Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-24
WANTS DELEGATE IN CONGRESS
DISTRICT SHOULD HAVE MAN
TO LOOK AFTER INTERESTS.
Views of A. e. L. Leckie Expressed
at Meeting Of Citizenship
provements Discussed.

ct would make little difference whether
we have suffrage or not in the District of
Columbia had representative in Con-
gress to look after our interests
With this statment as his keynote, A.
T.. L. Leckie, who has been named by his
friends for one of the District commission
erships delivered an address last night
before the Randle Highlands Citizens As
ISOLATION. He congratulated the associa-
tion on it's shibboleth. do things and
said the impress of the Randle Highland
ers is felt throughout the District.
Mr.. Leckie declared the office Of District
Commissioner Is one Of such dignity and
importance that 1t should seek the man,
hence he is not a candidate in the sense
that he is seeking the appointment. The
people of the District. he said. should
have some voice In the selection of the
Plea for the City.
In a plea for better and more beaut-
full Washington. he said:
people who come here from the states
may well be proud of this city, with its
picturesque location, it's beauty and its
intelligent population. Washington is
noted far and wide for it's Intelligence.
There is not more intelligent commu-
nifty anywhere in the world
I'VE need a better city, he said. Take
our penal institutions. The jail is crowded
with more than 6O0 prisoners, when the
structure has capacity for only about
200. 1t required years of effort on the
part of some of our noble women to have
the word reform omitted from the name
of the National Training School for Boys.
Our warehouses; are insanitary and are
models for no community. The aims
house is not sufficiently large for the
comfortable accommodation of those I'M
fortunates who find asylum there. With
such. conditions confronting the people
here. we are almost powerless to remedy
them.
Favors One-Man Government.
Mr.. Leckie paid tribute to Commits
sioners Macfarland and West. and stated
that he regarded their retirement as a
serious blow to Washington. and that
it would be difficult matter to fill their
places, as they were not only conscien-
tiOus but untiring workers in the inter-
eSts of the District. He favored a one
man government, so there could be no di-
vision Of responsibility, and closed his
address by making an eloquent appeal for
the reclamation Of the Potomac and Ana
costa flats.
The unemployed power of the Potomac
was called attention to by Col NJ A.
Winter. who was a guest Of the Randle
Highlands Citizens Association last night
He said the power is sufficient not only
for the lighting of the District, but for
its street car service and commercial
uses. At the conclusion of the speaking
the association gave a rising vote of
thanks to Mr.. Leckie and Col. Winter
| for their presence and addresses.
Business Meeting Held.
At the business meeting of the Randle
Highlands Citizens Association proceed
ing the public session In the Randle High
lands Baptist Church, A. e. l.. Leckie
and Eugene e. Thompson were unani-
| mousy Endorsed for appointment as Dis
trict Commissioners. BY unanimous vote
Harry III. Whipple. secretary, was in
structed to communicate with the secre-
taries of the Board of Trade and Chamber
Of Commerce, asking that at least one
representative of each association Of citi-
zens be invited to take part In any con-
ference that may be held to consider the
commissionerships under the auspices OF
the chamber and the Board of Trade
William Kennedy was elected a member
| of the organization. Announcement was
made that at future meetings of the or
| ganization certain United States senators
and representatives had promised to de.
| liver addresses to the people Of Randle
Highlands and vicinity. Vice President
Robert F. Bradbury and w. H. Dorel
called attention to the imperfect lighting
of the Pennsylvania avenue bridge across
| the Eastern branch.