Evening star., 1926-11-14
Five Speakers Present Stand
of District on Problem
of Representation.
MANY ATTEND SESSION
IN SUPPORT OF PLEA
Position of Washingtonians Held
Same as That of Grim
inals and Insane.

The "deplorable plight" of Voteless
Washington, described as the only
great capital in the world where no
ballots are cast for government. was
flung into the air last night by radio,
with an appeal to citizens of the ell
tire Nation to support pending legislas
ton to give this city voting represen'
tation in Congress. vote for President
and Vice President and full citizen-
ship before the courts.
over stations WRC of Washington
and WIZ of New York. using power
sufficient, it was said, tho have been
heard from London to the Philippine
Islands. a program of addresses BY
prominent Washingtonians was broad
cast from the City Club. which spon-
sored National Representation day.
carrying a message, in effect, 10 the
world.
Districts Work Outlined.
Five speakers presented q Cogent
array of facts and argument, telling
the story of what the District of Co
lumbia has contributed and il contrib
uting to the Nations life, defense and
Federal treasury, what responsible
ties are demanded of it. how its vote
criminal and insane" how they are
punished" forced to make the ''su-
preme political sacrifice" and that
taxation without representation Is
tyranny" The situation was cast
into the air by one speaker in q series
of questions, as Il challenge, TO which
he declared no satisfactory answers
could be made. No change in the
commission form. under which the
District now is governed, was asked.
Gen. Anton Stephan. president OF
the City Club, presided. introducing
the five speakers, who went on the
air shortly after o'clock from the
auditorium of the club before highly
representative audience of the groups
which have been fighting hardest for
national representation for Washing
ton.
The speakers were Edwin c. Bran
denburg. Charles w. Darr. Mrs. Anna
L. Hendley. John j. Deviny and Ed
ward +. McGrady. Mr.. Brandenburg
is chairman of the committee on con
gressional hearings of the citizens
Joint committee on, national repreSen-
tation and has participated in the
presentation of the Districts case be
fore committees Of Congress on two
occasions. He was in charge of the
latest hearing before the House com
mittee on the judiciary last April He
is a former president of the Washing
ton Board of Trade, and as such was
q pioneer among the vigorous pro
moters of the cause of national rep
reSentatioon.
Chamber Of Commerce Officer.
Charles w. Darr is second vice presi-
dent of the Chamber of Commerce,
which was the first of the local civic
organizations to urge relief of dis
franchised Washington by the grant
of citizenship rights.
Mrs. Anna NJ. Hendley has been
identified with the effort to secure the
adoption of the national representa-
ton amendment by Congress for many
years. She is honorary president OF
the Susan B. Anthony Foundation.
named for the former leader OF the
woman suffrage movement. She has
been an indefatigable worker, here
and elsewhere, to acquaint the people
of the country with the Districts
cause and arouse popular support of
the petition for Washington's en-
franchisement.
John ]. Deviny is assistant director
Of the Bureau of Engraving and
Printing, and was introduced by Gen.
Stephan as a native Of the District of
tionally prominent in the printing
trade. Mr.. Deviny is also a member
OF the District of Columbia bar.
Army Band Plays.
Edward f. McGrady is chairman of
the legislative committee of the Amer
lean Federation of Labor. in which
capacity he spoke not only for his
group and organization in telling
cit Of lie
franchised citizens.
The United States Army Band, di-
rected by Sergt. Theodore Bingert,
conducting, presented musical pro
gram Of Is minutes prior to the ad-
dresses, and closed with 1.-The Star
Spangled Banner"
The speakers left no doubt in the
minds of those In the hall or the mil
lions of liStenerS-in about the "plfGht"
Of the District Of Columbia, and ex-
planned pointedly how the situation
could be helped, first by voters writ
ing to Senators and Representatives
in behalf of a resolution now pending
which would amend the Federal Con
Stttution.
Speak On One Theme.
All of the speakers concentrated on
a fervent appeal to the citizens of
the States, listening in by radio, to
help convince Congress that the Dis
trict of Columbia should be given
representation in the Senate and
House and in the electoral college.
Mr. Brandenburg. declared 1t is in
conceivable that the founders of the
Nation ever intended that the seat of
Government should be a place where
it's people would be governed, taxed
and controlled absolutely without
their consent.
Mr.. Brandenburg drove home a
telling point when ne recalled that
three nations-Argentina, Brazil and
Mexico-haye copied our ConStitu-
tional provision for q national capital
in a federal district controlled by the
nation. and that they have extended
a voice in the government to the resi-
dents of their capitals.
Many Appeals Made.
''Under their constitutions, how
ever" said Mr.. Brandenburg full
national representation is given to the
people in their capitals. 1t is a singu-
lar fact, indeed, that of all the gov
ernments of the world. the United
States, the most progressive, is the
only one which denies to the people
of its Capital the same national repre-
sentation enjoyed by the people OF
the States.
"As under the Constitution, w are
Continued on Page 4, Column -