Evening star., 1944-01-14
Representation
Continued From First Page.)

however, explains the bill and their
report were submitted to the Budget
Bureau which advised that enact
ment of the proposed legislation
would not "at least at this time" be
In accord with the Presidents pro-
gram.
Commissioners Report.
The Commissioners report states:
The Commissioners believe that
the proposed amendment Ito the
Constitution) is entirely consistent
with the form of government set up
in the Constitution.
s That document contemplated a
government by the people in which
taxes were to be levied and laws
enacted controlling the actions of
the people only through representa-
tives duly elected by the people. The
inhabitants Of the District of Colum-
bla today must obey laws and pay
taxes without representation in the
Legislature which enacts the laws
or levies the taxes
The population of the District
today is in excess of that of II
States census of 1940), Certainly it
is not in keeping with our theory of
Government that hundreds of thou
sands of citizens be disfranchised
merely because they happen to be
domiciled in the District of Colum-
bla, when citizens of States contain
ing smaller populations are granted
the full right of suffrage"
The Commissioners report was
signed by Commissioner John Rus
sell Young, president of the board.
The proposed amendment, which
is Senate joint resolution 33, is in
different form than the earlier ma
tional representation resolution on
which an adverse report was made
in 1941 for the Senate Judiciary
Committee by subcommittee
headed by Senator McCarran.
Proposed Amendment.
The new Sumners-Capper resolu-
ton proposes the following amend
ment to the Constitution, which
would become effective when rati-
fed by the Legislatures of three
fourths of the States within seven
years of its passage:
THE Congress shall have power to
provide that there shall be in the
Congress and among the electors of
President and Vice President, men,
bers elected by the people of the
District, constituting the seat of the
Government of the United States,
in such numbers and with such
powers as the Congress shall de-
termine. All legislation hereunder
shall be subject to amendment and
repeal"
A subcommittee of the Senate Dis
trict Committee recently concluded
extensive public hearings on the
McCarran home rule" bill, provid-
ing for the election of an enlarged
board of commissioners or council
men, who would appoint a city man.
ager, this setup to assume the ad-
ministrative functions, powers and
responsibilities now vested in the
appointed board of three commits
sioners. During the hearings a ma
jority of the witnesses went on
record for national representation.
No Conflict Found.
Many witnesses also supported
local suffrage and declared there
was no conflict between proposals
for representation in Congress a..d
a locally elected city government.
Chairman McCarran explained
that local suffrage was the only
question pending before the Dis
trict Committee and the question
of national representation must be
handled as a separate mater, re-
ferring to the Summers Capper reso-
luton which was pending before
the Judiciary Committee.
National representation propo-
nents have explained that the pres
ent representation joint resolution is
in different form than that on which
the unfavorable report was made in
1941, stressing that it would author
ize Congress to grant representation
to the District in Congress and
among the electors in such numbers
and with such powers as Congress
would determine.
4