Evening star., 1960-05-09
DC. VoteP
Action Is Due
ByCommittee
ShipIey, Kenny
Cite Booking for
Representation
BY GRACE BASSETT
Star stan Writer

SldT SLhu writer
A constitutional amendment
proposed to grant national
suffrage to Washington resi-
dents goes before an executive
session Of the House Judiciary
Committee tom orrow with
overwhelming Endorsements of
District Republicans and DEM
ocrats.
Republican State Committee
Chairman Carl Shipley today
wrote the committee that "vir-
tually unanimous support was
voted in his party's' primary
last Tuesday.
More than 81 per cent of
District Republicans who cast
ballots wanted Washingtonians
to vote for President and Vice
. President. A vote for dele
gates in Congress by District
residents was favored by SO
per cent of unofficial returns.
Democrats were not asked
on their ballot, as the Repub-
licanS were, how they stood
on national representation. In
stead, Democrats voted yes,
18 to l, on the more contro-
versial question of writing into
the party platform provisions
favoring home rule, or a locally
elected municipal government.
Philosophy Backed
There is a distinction be-
tween the two issues. That is
quite correct" said w. John
Kenney, chairman of the
D. C. Committee for Humphrey
which won 25 of the 26 seats
on the Democratic Central
Committee.
But Mr.. Kenney said Demo-
Gratis voting for self-govern-
ment could be assumed to be
champions of the philosophy
behind national suffrage.
My feeling from talking
with our people is that they
overwhelmingly support the
vote for President and Vice
President and representatives
in Congress" Mr.. Kenney said.
He is slated to be the next !
Central Committee chairman.
Senator Humphrey, the Min |
neSota Democrat who swept |
the Districts presidential vote,
testified at earlier House sub
committee hearings that de-
nial of presidential and con-
gressional elections here made
"second-class citizens" of resi-
dents of the Nations Capital.
Subcommittee Approves
Chairman Celler, who heads
the full committee, sponsored
the resolution to amend the
Constitution. Approval for ma
tional suffrage was reported by
a Judiciary subcommittee April
81. The Senate on February 2
passed a similar amendment by
a vote of 63 to 25.
If cleared by two-thirds of
Congress and three-quarters of
the States. the amendment
would set up election machin-
cry for presidential and con-
gresSional voting, which has
been denied Westinghouse for
most of ITO years.
The Celler resolution would
permit District voters to send
electors-either four or five,
depending on the results of the
current census-to the presi-
dental Electoral College and to
put District delegates-either
two or three. also dependent
on the census-in the House of
Representatives. House mem
bers in subsequent legislation
could decide whether District
delegates should be voting or
non-voting members.
Chances for favorable House
action seemed good in the light
of an informal poll conducted
by The Star showing that 314
House members-26 more than
two thirds of the membership
favor the presidential vote
Only 81 members were opposed
to either the presidential vote
or House representation. Re-
naming members, except for
19 whose answers were not re-
ceived, were undecided.
Republican balloting in the
local primary showed 9,764 for
and 262 against the presidential
vote and 1891 for and 997
against House representation.