Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-12-09

.
| ton in Congress and a vote in the
was brought TO the Association of
Oldest Inha bitants of the District Of
Columbia at it's ffty-fourth anniver-
sary banquet at CushmanS last night
by Senator George r.. chamberlain
of Oregon. Representative Richard
Oiney OF Massa chusetts and Repre-
sentative Royal G. Johnson of South
Da kota.
Hearty support of the constitution
al amendment which would give Con
eress the discretion of granting these
wishes of the District was pledged
by the congressman. who assured the
more than $50 persons at the banquet
that the entire city has but TO get
behind the movement for national
representation in Congress for tn"
District To make it a success.
Seen as Rights OF u. G.
The time IS not far distant when
the thing you have been insisting
, upon is going to he granted to you"
Senator Chamberlain declared. Repre-
sentative Olney urged the people o.
the District to press the measure. ana
ReprcsS NATIVE Johnson struck the
keynote Of the evening when he said
the real reason why you should have
! national representation * simply he
cause every man and every woman
in this country is entitled to 2 Vote.
My sympathy * with you in tn :
move mtnt Senator Chamberlain told
his hearers. who were presided over
by President The odore w. Noyes Of
the Association OF Oldest Inhabitants
who acted as POSTMASTER.
Historic Fights cited.
There is no better body OF men to
push il to success than this Associa
ton of Oldest inha bitantS." Senator
Chamberlain continued. He told OF
the long years that We're necessary 10
induce Congress to provide for direct
vote of the people for senators. Tor
suffrage for women and for national
prohibition. Likening the people of
Washington to the pioneers of the far
west. ~ no believed that they had an
empire there" Senator Chamberlain
said that just as good results will
follow to the people of Washington if
they dare insist upon their rights"
Are you going to give it up. or will
YOU stay with it, was the call flung
by Senator Chamberlain. A roar OF
applause from the members of the as
sociation and invited guests. the lat
ter composed of leaders in civic asso-
G., tons and organizations of the city.
assured the speaker of the temper of
the manhood of the National Capital.
Persistence Will Bring Success.
and why shouldn't it be done?"
asked Senator Cha mberlain. IF Con-
gress fails. it is simply because the
people have failed in their duty. If
the people and the press insist. as The
Star has insisted. Congress is not go
ing to turn a deaf ear.
Things are being done to the peo-
pie of Washington that drove our
forefathers to band together and
Are their descendants going to sub
nit to things that their forefathers
refused to submit to?
II think ] can predict" continued
Senator Chamberlain. that you are
going to see to it that Congress does
it's duty as you propose to do yours in
the days to come. Why, the amend
ment to the Constitution doesn't even
propose that the right be given, but
that Congress. in its wisdom and
national representation to the Dis
trict.
send out to the people of the
United States and ask their assist
ance. The people of the United
States can be instructed"
Senator Chamberlain promised his
undivided support to the organic act
of 1878. He suggested that the peo-
pie of the District silence by ma
jority vote" the claim sometimes
made that the people here really do
not want national suffrage.
"All have TO get out and push" de-
clared Representative Olney, urging
the people of the District to press the
measures now before Congress look
ing toward the amendment for ma
tional representation. You must
have the backing of all organZa-
tions. from this Association of Oldest
Inhabitants to the Boy Scouts and the
Girl Scouts.
IT'S going to take a lot of work to
get this legislation through. in view
of other important legislation before
Congress" continued Mr.. Olney. 1T
is important that we should know
why, for instance. no building is GO
ing on in the northwest section. We
want to keep industry out of here.
You should liberaliZe your laws to en-
courage building. and then the rents
will come down.
A delegate to Congress from the
District of Columbia. Mr.. Olney stated.
would save Congress a great deal of
time. and facilitate greatly the enact
ing of legislation concerning the Ma
tional Canital. Mr.. Olney told his
hearers that in fighting for the
amendment to the Constitution they
could have no better guidance than
The Star.
Mr.. johnson Shows "the Reason
Because you have the great reason
behind you asserted Representative
Johnson. lit is only a question of time
before you receive your due. You do
not need to give reasons why you
should have the vote here. The real
reason is because every man and
every woman in this country is en-
titled to vote, and you need no other
reason.
Justice Stafford Makes Plea.
Justice Wendell Stafford of the Dis
trict of Columbia Supreme Court made
a poetic plea for suffrage for the Dis
trict.
The right of all people to run their
own affairs, rechristened, in new
glittering generality. as the right of
self differentiation, has taken on a
strength it did not have ten years
ago. Justice Stafford declared.
Entitled to Sympathetic Hearing.
We and the other free nations have
just come out of great war waged
for the defense and extension of that
principle. 1t would appear. therefore.
that even the people of the District of
Columbia might expect fair and
sympathetic hearing as they renew
their modest claim. Their claim will
not be weakened if we consider for
a moment the part they took in that
supreme struggle for democracy.
in every liberty loan the District
of Columbia overSubScribed her quota
in the aggregate of all the loans she
overwrote it by more than thirty mil
| lions. To the fourth loan two hundred
and forty-four thousand of her peo-
! pie put their hands. And she gave
what was dearer than her dollars, she
| gave the blood of her sons, and gave
| it without stint. She sent into the