Evening star., 1922-04-18


a city of transients from every state
in the union was demonstrated last
night when more than 200 native
born men and women gathered at the
Raleigh Hotel for the first annual
banquet Of the Society of Natives
This infant organization of Wash
ingtonians by birth selected the
131st university of the corner stone
laying of the city as the date for it's
first formal dinner, and the speakers
carried the gathering back to those
early days when the National Capital
was a village of unpaved roads and
open fields.
The program was enlivened by a
discussion of national Representation
Wv. Noyes and Mrs. Anna e. Hendley
laid emphasis upon the right of
Washingtonians to vote in the ma
tion's affairs, while Henry e. Davis
took the position that the city is bet
ter off yoteless.
Entitled to Rights.
Mr.. Noyes, summing up his refer
ence to representation in Congress
for the people of the District, said:
"Since the Washingtonian is a
national American and national
American only--an American In a pc
culiar and unique sense-he is surely
entitled to all the rights and powers
which belong to the national Amari-
can, except those (if today there are
amy which he should sacrifice to
meet a national necessity or 20 pro-
tGct the national safety.
Il am proud that l was born in the
capital of the great republic. l am
proud of the record in peace and war
tors In land at the creation OF the cap
ital as contributors In money for
three-fourths of a century, as practi-
cally the sole upbuilder of the nations
city, and since 1878 as half upbuiider ;
in sacrifice of blood and treasure in
every national war, including the great
world war just ended, to which Wash
ington sent more soldiers and sailors
than seven states, and n greater per-
centage of volunteers than forty-three
states, and also was among the leaders
in total and per capita contributions OF
war dona tionS.
Real City Planned.
I'VE sometimes are told that the fore
fathers contemplated no great Ameri-
can city here. but only a national gov
ernment workshop for the quiet and
safe performance Of the executive, leg
islative and judicial functions. with only
small population of transients minis
tering to the needs of the national gov
ernment, whose rights as Americans
would always be negligible. The great
man who founded the capital and gave
it his name saw in prophetic vision no
contemplate city, peopled by political
aliens. He contemplated city as much
larger than Philadelphia in area as the
Sfata
Pennsylvania an American city to be
exceeded in population century thence
perhaps only by London"
Mr. Davis told the natives he is op-
posed to any change in the present form
of government of Washington, because
he believes the city was intended to be
a national workshop for the govern
ment.
Instead of reducing Washington to
an ordinary municipality" he said,
make it an example of moral IDEAL
ism. of lifting to higher ideals the ma
would be a perfectly futile perform
ance before we got through with it.
"Better on Now.-
IF we were admitted to the ma
tional legislature we could talk our
selves hoarse in the halls of Congress
and then be outvoted. believe we
have more representatives in Con-
STeSS tOQay-IneH WHO are iHteTeSteu
in the development of the National
Capital-than if we had two senators
from our own midst
Let us address ourselves to the
task Of lifting our city up as an ex-
ample of civic virtue. That's what
Washington wanted the city to be
he wanted it to develop a true Amer
lean character.
Mrs. Hendley. speaking on behalf
of the native-born women, deprecated
the fact that Washington is voteless.
"The women of the National Capt.
tai" she declared. stand alone today
in not being enfranchised: not out
wardly scorned, but inwardly pitied."
In Washington. she said. woman en-
joys all of the advantages of social,
professional and business. life, but is
denied that inalienable right of suf-
frage now exercised by her sisters in
the states. The conditions of the pres
ent day. she continued. require that