Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-26

Both radio talks were given between
| 8 and 8 80 o'clock, under the auspices
| of the Citizens Joint COMMITTEES for
! National Representation. The program
was the third in series Of talks on ma
tional representation for the District,
especially directed 10 the members of
the new Congress.
DR.. Havenner called attention to the
| curious fact that while voters all over
the country, outside of the District.
were being urged to go to the polls on
every election day, politicians allege
that the citizens Of Washington should
not be subjected to this degrading prac-
! tice,' II you please Mrs. Riley asked
Congress to perfect the plan of our
wise fathers by making us American
/ citizens"
! The fourth and last radio program in
the present Spring campaign will be
! given Saturday night. The speakers
will be Edward F. Colladay, Republican
national committeeman for the District.
| former president of the Federation of
Citizens Associations and former presi-
dent of the Board Of Trade, and John r.
Costello, Democratic national commit
teeman, who is native Washingtonian,
member OF the local bar and former
recorder Of deeds.
DR.. Havenner began his talk by say
ing that the federation Of which he is
president has long been identified with
the movement to Americanize the resi-
dents OF Washington. His speech, in
part, follows:
Washington Unique.
The City of Washington is unique
In that 1t Is the only city in the United
States in which all the powers of GOV
eminent are vested in the United States.
1t is also unique in that it is the only
city in the continental United States
which does not enjoy the high privilege
OF voting for electors for President and
Vice President of the United States.
It has no representation In the Con-
greSS OF the United States, neither are
Its citizens permitted to participate in
the selection OF their city officials. Fur
thermore, the citizens have no voice In
the fixing OF their municipal tax rate,
in the limitations of the city budget or
how and for what purpose the moneys
raised through taxation shall be spent.
The residents of the District of Co
himbia, without any voice In determine
ing the covering policies, are required
70 obey all national laws, to pay ma
tlonal taxes and to 20 to war in de-
Tense of the Nation.
The citizens of the Capital City of
the wealthiest and most progressive
nation on the face Of the earth do not
enjoy the same privileges that the citi-
Gems OF four OF our non contiguous ter
ritories enjoy, namely, Alaska, Hawaii
Porto Rico and the Philippines. These
four territories have elected assemblies
and representation In the Congress of
the United States. Alaska and Hawaii
have q delegate In the House of Rep
resentatipes and Porto Rico and the
Philippines q resident commissioner.
While the residents of these four
non-contiguous territories do not vote
for presidential electors, we are told
that Congress has the power to ex-
tend this privilege to them at any time,
but that 1t does not possess the power
to Ameyicanize the citizens Of the Dis
trict Of Columbia without an amend
ment to the Constitution Of the United
States.
Congress shou Immediately enact a
joint resolution supni ltting to the legis-
latures of the several States an amend
ment to the Constitution that will pave
the way to Americanize the more than
one-half million of people who reside in
the National Capital.
Population, Education, Wealth.
IF population, education and wealth
Of any political subdivision are founda-
ton stones or determining factors upon
which the right to suffrage is predi-
Gated, then the citizens of washington
are entitled to this privilege. beca,sr
within the District Of Columbia we have
the population, the education and the
wealth.
There are living within the confines
OF the District Of Columbia tonight one
sixth as many people as lived In the
United States when that immortal docu-
ment, the Declaration of Independence.
was adopted. More people live In the
city Of Washington, according TO the
1927 census estimate Of population than
live in the States Of Arizona and Me-
vada combined, and more people live In
the city OF Washington than five in the
States of Vermont, New Hampshire,
Delaware, Idaho, Utah, New Mexico or
Wyoming
In its last population report the per
cent Of illiterate in population 10 years
OF age and over. for the District of Co
lumbia, Is given at only % per cent,
whereas the per cent OF tlIiteracy in
the United States for the same age
group is ~ per cent. The residents OF
the Capital City are an educated class
OF people and are as capable Of partici-
pating In the affairs of the Nation as
are the citizens of any city or of any
States in the Union of States.
THE Bureau OF the Census in It's
last report on estimated national wealth
estimates the wealth Of the citizens OF
the District OF Columbia at over 81, 500,
100000. This. according to the census
figures, Is more wealth than Is possessed
by the people living in Nevada and New
Mexico combined, more than lie owned
by the citizens OF Vermont and Del
aware combined, and more than is
owned by the citizens Of the States OF
New Hampshire, Idaho, Utah, Arizona,
or Wyoming.
Income Tax as Criterion.
"If we use income tax payments as a
criterion by which TO measure wealth
We find upon an examination of the
published figures Of individual income
| tax returns that the residents of WASH
| ington paid more Federal income taxes
| in 1925 than was paid by the citizens
of 80 States In the Union and more
than was paid by the people living in
IL States combined. These same re-
turns also show that the percentage OF
| population for the city of Washington
fling income tax returns in 1927 for
the year 1925 was greater than the per-
centage OF population fling income tax