Evening star., 1961-03-29


than q century Of community
effort.
Then in two years, first Con-
gress and then 80 States Of the
Union approved a constitutional
amendment granting Washing
tonians their first vote in presi-
Dental elections.
What happened Is q fasci-
mating study Of practical poll
tics in Congress and Of dedi-'
cation to a fundamental pri1-
ciple Of democracy and fair
play in the States. 4
Congress Held Key
Congress held! the key to
transformation Of the vote re-
form into the 23d Amendment
For in Congress rests the ex-i
planation both for the long de-
lay and. In 1860, the decisive.
unanimous vote Of confidence
in District suffrage.
Time and again, the vote pro-
posal was buried in judiciary
Committees Of Congress. Com.
munity leaders began to work
for the right to vote shortly
after the District was carved
out OF Virginia and Maryland
in 1900.
The campaigns intensified
when Congress established an
appointed Commissioner form
of government In 1873. The
washington Star editorialized In
1883, for example. demanding
a remedy Of the Constitutions
failure to provide voting rights
for citizens who would chose
the Capital as their home. n
Marked by Apathy
Members Of Congress, with
no direct responsibility to vote
les District residents, post
poned action. Apathy. linked to
an ernotional reaction to the
growing Negro population Of
the District, built cOngression-
al resistance into Q kind Of tra-
dition In Congress.
The secret to success was to
find q means of winning Q floor
v0te. Never before 1860 had the
issue been tested by vote in
either the Senate or the House.
Ak least, slim majorittes Of the
membership Of the judiciary
Committees were aEnenabie 70
action In the e6th Congress, q
confidential poll by The Star
showed House Chairman Gel
Ter, Democrat Of New York, was
a warm friend Of the idea;
Senate Chairman Eastland.
Democrat Of Mississippi. 3 tra-
ditiDnal enemy. !,
The time was right-AlaSka
and Hawaii had lust been
granted statehood: civiI rights
was the major issue before Com
gress. The men were right
Senators Heating. Republican
Of New York, and Kefauver,
Democrat Of Tennessee, influ-
entail judiciary Committee
members, were looking for q
way to steer the amendment
through the Eastland unit.
Way Is Suggested 81
The right circumstances
arose when q band Of Southern
Senators proposed q constitu-
tional amendment to abolish
the poll taxa civil rights ges-
ture Of their own.
The Star suggested the
"way" to take advantage Of the
circumstances. On August 10.
1885,, an editorial by BENJAMIN
M. McKelway, editor Of The
Star, captioned Amend the
Amendment" noted that If It
was wrong to block voting BY
poll taxes, it was q greater evil
to prevent citizens from voting
because they happened TO live
in the Nations Capital. The
editorial proposed that the poll
tax amendment be amended to
include q vote for District resi-
dents. Nsf
Senator Heating the next
day promised to sponsor the
District amendment. He was
joined by Republican Senators
Beall, Of Maryland, and Case.
Of South Dakota. t
"A hearing. was held by Sena-
tor Kefauver, chairman of
the Constitutional Amendments
subcommittee, despite . mid
hearing cancellation on orders
Of Chairman EaStland.
Vote Is IS to rs
The Kefauver subcommittee
reported the resolution TO the
fun committee in the last week
Of the first session Of the a6tf
Congress, with one dissent
Chairman Eastland.s The
amendment never, had full
COMMITTEES confederation. 3
But the poil tax amend
rnent, drawn to the Senate flool
by civil rights sentiment, dc
win o vote. Senator Keatinl
moved the District amendment
up as an amendment, and thu
Senate backed him So to 25.
RaAa@k a-xH