Evening star., 1945-10-05
They Believe in 1t

They Believe in 1t
1t is gratifying that the subcom-
mittee selected to hear the argu-
ments and consider the question in
some detail Ms submitting a favor
able recommendation to the full
Senate Judiciary Committee on the
Sumners-Capper amendment for
District representation in Congress
and the electoral college.
The subcommittee's change in
phraseology Of the amendment is
not Objectionable. It's purpose Is
to prevent some future Congress
from voting to give the District
greater proportional representation
in Congress and the electoral col
lege than the States enjoy. The
likelihood that any Congress would
ever do that is so remote that quail
Tying language In this respect, in
cluded in some of the previously
suggested forms of the amendment,
was not considered necessary by the
sponsors. If the change meets
even q technical objection, how
ever, as Senator Hatch suggests, 1t
should be made.
The same thing cannot be said
concerning another change pro-
posed but declined by the subcom-
mittee. Senator OMahoney raised
the old point that the amendment
gives Congress the power to grant
representation in the Senate as well
as the House. The Senate, of
course, is constituent branch of
Congress. Its members represent
the people of the States, rather
than the States themselves. Sen
ator OMahoney suggested that
representation for the people Of the
District in Congress be restricted
to the House alone.
The basic principle Of the amend
ment, of course, is to leave that
question to Congress. All the
amendment says is that Congress
shall have the power to provide
that there shall be In the Congress
and among the electors Of the Pres
ident and Vice President members
elected by the people Of the Dis
trict =. in such numbers and with
such powers rs the Congress shall
determine" As Senator Norris
once put it, 'They (Congress) could
provide for one Senator or one
Representative If they wanted to, or
have one Representative and no
Senator, or have one Senator and
no Representative, ,rbut they could
not make more than two Senator's
nor more representatives than the
population Of the city would war
rant"
The amendment is an enabling
provision, stunning all legislative
restrictions, giving Congress
power which it now lacks--to grant
the people Of the District repre-
sentation in their Government.
Congress could exercise the power
to the extent 1t deemed wise, could
refuse to exercise it or, once exercis-
ing it, could repeal what 1t had
done. An attempt to limit the
exercise Of that power by constitu-
tional amendment, not knowing
what future conditions will arise,
would be in sense repeating the
original error of the trainers of the
Constitution, who, laying out a plan
for a seat of government II years
in advance Of its establishment, not
knowing where 1t would be, the
conditions Of its cession to the Gov
ernment, who would live there or
even whether the union they were
trying to perfect would last, failed
to provide specific method for the
future inhabitants to vote.
The intent Of the amendment as
it stands is so clear, 50 reasonable,
so practical, that 1t is difficult to
why any one who be-
lieves in democratic principles Of
government would want to emas-
culate it.