosophy behind it.
In manner of speaking Chairman
Summers was wholly accurate in say
ing to newspaper reporters that the
resolution provides for nothing
more than the people of the District
now have. It merely authorizes
Congress to grant suffrage after ap-
proval of a constitutional amend
ment." 1t is true that the amend
ment Is merely permissive; that it
obligates Congress in no way, shape
or manner as to suffrage in the Dis
trict and that the added power it
confers upon Congressman the peo-
pie of the District-must still be ap-
proved by three-fourths of the States
before that power can even be ex-
ercised.
But it would be mistake to mis-
interpret Chairman Summers brief
statement to mean that the resolu-
ton itself is innocuous, or that If it
is approved by Congress the people
of the District will still have no more
than they have now.
Approval of this resolution will
give the people of the District new,
high hope for the removal of an un-
necessary and pointless stigma upon
the Capital of the Nation. It will
place before the people of the United
States the opportunity to welcome
District residents into the brother
hood of voting American citizens,
permitting them participation in the
councils of Government from which
they alone, of all the citizens of the
Nation, are barred.
Approval of this resolution will
pave the way to permanent removal
OF the District from its present status
as the single exception to repre-
sentative government in the United
States. And in removing that excep-
ton, it will leave unimpaired the
supreme authority of the people of
the United States, through Congress,
over the National Capital. 1t was
doubtless to preserve this supreme
authority Enthusiastically more
than by premeditation-the people
of the District were left without a
voice in their National Government.
There is nothing in the Summers
resolution to challenge this au-
thority.
Approval of this resolution, and
ratification by two-thirds vote of
Congress and hree-fourths of the
States, will make certain and un-
questioned the power of Congress to
delegate "any or all" of its powers
over the District to whatever local
form of government it chooses to es-
tablish. While there is no question
as to existing power of Congress to
establish any form of government it
chooses in the District of Columbia,
controlling court decisions forbid
the delegation by Congress of its
general legislative powers, though
the power to make municipal regu-
lations may be delegated.
The purpose Of the delay in a de-
cision by the Judiciary Committee on
the Summers resolution is to give
more time for study. The District
urges such study. Amendment of
the Constitution is a serious matter
and should not be rushed without
due deliberation.
If only the members will study the
question free from prejudice, and
submit 1t to the rigorous tests pro-
vided for an amendment to the Con-
stitution, no legitimate delay is
harmful for there can be only a
70 Jo1o Jaoie;ox, %Lo a~I