Evening star., 1926-10-22
FEDERATION DRIVE
LEADERS TO MEET
Officers of 49 Citizens Asso-
Citations to Confer To.
morrow Night.

The membership committee Of the
Federation of Citizens Associations
will meet again in the board room of
the District Building tomorrow night
at o'clock to perfect plans for the
membership drive November 13 to 20.
The committee has adopted as its slo-
gan, "Organized Citizenship-Let's
Make it Unanimous"
Officers Of 49 citizens associations
in the District are expected to attend,
in addition to representatives Of the
civic federations of Arlington County.
Va, and Montgomery County, Md.
The Maryland and Virginia groups
have pledged their cooperation in the
campaign.
Jesse G. Suter, president of the fed
GRAFTON and chairman of the campaign
committee, announced that emphasis
will be laid on the necessity for work.
ers to help in the campaign. 1--WE
need at least 1000 workers to canvass
the downtown section alone, and
about 1000 for the outlying commu-
nities," he said.
Present Membership 10000.
Mr.. Suter was chairman Of a fed
Grafton membership campaign COM
mittee in November, 1919, when the
total membership was increased from
5000 to more than 25,0O0. The total
membership has declined since that
time, although the number of asso-
Citations has increased from 81 to 49.
The total membership now does not
exceed 10000, but it is hoped that the
forthcoming campaign will raise 1t to
so 900
Our purpose in the campaign"
said Mr.. Suter, lis to impress upon
the individual citizen his responsible
ity to take an active interest in the
affairs of his community-so that he
might thus intelligently serve him
self, his community and the Nation.
The individual citizen is the unit in
our country, and the only means by
which he expresses himself in the city
today in his capacity as a citizen Is In
these associations. He might meet in
trades unions, banking organizations,
religious groups or others, but his
| only chance to meet on the plane of
average citizenship is in these ac-
tive groups which compose the Fed
Grafton of Citizens Associations.
Increased Civic Pride Urged.
Indeed, in this way he avoids a
larger responsibility, which Is
negligence in failing to take an in
terest in his community and thus
becoming responsible to an extent for
maladjustments in the community.
1t is as Admiral w. L. Rogers. retired
member of the Navy and now presi-
dent of the Dupont Circle Citizens
Association, said recently: AS we in
Washington have no representative
form of government, these citizens
associations afford the only oppor-
tunity for an expression of opinion
and the desires of the people and for
cooperation in civic affairs
THE idea he has, which Is mine as
well. is that increasing membership
in the associations means an increase
in civic consciousness. And I believe
that the time is now ripe to make an
effort to that end, following the Splen-
did accomplishments of the federation
in the last few years in the best in
terest of Washington, which culminat-
ed in the selection of Proctor l..
Dougherty as District Commissioner.
He was a member of the Citizens
Advisory Council, which now has con.
tact with the House District COM
mittee. Citizens, by joining these as
sociations, can get an opportunity to
participate indirectly in the election
of this council. Members must be
affiliated with the citizens association
in the neighborhood in which they