Evening star., 1946-11-06
p|ebiscite Vote
SpursDriive for
Congress Action
Total of ! s., ,654 Vote:
Cost; Local Suffrage
Favored, 70 to 80
Pictures on Page B-1:: Returns
From Polling Places, Page A-2J
By Harold B. Rogers


Polling a vote of more than
10000 in the District plebiscite,
voteless Washingtonians yester-
day registered a demand for
local suffrage and a stronger de-
mand for national suffrage.
Substantial increase in interest
over a similar referendum in 1898
was shown by the total registration
of 169,654 yesterday, compared with
95,o17 in 1888.
Of those voting yesterday for local
suffrage, 10 per cent favored, 80 per
cent opposed it.
OF those voting for national repre-
sentation, 81 per cent marked their
ballots Eyes" and 16 per cent no"
Summary of Results.
Returns from $50 of 152 ballot
boxes in 80 precincts showed:
Local suffrage-yes, 1859; no,
1860.
National representation - yes,
1922: no, 26,6s7.
Total registration was listed at
1854.
This registration figure includes
the totals from the two ballot boxes
which up to this morning had not
reported their "yes" and mo" votes.
The two ballot boxes were the
Francis School, at Twenty-fourth
and N streets NV. with 1878 regis
trations; and the Carver School, at
Whittingham and Lane places NE,
with a registration of 1,103.
Pleased by Large Turnout.
While the total vote was less than
suffrage leaders had predicted, they
expressed satisfaction with the large
turnout, and the emphatic verdict Of
District residents for the franchise.
Armed with results of this first
straw-vote election held on the same
day when American citizens were go
ing to real polls throughout the Ma
ton, plebiscite leaders declared they
would go direct to Congress with de-
mands for legislative action.
Drafts of a proposed new measure
to give the District so-called home
rule" are being prepared, it was
learned, to \be presented for intro
duction soon after the new Congress
convenes in January.
To renew the demand for ma
tional representation so Washing
tonians can vote for member of the
Senate and House and president and
vice president, predictions were
made that legislation providing for
q constitutional amendment un-
doubtedly will be introduced in
January.
Senator Capper to Act.
Senator Capper, Republican, OF
Kansas, ranking Republican on the
Senate District Committee, who was
not up for reelection, has promised
he will reintroduce the Summers
Capper joint resolution for an
amendment to the Constitution. II
would empower Congress to grant
the District elected and voting rep
resentation in Congress. 1t also pro-
vides for District voice in the presi-
Dental race.
Commenting on the plebiscite
Commissioner John Russell Young
said he thought the results were
"about what was expected"
'It was good to see that much in
terest," he said. THE Board OF
Trade, the civic leaders, the press
and radio are to be congratulated
for their tireless efforts"
Among those who hailed results
of the plebiscite with enthusiasm
was Henry Beitscher, president of
the Washington Industrial Union
Council (CIO).
AS one of the trustees of the
Central Suffrage Conference, he
pledged his efforts to obtain Con-
gressional approval for elections
here.
Compared with the 1888 plebi-
scite," he said, there is a substan-
tial increase in the number who
voted as well as those who voted
yes on both questions.
Second, judging from prelimi-
nary figures from all over the coun-
(See PLEBISCITE. Page AID