Evening star., 1946-02-07
DC. GroupAs
Public Hearing
On Suffrage Bill
Mecorron Urged to
Open Committees
Session Monday

Chairman McCarran of the Sem
ate Judiciary Committee today was
asked to open the committee ses-
sion Monday to the public and press
when the Sumners-C -Capper resolu-
ton for District suffrage again
comes up for action.
The request was made by James
S. Beattie, chairman of the National
Representation Committee of the
Central Suffrage Conference.
In letter to the Senator, Mr..
Beattie presented his proposal as
the latest in the campaign of vote
less citizens of this city to get
favorable action on the resolution.
The measure provides for a con-
stitutional amendment to empower
Congress to grant District repre-
sentation in the Senate, House and
the electoral college.
Sessions Never Opened.
In his letter to the Senator, Mr.
Beattie said:
ON Monday coming, your COM
mittee action on the Summers Cap
per resolution is of crucial interest
to the District and our organization,
representing over half a million cit
izens thereof.
Il find upon investigation that
full sessions of the Senate Judiciary
Committee on national representa-
ton have never been open to the
press and people of Washington.
The Senate parliamentarian in
forms me that most final committee
sessions on resolutions are open to
the public. May I, therefore, re-
spectfully request, on behalf of our
people and the Washington that is
to be, that you set an immortal
precedent by swinging wide the
doors of your forthcoming vital ses-
sion to us all.
Cites Interest in District.
"Your manifest interest in Dis
trict affairs, as evidenced by your
home rule bill and proposals for
teachers pay increases, leads me to
hope that you will encourage your
committee to accede to this earnest
request.
IF, as every evidence has indi-
Gated, Mondays session will be the
final one before the question of our
franchise at long last reaches the
floor of the Senate, the occasion
will be banner one. May wish
that you will, by opening the por-
tails, allow us golden memory to
preserve for posterity?"
Meanwhile the campaign for Dis
trict suffrage continued over the
radio and with plans to send further
delegations of local organizations
to urge upon Judiciary Committee
members a favorable vote for the
Sumners-Capper resolution. The
committee last Monday considered
the measure at some length but
postponed vote until Monday.
Delegations Plan Action.
Three organizations will send DEL
egations to the committee tomor-
row. They include Disabled Amer
lean Veterans, group from the
CIO and the Taxicab Operators,
Drivers and Garage Employees Union
No. 935.
The Federation of Women's Clubs
will send a committee to the Cap
itol Saturday.
In the radio campaign, Mrs. James
Jardine of the Twentieth Century
Club will appear at Station WWDC
on behalf of suffrage at 7:30 o'clock
tonight over Mark Austed's news
program Mrs. Gordon Balm of the
National Representation Committee,
Central Suffrage Conference, will be
the speaker on the same program
tomorrow night.
Robert Sherman, president of the
Washington Industrial Union Coun-
Gil, CIO, which is committed to sup
port of the Sumners-Capper joint
resolution, made an appeal for its
approval in a broadcast from Sta
ton WWDC last night.