Evening star., 1953-02-27
Reviving the VoteIess-DeIeqote Plan

Besides remedy for these euilS which
IS loudly called for 1t Is respectfully sub
n1ttted 10hether a prOUiSion authorizing the
election of a delegate to represent the aDants
of the citizens of this District on the floor
OF Congress is not due to them and to the
character OF our government. No portion
OF our citizens should be Without practical
Pegs se11Joyn1ent OF the principles OF freedom, and
there'sS none more important than that
1Dlich cultiU1teS q proper relation betlUeen
the government and the goUerned. Imper-
feet as this may be in this case, get it is
believed it tDould be greatly improved By
representation in Congress 1Dith the same
privileges that are GLOtDed to other terri
tories OF the United States.
Andrew Jackson
Message to Congress, 1880.
Tonight, about 122 years after Andrew
JackSon's original proposal for voteless Dis
trict of Columbia derritoriaD delegate in the
House, there is going to be hearing on the
Case bill to provide such an elected delegate
Chairman Case, of the Senate District Com
mittee is sponsoring the measure in the Senate
and Representative Auchincloss of New Jersey
has introduced companion bill in the House.
When Andrew Jackson first made this pro-
posal which he repeated and ampli1ed in 1881
and 1885, Washington's population entitled it
only to the representation available to terri
tories. It was not until 1880 that Washington's
population had grown enough to qualify it for
any other than territorial representation in
Congress- In the meantime, President Andrew
johnson repeated in 1885, Andrew Jackson's
original suggestion for territorial representa-
ton. And in 1871 territorial form of govern
ment was established here with the voting
privilege in respect to one branch of the local
legislature, and for a voteless delegate in Con-
greSS. The territorial form Of government
lasted only until 1874 when it was abandoned
as failure and the present commission form
of government was adopted in its place.
There is peculiar irony in the revival of
the voteleSS- delegate idea after all these years.
Those who favor it as "Step" of some sort or
another toward voting representation in Con-
greSS for the Americans of Washington are
actuated by the highest of motives The Star
is sure, and by the same sense of protest over
q great wrong that moved President Jackson.
But at best, the voteleSS-delegate propo-
Sition is innocuous. It lacks even the logic
that supported it in President Jackson's day.
Washington's population today exceeds that of
any one of 13 States. Each of nine of these
States is represented in Congress by two SEN
ators and two Representatives. The Districts
population exceeds that of three States COM
bined-Delaware, Wyoming and Nevada-whoSe
total representation in Congress is six Senators
and three Representatives What is the logic
behind giving the District one voteleSS delegate
in the House? What would it accomplish? If
it is step, in what direction?
a" If the time and energy consumed by con-
sideration of pontless expedents were applied
to amepdment of the Constitution, granting
to Congress the power to grant voting repre-
Sentation in Congress to the people of the
District of Columbia, we would be taking step
that counted and in the right direction.