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

Hearing Wednesday
Before Subcommittee
District residents who show inter
est in winning the right to vote b,
attending the hearing before /;
House Judiciary Subcommittee Wed
nesday will have the backing of {
number of national organizations, j
was indicated today.
Spokesman for the American Fed.
Grafton of Labor, National League
of Women Voters and a number oi
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"
I'VE 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-
tion 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 constitutional
amendment empowering Congress to
give District residents representa-
tion 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 e-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 the National
League of Women Voters, pointed
out that lat 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 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
Sdid, lldfC liiC
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 Womens 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 Natiop it is most undemocratic |
to allow citizens no VOTE" Mrs. Of
tenberg explained. With them, it |
is a 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 Federation of Labor, said |
--c AFE 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
Unionist was sponsored by the Cen
tral 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 |