Evening star., 1947-01-27
Senate Heariinq
|0nD. Suffrage
Proposal Slated
Wiley Says Session
Will Study Entire
Subject Monday
By Harold B. Rogers

The Senate Judiciary Committee
will give lengthy consideration te
the Capper Senate joint resolution
on national representation for the
District at an executive session next
Monday morning.
Chairman Wiley Of the commit
tee announced that some witnesses
will be heard behind closed doors
He will reveal their names later.
Purpose of the executive session
Senator Wiley said will be to "con-
slider the whole subject. The sky's
the limit" he added.
Asked whether there would be
open hearings later he said the
Senate committee might decide that
question next Monday.
Asked if a motion to approve the
Capper measure would be offered
at the session the Wisconsin Sena-
tor said he could not say definitely
Exploratory Meeting.
at will be more or less of an ex-
ploratory meeting" he explained
I'VE want to have a full discussion
by the individual members of the
committee, not only of this Capper
bill, but also of all bills On the SUBJ
ject which has been before Congress
through many years"
The pending resolution was intro
duced by Senator Capper, Republi-
can, Kansas, a long time champion
of national representation for the
District. It is similar to the joint
resolution introduced by him in the
Senate and by former Representa-
tive Summers, Democrat, Texas, in
the House, during the Seventy-ninth
Congress.
The measure provides for a con-
stitutional amendment to authorize
Congress to grant residents of the
District the right to vote for Presi-
dent and Vice President and for
members of the House and Senate
from the District.
May Avoid Amendment.
Senator Wiley raised a question
as to whether a constitutional
amendment would be necessary to
give the District national repre-
sentation in the House.
He said that in the opinion OF
some it ras pretty certain" that
Congress G I'd do this by a reso-
luton.
f., On the other band, it is known
that some constitutional lawyers
take the position that an amend
ment to the Constitution would
be necessary to give any kind of
national representation to the Dis
trict.
Home Rule Wins Support.
The Senator also indicated that
there was considerable opinion that
some form of home rule and local
government could be given the Dis
trict by joint action of Congress
without the constitutional amend
ment.
The Senate Judiciary Committee,
however, does not have before 1t a
measure specifically to give the Dis
trict a new form of local govern
ment. Such a measure was intro
duced in the Senate last week by
Senator McCarran, Democrat, Of
Nevada but was referred, not to the
Judiciary Committee, but to the
Senate District Committee. The Nc
Carran bill, which would set up a
Federal charter commission to rec
ommend city council-city manager
form of government, was introduced
in the last Congress but at that
time went to the Senate Judiciary
Committee.
Issue Linked to Capper Plan.
From Senator Wiley's discussion,
however, the home rule question
apparently is being considered by
Senate Judiciary Committee men,
bers in connection with their study
of the Capper resolution.
Several new members of the Sem
ate Judiciary Committee, as Chair
man Wiley pointed out, were not
familiar with the Districts long
fight for some form of suffrage
They had never voted on the ques-
ton, he said.
Some such process as this-ex-
ecutive hearings for full discussion, y
the Senator said, could do away
with extended hearings, the expense
confusion and wear of such hear
ings."
Asked if some one would be pres
ent to explain the measure, the Sen
ator replied that there will be some
one here"
He said he would announce later
who would appear before the COM
mittee.
To DeIve Into All Facts.
Asked if the proposal to have the
full committee consider the Capper
measure had come in the form OF
a motion from some committee men,
ber, the chairman said he told
the committee this morning that he
had made arrangements for such
consideration to start at 10:30 am
next Monday.
1--WE will devote our time" he ex-
planned, ito getting acquainted with
all facets of the whole problem"
Supporters of the Capper resolu-
ton apparently were pleased that
Senator Wiley has decided to keep
the measure before the entire Judi
ciary Committee instead of referring
it to subcommittee.
The full committee consists of
the following: Chairman Wiley, Re-