We know Washington, D.C. was set up as a Federal City. We believe this is as it should be because it is the National Capital and does not belong to only those living here but it belongs to all the people of all the States and should be controlled by our Congress. In other words we must guard against penalizing against all the people in any law we pass when we try to remove discrimination against the people living in the District of Columbia. The members of the general federation say in their resolution that they want the District of Columbia to have national representation as the "Congress shall determine." However, their resolution points out that the District is "the seat of the Government of the United States" hence is a Federal City. The general federation does urge that simple justice to the citizens of the District be done by giving them the right to have national representation so as to have "in the Congress and among the electors of President and Vice President members elected by the people of the District." We urge the passage of such a law so as to fulfill the basic principles of democracy-a government of the people, for the people, and by the people. Miss BUTLER. The General Federation of Women's Clubs has, since 1935, been asking for national representation for the District. We reaffirmed that in 1952, and it is a very brief resolve. I will read that: Resolved, That the General Federation of Women's Clubs endorses the principle that the Congress shall have power to provide that there shall be in the Congress and among the electors of President and Vice President members elected by the people of the District, constituting the seat of the Government of the United States, in such numbers and with such powers as the Congress shall determine. That was written in 1935. The federation has membership in every State in the Union, and they recognize that the fact something that has not been mentioned here today, but we stress it-is that Washington is unique, the District is unique in that it is a Federal city. Every member of our organization thinks of it as their Capital, and so they are interested. However, they recognize the fact that today the situation is different than it was when the District was established. Everybody then did have a State in which they could vote. Today it is different, and we believe as citizens they should have the power to vote for President and Vice President. We are happy to have a chance to come here and we are supporting your bill as submitted. The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Miss Butler. Our next witness is Mr. Carl Shipley, chairman of the Republican State Committee. STATEMENT OF SAM BIDDLE, CHAIRMAN, LEGISLATIVE ADVISORY GROUP OF THE REPUBLICAN STATE COMMITTEE OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Mr. BIDDLE. I am Sam Biddle, chairman of the Legislative Advisory Group of the Republican State Committee of the District of Columbia. My statement, Mr. Chairman, is happily brief. We favor your bill for the vote by the residents of the District of Columbia for President and Vice President and we also favor having voting representation in the Congress. The CHAIRMAN. You almost persuaded me to be a Republican. The CHAIRMAN. Our next witness is Mr. Francis J. Kane, president of the Association of Oldest Inhabitants. Mr. WILCOX. Mr. Kane is unable to be here today. I thought my name might be heard later. I didn't know that his name was to be called. I hope mine is on the list. My name is Wilcox, secretary of the association. The CHAIRMAN. What is your attitude on this bill? STATEMENT OF FRANCIS J. KANE, PRESIDENT, ASSOCIATION OF OLDEST INHABITANTS; PRESENTED BY MR. WILCOX, SECRETARY, ASSOCIATION OF OLDEST INHABITANTS Mr. WILCOX. All we want to say is that we join the other members of the Citizens Joint Committee in endorsing this resolution. The association has gone on record in the past on several occasions along this line. The association is 91 years old-some of its members are nearly that old. We have about 440 members, and I am speaking for them. The CHAIRMAN. Thank you. Next is Mr. Woolsey W. Hall, Federation of Civic Associations. STATEMENT OF WOOLSEY W. HALL, FEDERATION OF CIVIC ASSOCIATIONS, WASHINGTON, D.C. Mr. HALL. Mr. Chairman, I am Woolsey Hall. I represent the District of Columbia Federation of Civic Associations. We are very grateful for House Joint Resolution 529. We are impressed by the language in line 10 "with such powers as the Congress, by law, provides.' "We take that to mean that the Congress could, in its power, give us the right to have a voting Representative in the Congress. Until I heard your statement this morning, and it was very emphatic, that if we tamper with the provisions of this bill we may not get anything, we did hope that if the Congress were going to amend the Constitution, we won't ask for statehood ever, that they will now endow us with the voting representation in the Congress. But having heard your statement, and the attitude of the committee, we go along wholeheartedly with all the provisions of House Joint Resolution 529. The CHAIRMAN. Thank you very much. Mr. HALL. Our fear, of course, was that one Congress says it is not bound by the action of