Evening star., 1921-02-18
House Measure
Explained BY
Burroughs.
Freemens Rights Set
at Naught, Justice
Stafford Says.

Mr.. burroughs emphasized that the
OH does not seek in any way to
change the local form of government,
put that IT does seek to give the peo-
pie here some voice in the body that
governs them, a right which accords
with every known principle. a right,
indeed. for which our fathers gave
.helr lives on countless battlcfieldS.
tnd a right which is denied nowhere
else in the western hemisphere.
when the District appropriation
OIL. Carrying nearly twenty millions
Oh dollars. was recently before Con
sreSS for consideration there was no.
'Ody IN either Senate or House who
could speak for the hundreds of thou
SANDS OF residents of this District to
voice their wishes in the matter of
water supply. street improvements S.
schools, police or any other of the
hundreds of activities that are of vita
interest to all the people resident il
ms District.
when the vitally important aues-
tioh arose in the consideration of the
district bill as to the percentage of
total expenses of the District that
should be borne by the people living
mere. whether, for instance, that per-
centaSe should be so per cent. 60 per
cent or 100 per cent. nearly a half
million people and nearly "a billion
dollars worth of property We're with
out voice or any representation
whatever in the determination of
that important question. Can any
man truthfully say that this condi-
ton is just or fair or reasonable? :?
Can any man say that it accords
with either the principles or the
spirit of our American system of gov
ernment?
The iniquity of the whole busi-
ness, said Mr.. Burroughs. lies in
the fact that duties ami obligations
.pr inn II
lumbia and no corresponding rights
ar" recognized. We may not win at
this Particular minute. but that we
will win in the end there can be no
doubt"
Will BE Long Fight
That the fight for represe ntation
will be u long one. and that it will
need the combined efforts of the en-
that the citizens will keep at it until
they get it, was stated by Mr. Mac
farland. a member Of the joint citi-
zens committee.
Congress wants a united voice"
said Mr.. Macfarland. land the re-
cent hearings before the House ju-
dietary committee gave it to them
There is no organized opposition to
the movement. and no one at the
hearings showed a disposition to
antradict this statement. We are ap-
pcaling not simply for our rights in
local affairs, but for rights to eXer-
else our national citizenship. The
time is now ripe. We have all the
qualifications for statehood although
we do not ask for it and never will
We have more population than any
state. except Oklahoma, when it was
admitted to statehood. Every capital
in the world has national represen-
tation, which we seek Congress.
which has just given suffrage to
women, will surely give it to the men
and women of the National Capital
Statistical figures show that Wash
ington is entitled to the vote. accord
ing to Mr.. Brandenburg, who pointed
out that the District had more popula-
tion than seven states in 1920; paid
states in 1919: had a greater propor-
tion of voluntary enlistments than
forty-three states in the world war
and oversubscribed its quota in every
liberty loan by large margin.
Opposed to Delegates.
THE statement has often been
made. said Mr.. Brandenburg. that
delegate to Congress would be a
good thing for the District. First
last and all the time, we are opposed
to delegates. They are useless ap-
pendages. Unless We get representa-
tion in Congress with power to vote, a
delegate can accomplish nothing. He
has no vote, he can only talk. Wash
ington wants the voice in her affairs
We object to Washington, with it's
half million intelligent inha bitants
being put in the same category as the
Philippines and other possessions of
the United States.
1--WE propose to keep up the fight
through our citizens joint committee
until we get what we desire and de-
serve"
At the conclusion of the speeches.
Rollin Bond, director of the Peoples
National Opera Society, led the gath
ering in the singing Of patriotic
songs.
Albert Schulteis, president of the
chamber, presided.