Evening star., 1928-11-04

H.
Committee on National Representation
for the District of COLUMBIA.
Delivered over WMAI. october 30, 1927
To one visiting washington for ths
first time, Washington the Capltal Oh
the United States and during the Worlo
! War practically the Capital OF the
world. what surge of pride and JOY
must arise as he realizes that this peau-
tisul city with it's stately buildings, ns
broad avenues and magnificent trees. IS
the expression of the splendid uprising
OF sturdy pioneers who declared, tnaC
! Taxation without representation was
tyranny" and that Governments oe-
rive their Just powers from the consent
of the governed!
What would be the feeling OF that VS.
itor Ii he were told that with such
name and such a background this Ma
tional Capital is occupied by over 5OO,-
900 souls who pay. both Federal and TO-
cal taxes, whose men are conScrlpteQ III
time of war and who must and DO OBEY
the laws of the land, but who have ao-
solutely no voice in the Government
which makes those laws, levles tnose
taxes and sends their sons to Dattle!
Surely 1t seems travesty upon the very
foundation stones of our Republic.
We are in the last week of one OF the
most exciting campaigns in the hlStory
cf our country, marked by depCn OF
feeling and of keen interest rarely seen
in the Nations history and never oeloIe
in this generation. Thousands OF VoC-
ing citizens are, travelling many miles
to their Official residences in the states
SO that they may cast their baiiots TOT
the candidate OF their choice, and yet
here in the National Capital OF the
ock IN
million residents of washington must
sit idly by and watch the procession
pass on, though the decision made next
Tuesday will elect for us not only a.
President of the United States, but the
Congress which will be its common
council and board of aldermen. In the
election of this President and this body
which controls our deStinies we must be
silent. Surely there is room for better
Government here and by better Gov
ernment Is meant one in which the cit1-
zen who pays the bills shall have some
representation in the body which con-
tracts them.
To those of you outside the District
of Columbia who may be listening to-
night, what would be your sensation
If you should find that a turn of the
wheel of fortune necessitated your resi-
QeLlCG III your NdHLldl SItg,-
most beautiful, with high average of
intelligence and a. keen, loyal interest
in the affairs of the Nation, and you
were told that the penalty for living at
the Nations fountain head WAS COM
plete disfranchisement? Not even the
right of an alien, who can look forward
to full citizenship after five years. Not
even the privilege accorded the Ameri-
can Indian, nor the residents of our
island possessions.
Would you calmly accept this situation
or would you, with the blood of Ameri-
can independence coursing through your
veins, rise up In protest and urge, as
we are doing, for representation in
body which Is now, SO far as the Dis
trict of Columbia Is concerned, not
republic but a benevolent despotism?
Is that following the policy upon which
this great republic was founded? Abra-
ham Lincoln said: No man is good
enough to govern any other man."
There Is now a bill before Congress
which it is hoped will be acted upon
during the coming session, asking for
the privilege for the voteless District of
Columbia of representation in both
houses Of Congress and In the electoral
college with access to the Federal Courts
upon the same terms as those enjoyed
by other citizens of the republic. This
would In no way change the present
municipal control by Congress nor
bring political confusion in the Federal
City, but would allow its residents to
vote for the President, who appoints it's
local officers, and give them representa-.
tion in It's law-making body.
Before the passage of the nineteenth
amendment we were told by anti-suf-
frag.Sts. as We are now told by oppo-
nenrs of national representation, how
much more of value there was in wom-
ems Indirect influence than in the ballot
box, but this campaign at least has
shown that not one of that group, even
in the States where opposition was most
pronounced, Is counting on indirect in
fiuence to elect her candidate, but is
marching her followers straight to the
voting booth to register her opinion.
Will the voting citizens throughout
the country AID through their accredited
representatives to bring about this Simple
act of justice, which Is the distinctive
basic right of every American citizen,
and thereby make of all continental
America free republic in fact as well,
as in name?
BY MARY O'TOOLE.
delivered over WRC October 30, 192sl
1t is curious anomaly that In what
has now come to be the capital of the