the prior Congress, and they might subsequently pull back that voting power if you gave it to us. But we will take our chances on that. Thank you, sir. The CHAIRMAN. Mrs. Joseph B. Paul, president, Twentieth Century Club. I understand she will submit a statement. STATEMENT OF MRS. JOSEPH B. PAUL, PRESIDENT, TWENTIETH CENTURY CLUB, WASHINGTON, D.C. Mrs. PAUL. Mr. Chairman, we will be very glad to submit our statement in support of the statements of the joint committee. The CHAIRMAN. Thank you. You shall have that privilege. (The statement follows:) STATEMENT TO HOUSE JUDICIARY SUBCOMMITTEE HEARINGS, APRIL 6 AND 7, 1960 Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, I am Mrs. Joseph B. Paul, president of the Twentieth Century Club, which has been a member of the Citizens Joint Committee on National Representation for the District of Columbia since first this committee was organized. Founded in 1890, the Twentieth Century Club is a civic and philanthropic organization of 550 women who have pioneered among women's organizations in Washington to promote social reform and civic betterment. Today we carry forward our efforts for the residents of the District of Columbia as we seek the right to vote. In the interest of avoiding duplication of what has been said, and to save the time of the committee, I will not make a detailed statement, but I do want to go on record by saying that our organization wholeheartedly supports the statements made by the Citizens Joint Committee. Mrs. JOSEPH B. PAUL, President, Twentieth Century Club. The CHAIRMAN. Mr. W. K. Norwood, president, Federation of Citizens Associations of the District of Columbia. (No response.) The CHAIRMAN. Mr. John M. Dalton, president, Junior Chamber of Commerce. (No response.) The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Harry Wender, B'nai B'rith. (No response.) The CHAIRMAN. Mrs. John W. Bush, District of Columbia Federation of Women's Clubs. STATEMENT OF MRS. JOHN W. BUSH, CHAIRMAN, NATIONAL REPRESENTATION OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA FEDERATION OF WOMEN'S CLUBS Mrs. BUSH. I think Miss Sally Butler has said all that I have in my statement here, but I have to read it. I am Mrs. John W. Bush, chairman of National Representation of the District of Columbia Federation of Women's Clubs. The District of Columbia Federation of Women's Clubs was organized in 1894 and was admitted to the General Federation of Women's Clubs, a worldwide organization, in 1895. The District of Columbia federation now consists of 22 clubs, numbering about 2,400 women. The District of Columbia Federation of Women's Clubs has been on record for national representation for the District of Columbia for 38 years. On January 24, 1928, Mrs. Virginia White Speel, president of the District of Columbia federation at that time, was one of 25 signers of a petition, to the Congress, presented by the Citizens Joint Committee on National Representation for the District of Columbia headed by Mr. Theodore W. Noyes, chairman, who was editor of the Evening Star and a much beloved citizen. Ever since that date, 38 years ago, representatives of the District of Columbia Federation of Women's Clubs have repeatedly appeared before committees of Congress and petitioned for the principle announced by the Founders of our Republic, namely, that "taxation without representation is tyranny"; and that "governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed" in order that "government of the people, by the people, and for the people" may become an accomplished fact for all the citizens of the United States, including those of the District of Columbia. Of course in all these years we have stood for the principle that District of Columbia residents be entitled to one or two Senators, as determined by the Congress and for representation in the House in accordance with the number of citizens of the District of Columbia as determined by the decennial census, with presidential electors equal in number to the representation in the two Houses of Congress. This is somewhat more liberal than your bill, Mr. Chairman. Your bill, House Joint Resolution 529, introduced by your distinguished self, merely calls for "a number of Delegates to the House of Representatives to serve during each Congress *** with such powers as the Congress by law provides, but the District shall have at least one Delegate." We rejoice in the phrase in your bill which states "with such powers as the Congress by law provides." We hope that that means eventually Congressmen from the District of Columbia will be on a par with the 438 other Congressmen now in the House. It is the desire of the District of Columbia Federation of Women's Clubs that all Federal powers and functions in the District of Columbia shall remain unimpaired and undiminished and only that adequate representation for the District of Columbia in Congress shall be added. The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Mrs. Bush. Our next witness, and he will have to be brief, is Comdr. Herbert Borchardt, Veterans of Foreign Wars, District of Columbia. (No response.) The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Herbert V. Hudgins? (No response.) The CHAIRMAN. At this