Evening star., 1928-10-28

l.. November the people of the United States the
citizens of the American States, choose their
agents to perform the executive and legislative
functions of the great representative Republic
American sovereignty is not the possession of one
man. of little group of men, but Is distributed
among the whole people.
Every voting American is sovereign in his
right and election day he exercises this sovereignty
as he deposits his vote In the ballot box.
To all full -hedged Americans November will be a
day Of national inspiration and patriotic pride.
To the -Americanized Americans Of Washington
the day will be of humiliation and mourning.
The Americans of the District Of Columbia alone
in continental America denied the opportunity to
exercise the sovereignty which belongs to them as
Americans.
November 6th as Day Of Mourning.
Arrangements have been made by the Voteless Dis
trict League Of Women Voters and by the Citizens
Joint Committee National Representation for the
District to bring this state of affairs graphically to
national attention election day.
1t is planned to remind Washingtonians that they
alone among the Americans of the continental United
deprived of the right to say who shall be
the next President and Vice President Sf the United
States
November 9th to stress the pitisDle fact that 152
years after the Declaration OF Independence national
taxation without representation pre- ails.
Urging Voluntary Non Voters to Vote; Making Com
pulSOry NOn-VoterS Of WaShingtOnianS
All thoughtful voting Americans unite with patri-
otc enthusiasm in the Nation campaign to search
out recreant non-voters and to make them vote.
The habitual Say-at-homes on election day are
pulled pushed by persuasion and ashed and driven
by denunciation Arouse yourselves from shameful
lethargy!' the Nation demands. awake to sense
of patriotic duty! Abandon this ugly pose of SEEM
ing contempt for your country. and its Government,
which surs them and debases you!"
The $1,000 Washingtonians who can, If they will,
vote in the States not neglected in this campaign
But with striking inconsistency the quarter million
Washingtonians of voting age who have no technical
voting residence in any State not merely not urged
to vote, but barred from voting
Voting Americans thus condemn Savagely potential
voters who fail to vote Then through inacton and
OlnHt nf fU nnlif n1Tn In Qfnrf
by preventing from voting the quarter million and
women of voting age in the District who without
voting residence elsewhere.
In essence the offense is the same: % to keep
from the national ballot box those who In equity
entitled and eager to vote and 49, possessing the
right to refrain from using it.
We franticaLy urge the fifty-fve thousand to VOTE
close and lock the ballot box against the quarter
million who plead to be Americanized.
President Coolidge has rightly denounced the volun-
tary and chronic stay-at-homes abdicating their
sovereignty Do not those who refuse to restore to the
washingtonians the sovereignty of which they have
been deprived offend distinctly those who thus
abdicate?
Will They Play the Dog in the -Manger Act?
Then, too the multitude of voluntary non -voters
should not add to their negative oense of failing to
exercise basic American right the positive oense Of
denying that right to quarter million Americans who
wish to exercise it.
They do not exercise this right themselves. Will
they help to prevent by force of inertia the quarter
million potential Of the District from enjoying
this coveted right and power?
Will they play the dog-n-the e-manger act? Will
they initiate those Scrbes and Pharisees scathingly
denounced by the Savior. who go not into the Kingdom
Of Heaven themselves and do not suffer those who
would enter to go in?
Unjust and Injurious Inconsistencies.
But todays inconsistency in denouncng set of
and for failing to vote and at the same
time preventing another group from voting springs nat
urally from gross basic inconsistency between Ameri
practice In the District Of Columbia and American
fundamental principles.
tIa de de for cfriLn
unjust and injurious inconsistency Not be
found which compares in grossness and intensity with
the inconsistency of Americans of the Nation in with
holding vital American rights and powers from the
Americans of the District of Columbia.
The haf-million Americans of the District consti-
tute the only community in all the expanse of the
continental and contiguous United StateS-popuous
intelligent public-sprted patriotic of adequate
sources-which is denied representation in the National
Government
And in all of the greater world-girdling United
States-from Alaska to the Philippines, from Hawaii
to Porto Rico, in Oriental well Occidental America
there is other adequately developed community
than the District in respect to which Congress has
not the power to grant national representation.
Not only has the Union of States not Americanized
the District, but it has not 1--WE are told) worded
the Constitution as to empower Congress- in its dscre
ton, to Americanze this marooned and politically alien
community.
Our National Slogan
Our national slogan proudly proclaims that repre-
Sentation and participation in his National Govern
ment constitute distinctive basic right of the
can citizenin Government OF the people by the peo-
pie for the people-in Government which roots its us-
tice in consent of the governed-in representative
Government which inseparably couples taxation and
arms s-bearing as soldier with representation.
So far as the half-mion Americans of the District
are concerned the American Government is not a
Government of all the people by all the people. 1t is
Government of all the people by part Of the people
The half-mion District residents among the peo-
pie who are governed. but not among the people who
govern.
The haf-million Americans Of the District do
not give their consent to their National Government
through elected representatives in accordance with
American principles like all other Americans of the
continental and contiguous United States
In respect to the half-mion residents of the Dis
dier service. They compelled to bear all the ma
tonal burdens Of citizens of State in national taxes
In subsection to national laws as national soldiers
sent to war. But they inconsstently denied the
corresponding rights and privileges which in genuine
representative government with national obiga-
tons inseparably welded.
Imposing National Burdens; Denying National Rights
We say with lips that since the half -millon
Americans Of the District pay national taxes obey
national laws and to in the Nations defense
they are entitled American principles to be repre-
sented in the National Government which taxes them
which makes all laws for them which sends them
to
Then by inconsistent acts and naction we stuEify
and falsify these basic American principles.
The Americans of the District bear all national