Evening star., 1917-12-08

/ clared thae tno U1Il0uD sense OF I3Ir~s
IL M yioistion 81 tie fun6anssntsI and
eternal equities, part Of its Army that
u to light for representative govern.
ment Ia all the world IL by the nations
own neglect deprived OF representative
What United States Might say.
Tremendous applause greeted Mr..
Noyes' next statement: '.As the soldiers
and sailors Of the District respond with
enthusiasm to President Wilson'S stir
ring call to arms. the nation. the ems
play. Is irresistibly tmpsiled TO say, J
cannot ask you to shed your blood or
lay down your lives to secure represen-
tative government for everybody else
in all the world except yourselves: !
tive government to all my sons, you
Washingtonians included, before send
ing them forth to fight to bestow these
vital privileges upon the rest Of man
tute democracy for autocracy every
where, will make beginning by SUBJ
stituting democracy for autocracy in
the national government Of the ma
tion's city under my own exclusive
Touching upon the phase Of financial
equity in the government OF the Ma
tional Capital, Mr.. Noyes recommended
that the law of 1909 arbitrarily limit
ing the Commissioner annual esti-
mates be. abolished. This Legislation,
he asserted, prohibits the statement by
the Commissioners and the satisfaction
by Congress of the Districts actual
needs. In addition to its repeal. which
there should be enacted. he asserted,
legislation which win put any sur
pluses that may occur in the Treasury
as trust fund, TO be used for the Dis
fv-fr hnr in lac MI a
the future.
'"The WashiEgtonian also needs ac-
cess on equal terms with other Amer
leans to the federal courts; the same
enjoyed by the citizens of q state" oaid
Mr.. Noyes in concluding.
without disturbing national control
OF the ten miles square, the WASH
ingtonian needs representation In ac-
cordancs with American principles in
the national legislature which exercises
this exclusive control and which may
his life.
Speed the great day Of tha Wash
ingtonfan. when these defects in his
Americanism shah be corrected"
Life Of the Association.
Engineer Commissioner knight, who
was introduced as the next speaker.
began by allud!ng to the fact that the
association was formed at the close
of one great war and that 1t has
bridged more than half century Of
wonderful progress and achievement
to the beginning Of another great war.
''Is it q pier that you have built to
and will there be another gap with
another war or have you reached the
abutment of war that will stand for
all timer he asked. II hope that as
1t is said Of our first President that
he was first in war it may be said Of
President Wilson that he was first in
the last war"
The commissioner INDUCED in interest
ing "reminiscences as to conditions in
the Army when the g. A. r. disbanded
in Washington more than fifty years
ago. This force was small. he said. in
comparison with the Army that al,
democracy. It was unfortunate. he
declared. that the assembling Of forces
at the time Of the struggle between the
north and the south should have given
an odious meaning to the draft. Today
this word is an announcement to de-
termined body of men that the time
when they shall render voluntary serv-
ice to their government is at hand.
Contrasts between the work done by the
sanitary commission in the civil war and
the Red Cross and other great agencies
which are doing all in their power to
make life as comfortable as possible for
the soldier of today were drawn by Gen.
Knight In the work Of the war recrea-
tional agencies we have come to the last
step, he said, in trying to ease and com.
fort those whose services have been called
for by the government.
Another contrast was drawn by the
speaker between the method in vogue
fifty years ago of conduction the war by
congressional committees and the system