Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-08
PROUD OF THE CITY
Oldest Inhabitants Associa-
ton Observes Anniversary.
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
President Noyes Tells of Problems
That Are to Be Solved.
MOST NATIONAL OF AMERICANS
Commissioner Mcfarland Discourses
on Public Spirit of the Citizens.
Optimism the Keynote of
Addresses.

To Washington the city and the nation s
capital. to it's citizens and their civic
pride and to it's present government. pro-
nounced honest and efficient" many
tributes We're paid last night at the annual
banquet of the Oldest Inhabitants Asso-
citation in Carroll Institute Hall.
The dinner was given to celebrate the
forty-third anniversary of the formation
of the organization and around 1.-THE bounti-
full board sat over 100 members and guests
of the association. including many who
have been or still are prominent in it's
civic or business affairs And the senti-
ments of pride in the city and it's progress
and In the city's government were voiced
or applauded enthusiastically by these
men who have long been closely connected
with or closely observant of its affairs.
The guests began to arrive about 30
O'Clock and during the half hour that
followed there was an informal reception
in the institute parlor. This was charac-
terized by a general Manipulating all
around. the renewal of acquaintance and
a swapping OF stories of earlier days in
the District. Shortly after O'Clock the
served and the five score and more guests
took their seats at the long tables In the
main hall. These were arranged so as to
form letter E, the officers of the asso-
citation, the members of the entertain
ment and reception committees and the
special guests being seated at the head
table running at right angles to the three
others. And for an hour the diners
proved that appetites at least do not de-
crease as years increase.
During the serving of the banquet the
members enjoyed several piano solos by
Mr.. b. w. Reiss. the secretary of the
association. and when he began playing
The Star Spangled Banner all the ban
quete-S rose, one waved the Stars and
Stripes aloft. and at the conclusion of the
national air there was generous ap-
plauSe.
Remarks of President Moves.
Mr.. Theodore w. Moves, president of the
association, acted as the POSTMASTER.
AS the black coffee was being drained
from the cups and the cigars lighted. he
raped for order. In beginning his re-
marks Mr.. NOyes recalled to the mind
of the association members that its an
niversary was being celebrated, pointing
out that it was now nearly old enough
10 DE emitted 10 membership In lLSetI.
This is a gathering of home folks
he continued. The patriarchs of Wash
ington are the hosts. The guests also
are home folks, but not members because
they are still in the infant classroom
the standpoint of the association. But
they are promising infants
Continuing, he spoke of the need for
larger hall in which the Oldest Inhabi-
tants can hold its meetings. To meet
the need. he said. legislation by Congress
is necessary to allow it to use jointly
with the veteran firemen the Union En-
CINE House IS
1.-The association also needs an increase
of members he continued:
In furtherance of q membership cam
paign we must work to increase the eligi.
bles for membership in the association by
removing causes which discourage or pre-
vent men from becoming Oldest inhabi-
tants of Washington
Washington Youth Handicapped.
I'VE know that Congress, unintention-
ally, has largely deprived the growing
youth of Washington Of the means Of
local self-support and has thus in many
cases compelled migration and exile and
forfeiture by them of eligibility to the
Oldest Inha bitants' Association. Congress
has by legislation and by refusal to legis-
late reduced to a minimum Washington
trade and business enterprises, Its COM
merce and manufactures which in the
ordinary city furnish the industries that
employ and supply means of livelihood to
the city's youth. For local factories and
varying Industries of the usual kind Con-
gress has substituted I'm Washington fac
tories OF higher grade in the shape of
the government workshops bureaus and
departments. Then under the apportion-
ment of offices law, which in violation of
the basic principle of the merit system
distributes federal offices like bandits
plumber among the several states accord
ing to their strength, it practically shuts
out the youth of Washington from the
classified service and thus in effect bars
the Washingtonian claiming residence no
where else from the only great industries
which 1t permits to exist in the nations
city. Elsewhere the son Is encouraged to
work by the fathers side and under the
fathers eye to the benefit Of both en-
ployer and employed In the nations
city the national industries are necessari-
ly local industries. and they are believed
to be the only local industries in the
whole world in which the employment of
local men. instead of being encouraged.
is practically prohibited. Too often the
Washingtonian must go abroad to become
eligible for employment at home.
Problems Facing the Association.
Zone of the vital problems for the
Washingtonian and the Oldest Inhabi-
tant today is:
How may our sons earn their living at
home? Must they cease to be Washing
tonians In order to live?'
For the sake of our sons. our city and
incidentally our association we must en-
courage here light and clean manufac-
turing like that of Paris and Vienna, and
the development Of Washington's COM
merce and trade, including not only local
business. but that with the sections Of
adjacent states geographically and COM
mercially subject to Washington We
must also labor to secure repeal of the
apportionment of offices law. or at least
its modification by amendment in its APP
plication to Washingtonians
Congress also discourages Americans
of the states from identifying themselves
with Washington with the thoroughness
which renders them eligible to the Oldest
Inhabitants Association by warning them
that If they become full-dedged Wash
ingtonians they forfeit their right as citi-
zens Of a state to equal access to the fed
eral courts and to equality Of representa-
ton In the national legislature and the
electoral college
I'VE want to make Washingtonians and
Oldest Inhabitants of our sons; we want
to make Washingtonians and Oldest In