Evening star., 1945-02-12
National Groups
To Aid Backers
Of D. Vote
Many Due to Attend
Hearing Wednesday
Before Subcommittee

Before Subcommittee
District residents who show inter-
est in winning the right to vote by
attending the hearing before a
House Judiciary Subcommittee We'd
nesday will have the backing of a
number of national organizations, 1t
was indicated today.
Spokesman for the American Fed
Grafton of Labor, National League
of Women Voters and number OF
other national women's organiza-
tions said they would ask to testify
at the hearing, which will begin at
10 am. Wednesday in room 1862 of
the old House Office Building.
Meanwhile, District organizations
of both the Democratic and Repub-
lican parties, which have carried
District suffrage regularly to the
political conventions, announced
they would be represented at the
hearing
In expressing the backing of the
Republican organization of the Dis
trict for national representation
Edward F. Colladay, Republican ma
tional committeeman from the Dis
trict, said the hearing should be
largely attended not only by Re-
publicans, but by all the citizens
who are either politically or civic
ally minded to show their support
for the amendment"
We cannot hope to have the
amendment approved by Congress
unless the people of the District
show by their presence at the hear
ing that they really are deeply in
favor of it and of having their rights
as citizens fully recognized" Mr..
Colladay said.
Legislators Held Bound.
Russell Balderson, chairman of
the Democratic Central Committee
of the District, declared that in his
opinion the District suffrage plank
adopted by the Democratic conven-
ton in Chicago last year binds
every party Senator and Repre-
sentative" to vote for the Summers
Capper measure.
The joint resolution, sponsored by
Representative Summers, Democrat.
of Texas and chairman of the
House Judiciary Committee, and
Senator Capper, Republican. of
Kansas, proposes a constitutional
amendment empowering Congress to
give District residents representa-
ton in Congress and a vote for
President and Vice President.
Expressing his belief that "the
people of this country want us here
IN the District to have the vote Mr..
Balderson said that when he pre-
sented his appeal for District suf-
frage at the convention last sum-
mer number of delegates told him
they thought it was terrible" that
District taxpayers, with sons in the
war, had no vote.
Malcolm S. McConihe, Democratic
national committeeman from the
District, who pointed out he had
been fighting 10 years for national
representation for District residents,
said he would testify at the hearing
Mrs. J. Borden Hartman, Demo-
cratic national committeewoman
from the District, said she was
whole-heartedly' in favor of ma
tional representation.
Miss Strauss Backs Move.
Speaking for one of the national
organizations on record in favor of
District suffrage, Miss Anna Lord
Strauss, president of lthe National
League of Women Voters, pointed
out that "at time when our armed
forces are fighting to help liberate
other countries, and to enable them
to establish democratic government,
it is particularly appropriate that
we should give to a portion of our
own citizens, heretofore without a
voice in their government, that
right"
The amendment to the Constitu-
ton, which has been introduced
in both houses of Congress, she
said, should have the enthusiastic
support of all citizens who have
themselves enjoyed the privilege of
electing their own representatives in
government"
Mrs. Louis Gutenberg, chairman of
the Committee on National Repre-
sentation of the Women's Joint Con-
gressional Committee, said six other
national women's organizations have
gone on record in favor of District
suffrage and each will ask to testify
at the hearing.
They feel that at the heart of
the Nation it is most undemocratic
to allow citizens no vote Mrs. Of
tenberg explained. With them, it
is matter of national pride. They
want to bring the District into the
Union"
She said the organizations repre-
sented on her committee, in addi-
ton to the National League of
Women Voters, include the Ameri-
can Federation of Teahers, Ma
tional Women's Trade Union |
League, National Council of Jewish /
Women. National Service Star
Legion. American Medical Women's
Association and Women's National
Homeopathic Medical Society.
AFL Urges Step.
William C. flushing, chairman of
the Legislative Committee of the
American Fedora ton of Labor, said |
the AFL was on record in favor of |
national representation and would |
have representatives at the hearing
to testify for the amendment
Strong support for national rep
resentation has been urged by the
official organ of four AFL groups
here, Fred S. Walker, manager of |
the newspaper the Trades Unionist,
pointed out. He said the Trade
Unionlst was sponsored by the Gen.
trail Labor Union, Building Trades
Council, Allied Printing Trades
Council and the Union Label
League.
Mrs. Karl Fenning, president of
the washington branch of the
American Association of University
women, which will also send a rep
resentative to the hearing, pointed
out that the advocacy of national
representation by the. Washington