Evening star., 1925-02-04
GASQUE APPEALS
FOR D. C. SUFFRAGE
Representative Tells Citizens
They Should Name
Own Officials.

The right to name the men who
have control over the expenditure OF
their money should be vested in the
citizens of the District of Columbia
Representative Allard II. Gasque oi
South Carolina said at a meeting OF
the Columbia Heights Citizens AS
sociation in st. Stephens Parish Hall
Fourteenth street northwest, last
night. Selection of members of the
Board of Education at least, he said
should be entirely in the hands OF
residents of the District.
Representative Gasque said he had
framed a bill granting the latter
privilege. but had little hope for its
enactment at the present session
He expressed a belief that the time
is rot far distant when the Commits
siorers would be chosen by District
ressdents.
Praises ID. c. COMMITTEES.
Representative Gasque came here
to represent South Carolina he said
and soon came to the conclusion that
he was representing the District. The
committee on the District is one OF
the most active in Congress, he said
and all its members are striving
diligently to further laws which they
believe to be in the best interests
of all concerned. He praised the ac-
tiVitieS of the citizens associations
but counseled them to be united in
their requests for relief. Congress-
men, he said, are from every section
of the country and, being politicians
have to exercise discretion in their
actions, and when one group asks
for one thing and another comes
along with a counter request the
lawmakers are "treed." They feel
too that when they appropriate
funds to the District they are TAX
ing money from their constituents,
and this to some members is dis
tasteful, because they like to go
back home and tell the folks 'how
much money they saved the Govern
ment."
Washington should have the best
school system in the world, he de-
clared and should be the center OF
the universe, where everything con-
tained would be d model for every
other community to pattern after
Washington is one of the most beau
tiful cities in the United States, he
declared, but is at the same time
the most poorly lighted. He con-
demned the condition of the streets
claiming that the best here is nc
better than the worst street in the
small city from which he came.
Taxes here, he said, should be
raised to the plane of those in other
jurisdictions. Taxpayers would get
better results with higher taxes and
should not kick. He favored the
lump sum appropriation and urged
the citizens to advocate this method
and then try to get as large an APP
preparation as possible. He declared
there was need for many millions to
be spent on streets, lights and
schools.
Pleads for Traffic.
Milton d. Smith, president of the
Policemens Association, urged the
support of the association in the pas
sage of the pending traffic bill, which,
he said, would make Washington one
of the safest cities in the country. He
also urged that an effort be made to
have the position of director of public
safety filled from among the residents
Of this city. Mr.. Yaden, of the COM
mittee on education of the Fedora
tion of Citizens Associations also
spoke.
Resolutions presented by Harvey
V. Speelman indorsed Commissioner
Bells appeal to Congress for nearly
100000 for snow removal, equipment
and labor. The manner in which the
Budget Bureau has Topped off items
contained in a bill creating the Mount
Pleasant branch of the Public Library
was deplored as characteristic of the
city heads attitude toward Libraries.
1t was stated that this city spends
about one-half per capita of the
amount expended by other represent
ative cities. j. Clinton Hiatt, chair
man of the public safety committee,
reported that assurance had been Civ
en- by the Commissioners that before
July 1 a modern fire engine would
displace the out-of- date equipment at
No. IL engine house, on Fourteenth
street between Irving and Kenyon
streets.
II. \. Barnes, Maj. W. Z. Chapman.
Arthur w. Corine, L W. Schaeffer, J.
II. Hunt and George Newton were
elected to membership. President w.
I. SWanton presided.