Evening star., 1926-11-14

child. We have reached our ma.
jority, and the thousands of young
men and young women becoming OF
age every year want to take place
with the young men and women OF
Maryland Virginia and other States
This humiliation of being classed
, with paupers, criminals and the insane
is most Irritating to their young
minds.
Then. too," Mrs. Hendley contin
ued," the $4,000 foraign-born resi-
derstand why, when they have be-
come naturalized as American citi
zens, they are not allowed to vote for
the President of their adopted coun
try.
1T is because of these increasing
perpleXitites that we are insisting
upon the adjustment of. this old con
dition to meet the temper of the new
age. We ask only that we be put
upon the same footing with the resi-
dents of the capitals of the other re
publics of the world-MeXico, South
| America, Europe and Asia"
Recalls Women's Fight.
In another part of her address Mrs
| Hendley told her audience that 1--WE
| who form the half million disfran
chised citizens of the District of Co
| lumbia are not all here by choice, but
! by stern arbitrament of fate, and
we believe that we are just as capable
of intelligently voting as the other
groups in the various States. And
we are resolved TO knock at the door
of the citadel of power until the
shackles are broken and we, too, can
go forth free"
Iond10xy <,f
couragement to Washingtonians when
she reminded them that the full use
of the ballot has been acquired gradu
ally and called for sacrifices all
through the ages before it became a
common possession. She recalled
that the women of America labored
more than 70 years to achieve the
right to vote.
1--WE have Within our souls the con
viction that some time-it may be, as
| the poet says, in Gods own time
| we shall be free, shall share with the
rest of true America the crown of alb
Solute freedom and full citizenship
Mrs. Hendley concluded.
Native Has Never Voted.
Mr.. Deviny, a lifelong Washing.
| tonian, stressed the point that for.
| eign-born citizens obtain the right
to vote by taking out citizenship pa
| pers and settling in one of the States
while native-born American cannot
vote if he happens to make his home
| in the National Capital.
"As a typical Washingtonian ]
| have never voted in my life," said
| Mr.. Deviny. I'm all these years
| while l have been denied the rights OF
| suffrage, thousands upon thousands
of aliens have come to our shores
and through the operation of our laws
| have been given the full rights OF
| citizenship enjoyed by persons living
| in the States. While these former
aliens are thus proudly conducting
| themselves as American citizens, ap
proximately 100000 residents of the
| District Of Columbia are denied
political rights Of any character, ant
in so far as citizenship is concerned
are classed with imbeciles, criminals
and the insane"
| After recounting the various obli
cations Washingtonians fulfill to the
Nation, such as payment of taxes anC
| the sending Of it's sons to war, with
out voice in the national legislature
Mr.. Deviny continued:
1--WE residents of the District o1
Columbia in an effort to free our
selves of the shackles which render
| inarticulate our aspirations as citi
zens, propose an amendment to the
Constitution which ultimately will
permit us representation in the ma
tional Congress, enable us to vote fol
President and Vice President of the
United States, and to have the full
| status Of citizen in the Fedora.
courts.
Seek Voice i'm Affairs,
I'VE appreciate the substantial anG
| the vital concern of the Nation ir
| the conduct of the affairs of the