Evening star., 1949-07-14

Gil of II members. Mr.. Colladay
said it would be IAN absurdity'
if similar plan were proposed
for any local area of a State.
One of the sharpest attacks on
the pending suffrage plans came
as Mr.. Colladay protested plans
for the President to name the
members of a District board of
elections, to supervise local vot-
ing.
This board of elections" Mr..
Colladay said. lis given complete
power over elections to the Dis
trict Council and to the Board OF
Education, and thus very power
full string-it might be called a
rope-is tied to the so-called home
rule ="
The "dual-voting" plans to per-
nit District residents to vote in
city elections here, even though
they maintained State and ma
tional voting rights in their home
States, Mr.. Colladay said, might
give civil service employees bal
ance of power" in local elections.
Such non-District domiciles, he
noted. would have right to vote
in District elections even though
they come from American Samoa,
Guam. the Virgin Islands. Pan
ANA Canal Zone. Puerto Rico,
Hawaii or Alaska"
This. he said. was an attempt
to legalize dual voting with one
vote in the District and the other
in the voters home State and
that nothing could be more OBJ
jectionable."
He also hit at the idea that
nonresidents. though living here.
should be permitted to vote on
Washington city bond issues. He
argued that nonresidents might
vote for bond issues and then
leave Washington to dump the
debt on bona fide residents left
behind here.
Colladay Predicts Ratification.
Mr.. Colladay. in summing up the
position of the Board of Trade.
said he could not emphasize too
strongly that his organization
wants a specific provision for ma
tional representation for the Dis
trict under Constitutional
amendment written into the home
rule charter bill. He predicted If
this were passed by Congress,
ratification by three-fourths of the
States would be given before much
time passed.
Mr.. Colladay also stressed that
in any home rule bill persons per-
mitted to vote in the local elec-
tions should be only the genuine
citizens, resident and domiciled
within the District. who maintain
no domicile elsewhere. and who
do not claim exemption from taxa
tion by the District. by reason Of
a domicile elsewhere
Representative Harris. Demo-
crat, of Arkansas, subcommittee
chairman, complimented Mr.. Col
laday on a very frank and in
formative statement" He re-
called that he had given similar
praise to Representative Auchin-
Gloss. Republican. Of New Jersey,
author of one Of the pending
home rule bills. who testified at
an earlier hearing.
Mrs. Dunn Differs With Board.
Mr.. Harris said these two wit
nesses we're the only ones who had
given any detailed explanation or
analysis of the provisions of the
bills.
Mrs. Dunn, urging the subcom-
mittee to report the bill favorably
and soon, took issue with some of
the views of, Mr.. Colladay. She
brought out that her group al
ways had supported national rep
resentation, but contended I'VE
would have little or no more home
rule with national representation
than without it,"
I'VE would have in Congress
two or three Representatives,
elected on national issues" Mrs.
Dunn continued. while that
small representation would give
us our fair share of voice in the
National Government. it certainly
would not give the citizens of the
District opportunity for local self
government" Mrs. Dunn argued
that no government, no matter
how good" IS satisfactory unless
it is responsible to the will of
those who are governed"
Immediate Action Urged.
Mrs. Dunn said the plan 10 have
two of the council of II members
appointed by the President would
assure protection of the Federal
interests. And with Congress
having it's final say over District
legislation. she added, these pro-
visions should be an answer to
those worried about the Federal
interests.
Mr.. Chamberlain, speaking for
the numerous suffrage groups
working through the Central Suf-
frage Conference. urged the ccm-
mittee to act now to submit the
home rule plan to the House. He
brought out that unofficial prebis-
cites held in Washington in recent
years demonstrated desire of
the people for an elected city gov
ernment.
Mr.. Chamberlain reminded the
that the American
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