Evening star., 1945-09-24
Hearing on Vote
For District SET
For Tomorrow
Residents Will Urge
Sumners-Copper
Plan on Hatch Group

Sumners-Copper
Plan on Hatch Group
Disfranchised residents of the
National Capital today are prepar-
ing to appear before the Hatch sub
committee Of the Senate Judiciary
Committee tomorrow at 10:3O am.
to urge passage of the Summers
Capper resolution, which would en-
power Congress to grant the District
national representation and q vote
for President.
The hearing will be held in the
rooms of the Senate Judiciary
Committee, Nos. 80 and 40 on the
ground floor of the Capitol. The
rooms are in the northwest corner
OF the building.
The proposal before the subcom-
mittee is this:
The Congress shall have pow
er to provide that there shall be
In the Congress and among the elec-
tors OF President and Vice President
members 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 determine. All
legislation hereunder shall be SUBJ
Ject to amendment and repeal"
Suter to Make Statement,
The proposal has been advanced
to a joint resolution sponsored in
the Senate by Senator Capper, Re-
publican. of Kansas, former chair
man of the Senate District Commit
tee, and in the House by Chairman
Summers Of the House Judiciary
Committee, a Texas Democrat.
Arguments in support of the pro-
posal will be advanced at tomorrow's
hearing by the Citizens Joint Com.
mittee on District of Columbia Ma
tional Representation. In the alb
sence OF Theodore w. Noyes. chair
man OF the committee, the principal
statement for the committee will be
made by Jesse c. Suter, vice chair
man.
Mr.. Suter said that among those
appearing before the Hatch Com
mittee will be James r. Kirkland
and Guilford R. Jameson, ATTORNEYS
and members of the Joint Commit
tee. They will discuss special phases
OF the proposal.
Benjamin M. McKelway will make
a statement as president of the
Board of Trade.
Will Limit Speakers.
Mr.. Suter said the committee will
comply with the request of Senator
Hatch, Democrat, of New Mexico.
subcommittee chairman, for few
speakers. However, representatives
OF organizations allied with the Joint
Committee will have opportunity to
submit statements to be incorporat-
ed in the record of the hearing.
Senator Hatch has stated he
would vote for the joint resolution
which calls for a constitutional
amendment. He said:
i have always been of the con-
victlon that member of a political
party should support pledges which
are made in the platform Of the
party. The Democratic platforms,
more than once, have called for
the extension of the rights of suf-
frage to the people of the District
of Columbia. Therefore, I believe
we should act on the proposal and
I believe we should carry out the
pledge which We have made"
Ninth Hearing Since 1916.
This hearing will be the ninth on
District suffrage since 1916 Earlier,
there had been two hearings before
the Senate District Committee, one
before the Senate Judiciary Com
mittee and five before the House
judiciary Committee or its subcom-
mittees.
Earlier this year the No. COM
mittee of the House Judiciary Com
mittee, headed by Representative
Celler, Democrat, of New York, re-
ported favorably on the Summers
Capper resolution. Later the Sen
ate Judiciary Committee announced
its intention not to consider pro-
poSals to amend the constitution
during the war. This action on the
Senate side presumably led the full
House Judiciary Committee to vote
against reporting the Cap
pers resolution to the House. The
vote was to I.
However, the Senate Judiciary
Committee, now that the war is
over, has reversed its policy on
constitutional amendments, assum-
ing that by the time ratification
comes before the States most of
the veterans will be home again.
In addition to Chairman Hatch
members of the Constitutional
Amendment Subcommittee of the
Senate Judiciary Subcommittee are
Senators OMahoney of Wyoming
and Wheeler OF Montana, Demo-
Gratis, and Wherry of Nebraska and
Moore Of nk1 10 homo Dop,,h1;..-.