Evening star., 1918-01-18
DEMAND D. c. VOTE,
ADVICE OF SENATOR
Mr.. chamberlain Tells Board
of Trade That People Should
Assert Their Rights.
ACTION ON PHONE RATES

The people Of Washington should rise
up in a body and demand suffrage OF
Congress- Senator George e. Chamber
lain of Oregon told more than soc
members OF the Board of Trade at a
meeting in the Willard last night.
Senator Chamberlain's stirring ad.
dress In behalf Of the disfranchised
Washingtonian came as the climax to a
meeting during which the board. with
a record attendanoe. passed on more
than score Of topics Of vital interest
Nobody will turn Washington down
If the people of Washington assert
their rights as they ought to. See to II
that you arc treated fairly.
How are you going to accomplish
it9'
We'll, you are not going to accom-
plish 1t by listening to speech. Tha,
is not how the prohibition and woman
suffrage movements were carried to
cry be heard. Appeal to the great mass
of American people Let them know
how you are disfranchised. We all
know how tho members Of Congress
keep an ear to the ground, and an ap-
peal to them In your behalf from back
homo will bring action. am sure"
Told Of Boston Tea Party.
After relating the incident of the
Boston tea party, when tho early col
onists rose up against taxation with.
out representation. Senator Chamber
lain said:
Your boys enlist almost to their full
quota without the draft. and yet you
have no say as to how those boys
will be fed or clothed. It is a Disgrace
in American life and American poll.
tics that you are deprived of this right
which Is granted the humblest citizens
of the states and our colonial pos
sessions.
You don't want voteless. voice.
less part in your government I have
learned from the discussion here to-
night that you have many men in your
every man. when he leaves here to-
night should constitute himself a COM
mittee of one to work for this right
which belongs to him"
Senator Chamberlain said he hat
often sought the objections to enfran.
chising the people of the District, but
the principal argument advanced wa.
that the Washingtonian has lived thus
far without a vote and he might as wei
continue.
tion comes from the standpatters, wht
never want to do anything they never
did before. The speaker related how
in Oregon, standpatters had fought tht
initiative and referendum and a mum.
Der of other reforms which they now
realize purified the politics of theil
state.
Violation Of Tradition.
'I remember" said the senator, when
it was a violation Of tradition to talk
about woman suffrage or national pro-
hibition. but look at those movements
today"
Senator Chamberlain read the bill he
has introduced in the Senate which, II
passed by Congress and ratified by
three-fourths of the states. will EN-.
representation In both houses of Con-
Eress and in the electoral college. He
said he regretted that the pressure OF
war business had prevented him from
doing much in behalf of the resolution
but that he would push it when the op-
portunity presents itself.
The board voiced disapproval of the
increase in rates being sought by the
Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone
Company when 1t rejected a report o1
it's public utility committee, presented
by Edward e. Clement
The substance OF Mr.. Clements re-
port was that the board recommend
that the public utilities commission al
low the company to place an extra
charge on all calls above a certain
number per month for the period Of the
war.
Mr.. Clement said his committee be-
lieved it is true that the war has