Evening star., 1946-02-24
Beattie Hopeful
Senate Will Get
Bill

Urges Committee to
Disregard 'FIimsy'
Objections Tomorrow
With the principle of national
representation for the District fac
ing consideration tomorrow by the
Senate Judiciary Committee, James
s. Beattie. chairman of the Central
Suffrage Conferences National Rep
resentation Committee, expressed
trust yesterday that "f1imsy obliga-
tions will fall aside" to permit Con-
gress as whole to decide the
franchise question.
Urging the Judiciary group to
report the Sumners-Capper national
representation resolution to the
floor, Mr.. Beattie declared "a few
men in committee should not sty-
mie resolution affecting the poll
tical future of half a million worthy
citizens"
Chairman McCarran said yester-
day that the Sumners-Capper mea-
sure was one of eight items on the
Judiciary Committees Monday
agenda.
Never Reached Floor.
Mr.. Beattie reviewed and answered
objections to national representa-
tion in a talk broadcast by WRC.
He said the franchise question had
been "hashed over on the Hill many
times during the past so years"
without ever reaching the floor of
either Senate or House, and added:
I'VE believe the question of suf-
frage for over half million people
is question that Congress as
whole should act on" .-r..
Climaxing month Of campaign
ing for action on the Sumners-Cap-
per resolution. Mr.. Beattie called
attention to past Judiciary Commits
tee delays" pointing out that we
can only hope for action tomorrow.
Hope Is Reasonable.
He said, however, that such hope
was reasonable in view of the ma
ture of the measure, which pro-
vides for a constitutional amend
ment granting Congress the priv
ilege of deciding, at some future
date, whether the District of Co.
lumbia may have representation in
that body and among the presiden-
tial electors"
Mr.. Beattie also pointed out that
all legislation under the Summers
Capper resolution would always be
subject to amendment and repeal
under terms of the measure itself,
observing that mot only may Con-
gress decide later what to do about
us. but after they decide they may
repeal their action. Surely no more
reasonable democratic right was
ever asked by an underprivileged
people"
Terming them excuses for OBJ
jections," he nevertheless raised
and answered the following points
made by opponents of the Summers
| Capper measure:
| /. That national representation
would give the District Statehood y
Congress Retains Sovereignty.
TT is apparent" Mr.. Beattie said
that State has sovereign rights
involved in its legislature and its
courts. none of which the District
has A State also has inalienable
rights to membership in Congress.
whereas the Congress would always
retain sovereignty over the District
under terms of a resolution which
would permit them, by repeal or
amendment, to withdraw our rep
resentation there"
2. That the District should have
representation in the House but not
in the Senate, on the grounds that
the House more directly represents
the people since its members are
elected according to population.
That would only be true If Sem
ators were appointed by the State
answerable to the Governor and
Legislature and not Influenced by
the populace," Mr.. Beattie said.
3. That If Washington received
national representation, should no
such territories as Alaska and Ha.
waii, too?
| He said he was not prepared tx
question the rights of territories
stating only that the Districts sit,
uation SIS clearly different from
that of these areas thousands o
miles away, and certainly prior"
Better Start Over.
4 4. That the District should no
have national representation aheas
OF local self government.
IF we have lived beside and witt
the legislative and executive func
tions of our Government for a cen
tury and a half, and are not ye
ready to participate in them" h
declared, wed better scrap tn
whole city and start over"
S. That representation in nationa
affairs would cost the District tn
$6,000,0 900 Federal grant.
Questioning whether the amour
OF service provided here for the Fed
eral Government might not b
worth more than six million" MI
Beattie suggested that .it nigh
also be possible that we would b
more able, rather than less, to ex
tract our just dues from Congress
if we had representation there"
He sad there also was oppostoi
to the measure which was more /,
go jump in the lake" attitude thar
concrete objection, being accom-
panied with the suggestion "if yo,
aren't satisfied with your pligh
here, go somewhere else. Or, thar
II we wanted the vote here, tn,
Capital would be moved somewhere
/ else"
/ Mr.. Beattie's answer to this atti.
tude was that the country wa,
founded "to prevent such condi.
tions."