Evening star., 1954-05-21
LANCER Pushes
SuffrageP|an
For District
Books Representation
In Senute and House
And Home Rule

In Senate and House
And Home Rule
A strong drive was under way
today by Chairman LANCER of
the Senate Judiciary Committee
to give the District national
suffrage.
The North Dakota Republican
declared he will ask the full
committee on Monday to approve
a proposed constitutional amend
ment allowing Congress to give
Washingtonians the right to
vote for President and Vice
President and elected repre-
sentatives in the House.
FavOrs Home Rule Also.
Also, he said, he will ask that
the amendment, as introduced
by Chairman Case of the Senate
District Committee, be broad
ened to provide for two Senators
and home rule-an elected mu-
nicipal government-for the Dis
trict.
It was anticipated that friends
of national representation would
attempt to persuade Senator
LANCER not to press for home
rule through a constitutional
amendment. A home rule bill
is pending in the Senate now,
and most authorities are agreed
that home rule does not require
amendment of the Constitution.
Senator Langer's statement
came at the end of three-hour
one-map hearing yesterday on
the Case resolution, at which
more than a score of witnesses
testified:
Senator LANCER closed the
hearing abruptly. canceling prev
ious plans to let other interested
persons submit statements for
the record. He was in a hurry,
Senator LANCER said, to have the
full committee approve the reso-
lution-in some form-and get it
through the Senate to the House
at this session of Congress.
Civic Leaders Turn Out.
Washington civic leaders
turned out in strength to sup
port the proposal for national
representation, although most of
them suggested that Senator
Cases resolution be amended to
let Congress grant representation
in the Senate as well as in the
House.
The Case resolution was found
ed on the theory that the Senate
will not approve any amendment
that would increase it's member
snip and thus dilute" each Sem
ator'S part in Senate decisions.
To become a ratified coHstitu-
tional amendment, the resolus
tion must be approved by two
thirds of each house of Congress
and by three-fourths-or 36-of
the State Legislatures.
The separate bill to provide
Washington with a home rule
government, including an elected
mayor, city council, and school
board, was introduced by Sen
ator Case and 81 other Senators.
Senator LANCER did not specify
how much a home rule pro-
posal might be written into the
proposed constitutional amend
ment, declaring the mechanics
were up to his staff.
Nor, he said, did he know what
the full committee would do with
the amendments he plans to sug-
geSt.
ASSails Half Representation.
Among the witnesses both pro
and con heard yesterday was
Miss Cornelia H. Hill, speaking
for the District Federation of
Women's Clubs. She aSsailed
the present version of the Case
resolution as half -and-half ma
tional representation"
You take our tax money and
cover every cent into the United
States Treasury" she declared,
land vote it out for city ex-
penSeS as you wish. You have
for many years continually de-
creased your contribution. You
have now added a penny tax
to the bread basket of the vote
less people of the District of
Columbia. And, to my mind.
this resolution is along the lines
OF all you have done to us in
the past"
Herbert P. Leeman, president
Of the Central Suffrage Confer
ence, said his organization works
for complete suffrage-"both ma
tional and home rule"-and urged
an amendment to allow Senate
representation.
Mrs. John Latimer, president
of the District Chapter of the
League of Women Voters, urged
that, the Case resolution be
amended to allow representation
in both Houses of Congress.
Mrs. Jack GottSegen, represent
ing both the National Council of
Jewish Women and it's Washing
ton section, also supported the
Case resolution, although urging
a change to allow Senate repre-
Sentation.
So did Mrs. Harvey w. Wiley,
for the Women's City Club and
the Kalorama Citizens Associa-
ton, and John Hammond of the
Progressive Citizens Association
Of Georgetown.
Cites Democratic Platform.
AL Wheeler, chairman OF the
Democratic Central Committee
for the District, cited planks
supporting both home rule and
national representation in the
Democratic platform of 1852
and declared, I'VE would like to
see full representation if that
is possible. but leave that to your
judgment"