Evening star., 1941-04-24
j. ). Attorney
Foreign Home
Right Voted
House Action Also
Authorizes Aides to
Live Outside D. G.

After repeated charges of "car-
petbagging" had enlivened debate,
the House late yesterday by a vote
of 146 to 1877 approved bill recon-
mended by Attorney General jack
son that would grant to the United
States attorney for the District and
his assistants the privilege of re-
siding anywhere within 20 miles
OF the District. Existing law re-
quires a United States attorney and
his assistants to be residents of the
district for which he is appointed.
District Attorney Edward M. Cur
ran is a resident of the District,
but several of his assistant district
attorneys are residents of Maryland
or Virginia
Representative Tolan. Democrat,
of California, chairman of the sub
committee which favorably reported
the measure, pointed out that it had
been approved by the Attorney Gen.
eral because the area of this district
is more congeSted even than the
southern district of New York,
"IllIIl tllc OlllN OlIlCl CAICpllOll
to the law requiring residence by
the district attorney and assistant
district attorneys in the district for
which they are appointed.
Discrimination Charged.
Debate on the bill was confined
to members of the Judiciary Com
mittee. Representative Walter,
Democrat, of Pennsylvania chal-
lenged his colleagues: IF you want
to open the doors to carpetbagging,
here is your opportunity, for that
is exactly what this bill does. I
see no reason why lawyers in the
District of Columbia should be dis
eliminated against in favor of law
yers from Maryland and Virginia,
as is proposed in this measure. This
bill should be defeated"
He said that the purpose is to
appoint to these positions residents
of Virginia who live within 20 miles
of the District.
Representative Robson, Repub-
Ican, of Kentucky, who has served
26 years in Congress, declared he
had never in his experience seen
such a discriminatory piece of leg
islation. He said the whole purpose
is to go outside the District and
appoint some one who has sufficient
political influence in Maryland or
Virginia. He admonished his col
leagues not to take away what little
right the people of the District now
have
This would establish a policy of
carpetbagging by the dominant
party in the District of Columbia,
Mr.. RobSion continued. 1T cannot
be said that there are not a sufficient
number of able and distinguished
lawyers in Washington who can fill
these Offices"
Rights" Too Much Curtailed.
He declared it was rank injustice
to pass special legislation for the
benefit of particular individuals
living in Maryland and Virginia
who now have the opportunity to
run for elective Office. They should
not, he said, be granted the addi-
tional opportunity to be appointed
to the District attorneys Office in
the National Capital and still retain
their residences and suffrage rights
in Maryland or Virginia.
The people here in the District
of Columbia have been paying more
taxes than the people of several
States" Mr. Robson said. They
are just as intelligent, just as loyal,
but they do not have the right to
vote or be elected to office. Their
rights have already been too much
curtailed. I will not be a party to
taking away from them their right
to these high offices in the admins
tration of justice, to which they are
entitled"
Representative Tolan reminded
the speaker that under the present
law the District attorney or his as
sistants can be appointed for any
State, but when they take the Office
they must reside in the District.
Mr.. Robsion replied: "Yes, that's
the law. They must live in the Dis
trict while they hold Office, but now
you are proposing to change the
law and permit them to retain their
residences and continue to run for
office in Maryland and Virginia. The
only present exception is in the
southern district of New York, but
some with greedy eyes have been
looking for an opportunity to con-
tinue living where they enjoy the
rights of suffrage and still have a
chance to hold high office in the
District"
Representative Garfield. Repub-
hcan, of New Jersey emphasized that
IN the District are some of the best
law schools and ablest lawyers to be
found anywhere.
Mclaughlin Explains Bill.
Chairman Summers of the Judiciary
Committee said the Attorney Cen
eral had recommended this legisla-
ton, actuated by the small size of
the residential area in the District
OF Columbia, and yielded to Repre-
sentative Mclaughlin of Nebraska to
explain the measure. He pointed
out that the very thing attempted
to be accomplished under the bill
obtained here for many years up to
1919" He said the purpose was to
relieve those selected for the District
attorneys Office from the obligation
OF establishing a residence within
the small confines of the District,
but for convenience to go over the
line into what might be considered
the metropolitan residential area
or within 20 miles. He quoted from
the letter of the Attorney General:
"The District of Columbia occupies
an unusual position. Because of its
small area, many persons whose
business and professional life is con-
Quoted within the confines of the
District frequently reside in the
suburban metropolitan territory.
Persons who are technically resi-
dents either of Virginia or Maryland
are frequently closely identified with
the District of Columbia"
He called attention to the fact
that members of Congress have been
doing the same thing and setting up
Temporary residence across the line