Evening star., 1941-05-07

There is printed belotO the teTt
OF The argument accompanying
the petition presented yesterday
to the Senate subcommittee hold
ing hearings on national repre-
Sentdtion for the District.
The Americans of the District Of
Columbia constitute the only COM
munity in all the expanse Of the
continental United States-pOpulous
intelligent, public spirited, of ade-
quate resources-which is denied
representation in the national gov
ernment.
The number of persons resident
here is now so large, 66309l by the
| 1910 census, that their claims can
no longer be ignored
National representation is a dis
tinctive basic right of the American
citiZen-in government of the peO-
pie. by the people. for the people
in government which roots its
justice in consent of the governed
in representative government
which inseparably couples taxation
and military service with repre-
sentation.
Since the 663.091 Americans of the
District pay national taxes, obey ma
tiOnal laws. and 90 to war in the
Nations defense. they are entitled
on American principles to he rep
resented in the national govern
ment which taxes them. which
makes all laws for them, and which
sends them to war.
In recognition and reaffirmatiOn
of the abOve-stated American prin-
ciples we urge most earnestly the
approval by Congress Of Senat
Joint Resolution No. 35 and the
identical House Joint Resolution No.
28. which propose a constitutional
amendment empowering Congress to
grant representation in the House,
Senate and Electoral College to the
people of the District of Columbia,
and grants them the same access to
the Federal courts as citizens re-
siding in the States, and grants to
Congress power to transfer to the
local government such powers in
respect to District legislation as
Congress may determine to be con-
sistent with the national interest.
The reasoning of the Senate Com
mittee on the District of Columbia
in its favorable report in 1922 on
an earlier form of joint resolution
applies with equal force to the
pending joint resolution.
The amendment proposed by S. J..
Res. 35 and the identical H. J. Res.
% is to add the following Article:
article.
Section |. The Congress shall
have power to provide for the peo-
pie of the District constituting the
seat of Government of the United
States representation in the Con-
gress and among the electors of
President and Vice President no
greater than that of the people of
the States, and to delegate to such
Government as Congress may estab-
lish therein all or any of its power
over said District: and the judicial
power of the United States shall ex-
tend to controversies to which citi-
zens of said District shall be par
ties the same as to controversies
to which citizens of a State shall
be parties.
Section g. All legislation here
under shall be subject to amend
ment and repeal: Provided, that no
amendment or repeal shall affect
the Office Of a Senator or Repre-
sentative during the time for which
he was elected"
Section 3. This article shall be
imperative unless it shall have been
ratified as an amendment to the
Constitution by the Legislatures of
the several States as provided in
the Constitution. within seven years
from the date of submission hereto
to the States by the Congress"
We urge with confidence the ap-
proval by Congress of this amend
ment for these reasons:
First. Because we ask at this time
merely that Congress shall be given
new constitutional powers without
committing Congress as to when or
how it shall exercise these powers.
We ask two-thirds of Congress to
vote to give majority of Congress
new powers which harmonic with
and equitably round out the existing
constitutional powers of Congress
No good reason can be assigned why