Evening star., 1946-02-10
Suffrage
Continued From First Page.)

American citizens, he emphasized,
"are, first, that all just power de-
rives from the consent of the gov
erned, and, second, that taxation
without representation is tyranny"
Referring to proposed changes in
the Sumners-Capper measure which
would limit District Congressional
representation to the House, Mr..
Summers declared the Capital should
have at least one elected member in
both houses of Congress as we'll
as among the electors of President
and Vice President.
The two veteran Congressional
proponents of a District voice in
national affairs shared the micro
phone with a newcomer to the ranks
of suffrage advocates, Venus Ramey,
Washington's Miss America" of
1914.
Wants to Vote.
Miss Ramey, who spoke at the
behest of the Central Suffrage Con-
ference, came to Washington from
New York at her own expense to
participate in the broadcast over
WWDC.
A former resident of Washington,
the Atlantic City beauty contest
winner said she hoped someday to
make her home here permanently
but that since becoming 81 last
September she had wanted to vote
Il should think lot of people of
voting age would avoid Washington
because there Is no vote here" she
said, adding that the advent of her
voting majority had given her pause
to consider the situation.
Meanwhile, hopes ran high among
congressional and civic as well as
individual proponents of national
representation that the committee
will report the resolution favorably
This confidence appeared to hinge
on four main points. First, the fact
that President Truman, in his state
of the Union message to Congress,
made the precedent breaking pro-
nouncement that the District should
have suffrage.
Should Have Franchise.
Adequate steps should be taken,
the President said, ito assure that
citizens of the United States are
not denied their franchise merely
because they reside at the Nations
Capital"
Second. that there is included In
the Democratic party platform a
plank advocating suffrage for the
District. President Truman, then a
Missouri Senator sitting on the
Platform Committee, voted for in
serting the plank.
Third, the widespread interest
shown over the past three weeks
in the campaign sponsored by the
Central Suffrage Conference. More
than 80 civic, labor, professional
and veterans organizations, embrac-
ing more than 1000 individuals
have participated in the fight to
obtain favorable action on the Sum-
ners- Capper resolution.
Fourth, the fact that, being en-
abling legislation, subject always to
amendment and repeal, the Sum-
ners- Capper measure is not binding
on Congress. This, it is felt, Judici-
ary Committee members of either
party could give it favorable vote
without fear of future commitment
or party reprisal.
Fear Debilitating Amendments.
Chief fears concerning the meas
ure centered on the possibility oi
debilitating amendment rather thar
direct pigeon -holing or the poSsibil-
| ity of an unfavorable report. Last
Monday Senator'S O'Mahoney
Democrat, of Wyoming, and An
drews, of Florida, offered amend
ments, which If adopted would bal
the District from representation In
the Senate. Mr.. O'Mahoney's pro-
posal was favored by several COM
mittee members.
Widespread interest in the fate
OF the Sumners-Capper resolution
called to mind the fact that never in
the 145-odd years OF the fight fol
national representation has a suf-
frage measure reached vote on the
floor of either the Senate or House
As earlv as 1901. the question OF