point we will place in the record various communications received by this subcommittee. (The communications referred to are as follows:) STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE WASHINGTONIANS Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee of the Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives, this statement is made on behalf of the Washingtonians, which I request be incorporated in the record. The Washingtonians, a citizens association, has since its organization in 1932 worked diligently for one of its main objectives, national representation for the District of Columbia, which would include a vote for the President and the Vice President of the United States, and for U.S. Senators and U.S. Representatives, a privilege which has long been denied to the people of the District of Columbia. As citizens of the greatest community in the whole world, the United States of America, we have had many responsibilities placed upon us, which we must accept and do accept as good citizens, although we have been denied and still are denied the great privilege and honor, the coveted franchise, which other Americans enjoy. We have been practically outcasts but we do as other good citizens do in the several States who exercise this privilege, accept many responsibilities about which you are well informed and on which I need not dwell. We do not oppose House Joint Resolution 529 but we do think it should be amended to cover complete national suffrage by adding a provision for representation in the U.S. Senate and Representatives in the House of Representatives and not Delegates in the latter body as provided. There should be no discrimination between the residents of the States and the residents of the District of Columbia. Senator Morse, according to an article appearing in the Georgetowner, dated March 24, 1960, stated in connection with the residents "You do not have much bargaining power in the District because you do not have Senators and Representatives." We respectfully request that the resolution in question be amended to give us this bargaining power with complete national representation for the District of Columbia, whereby we would have the same status as the residents of the States and would enjoy representation in a "Government of the people, by the people and for the people." Respectfully submitted. ETTA L. TAGGART, President. DEPARTMENT OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PRINCIPALS, Hon. EMANUEL CELLER, Chairman, House Committee on the Judiciary, DEAR MR. CELLER: My personal-professional experiences have convinced me of the urgency of the passage of House Joint Resolution 529. Daily we teach children in Washington, D.C., that good citizenship requires the assumption of responsibility; that each individual is significant in the operation of democracy; that we achieve only those goals which we strive for earnestly. It is imperative, I feel, for our youth to know that their parents fill all the facets of active citizens voting in the election of the U.S. President and that they see the District Government responsive to representation on District congressional committees. As I move in the professional circles of the national department of elementary school principals, I am glad to say that we live our democratic principles, and to this I attribute the success, strength, and growth of our association. I cannot voice too loudly my hope that House Joint Resolution 529 will have immediate and favorable action. Sincerely, ROBERTA S. BARNES, President. THE CITIZENS' ASSOCIATION OF TAKOMA, D.C. April 4, 1960. THE HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE, GENTLEMEN: At the regular meeting of the Citizens' Association of Takoma, D.C., on April 4, 1960, the below stated resolution was passed. "RESOLUTION SUPPORTING LEGISLATION TO PROVIDE NATIONAL REPRESENTATION FOR CITIZENS OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA "Whereas there is now pending in the Congress of the United States legislation proposing an amendment to the Constitution to provide national representation for citizens of the District of Columbia; and "Whereas the citizens of that section of the District of Columbia known as Takoma believe that national representation is a desirable and proper privilege and right to be accorded all citizens of the United States; and "Whereas the present bill provides, inter alia, for the election of a representative of the District of Columbia to the House of Representatives with a voice but without a vote in the proceedings of that body; and "Whereas the citizens of that section of the District of Columbia known as Takoma believe that such a limitation does not afford the full representation which is due citizens of the United States; therefore be it "Resolved by the Citizens' Association of Takoma, D.C., in meeting assembled this 4th day of April 1960, That it is in favor of national representation for the citizens of the District of Columbia but that such representation should include a Representative of the District of Columbia to the House of Representatives with a vote as well as a voice in the proceedings of that body." Respectfully submitted. WASHINGTON, D.C. By P. JAMES UNDERWOOD, Secretary. |