Evening star., 1944-12-26
A Welcome Advocate


eacy OF real voting rights for Wash
ingtonianS-real voting rights being
the rights of voting for District of
Columbia representatives in Con-
greSS and for President and Vice
President is nonetheless welcome
because of the somewhat circuitous
route by which he reached his pres
ent position. AS a matter of fact, it
is all the more welcome.
The Senator, like some of his COL
leagues, was skeptical in the begin
ming of giving the District of Colum-
bia voting rights without comforting
on the District something like the
status of a State. The Constitution
confines voting representation in
Congress and the electoral college to
the States. He explored the possibili-
1ty of constitutional amendment
which, in effect, would attach the
District to Maryland for the purpose
of voting for members of Congress
and for President and Vice President.
The experimental draft of that
amendment reveals some of it's in
herent defects. For one thing, it
would hopelessly confuse the exclu-
sive legislative control over the Dis
trict which the Constitution wisely
places with Congress. Again, it would
dilute Maryland's vote for her Sena-
tors, to an extent that Maryland
doubtless would find Objectionable.
In announcing his readiness to
support the Sumners-Capper resolu-
ton, therefore, the Senator indicates
his own conviction that such an
amendment is probably the most
effective and the simplest method of
reaching the desired objective. The
Star believes it is. For this amend
ment does not affect the voting rep
resentation Of any of the sovereign
states 1t does not diminish the
power Of Congress over the seat of
Government. 1t does not make new
State of the District of Columbia.
1t preserves the original conception
Of the District as Federal area, but
gives to its residents the fundamen-
tally American privilege of represen-
tation in their Government. That
amendment provides:
That Congress shall have power to
provide that there shall be in the Com
greSs and among the electors of Presi-
dent and Vice President members elected
by the people of the District constituting
the seat of Government of the United
States in such numbers and with such
powers as the Congress shall determine.
Senator Burton wishes to couple
with this amendment a provision to
return and to safeguard the voting
rights of residents of other Federal
areas in continental United States.
1t would be helpful if data concern
Ing the number and status of such
residents can be obtained They
should, of course, have the right to
vote and the extraordinarily large
areas now acquired by the National
Government throughout the country
may have made the question of more
Importance than in the past. But
the political status of such areas,
exclusively devoted to governmental
uses, is hardly to be compared with
that of the Washington community
of over 100000 people, which by
every standard of eligibility save
one, meets the test for direct repre-
sentation as a community in the
Government.
1t is most helpful and encouraging
that Senator Burton, whose stature
as Senator has increased with
every year OF his service, has become
firm believer in votes for Washing
ton, and that his belief is based on
the results of his independent study
and thought. Washingtonians need
his support and the support of other
able men in Congress.