CONGRESSMAN CALLS FOR A TERRITORIAL GOVERNMENT FOR D.C.
Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On March 3, 1924, The Evening Star reports Representative Tom D. McKeown* (D-Oklahoma) has declared that residents of the District of Columbia "should administer (their) own affairs."
The Congressman says...
"The Congress of the United States ought to give to the city of Washington a territorial form of government at the earliest possible moment."
Mr. McKeown believes the District should have its own legislature and a governor appointed by the POTUS. He says the time spent by the United States Congress on district matters is far greater than necessary.
*Thomas Deitz McKeown (1878-1951) was born in Blackstock, South Carolina & practiced law in Arkansas before becoming a judge in Oklahoma. TDM served in the U.S. Congress 1917-1921 & 1923-1935.
JFK+50 NOTE
The United States Constitution grants Congress exclusive jurisdiction over the District of Columbia "in all cases." Although D.C. is not a state, it is recognized as such in more than five hundred federal laws.
By the District of Columbia Home Rule Act of 1973, the government of the district now consists of three branches (executive, legislative, & judicial).
SOURCES
"Official Flag of the District of Columbia," State Symbols USA, www.statesymbolsUSA.org/
"Urges Territorial Status For District," The Evening Star, Washington, D.C., March 3, 1924, Chronicling America, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/
