Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-17
VOTELESS DISTRICT
SOUNDS ARMS CALL
Suter Compares Today With
Situation in Colonies
Back in 1878.

beautiful capital OF these onlteo
States"
This was the call to arms sounded
last night over the radio by Jesse G
Suter, vice chairman of the citizens
Joint committee on national representa-
ton for the District of Columbia, IN
a suffrage broadcast marking the Ma
tional Capitals observance OF the l5otn
anniversary of the Boston Tea Party.
Speaking over station WMAL, Mr.
Suter likened the plight of voteiess
citizens of the District today to that
of the ardent colonists who rebeiled al
the yoke of taxation without repre-
sentation" in 1873. He called on
citizens throughout the country to rally
behind the disfranchised residents OF
the District in their fight for repre-
sentation in Congress, the right to vote
for President and the privileges of a
regular" citizen before the courts.
Text of Address.
Mr.. Suffers address follows:
There is probably no more pictur-
esuue or dramatic incident in our colo
NAL history than the one which oc-
Cured in Boston Harbor 1856 years ago
tonight. We all recall how as school
boys and girls the narration of this
history-making episode thrilled us with
patriotic pride and fired our magma
ton. Even now, in our maturer years,
when we think of the Boston Tea
PARTY it is with a quickened pulse and
we still get a kick out of 1t.
I'm November 1773, there arrived In
Boston Harbor cargoes OF tea upon
which the English had levied duty,
against the protest of the American
Colonists. Under the Boston port laws
at that time a cargo not cleared at
the custom house within 20 days was
liable to be seized and conflScated by
the revenue officers for the duty. The
BostSn Town Meeting, in frequent Ses-
sion at this time, refused to permit
the tea to be landed. The captains OF
harbor, but the British admiral declared
that he would sink the ships If they
ATTEMPTED to leave. On the last DAY
of grace the Town Meeting once more
overran Faneuil Hall and adjourned
to the Old South Meeting House. Dur
ing this meeting a messenger returned
from the governor of the colony WITH
the information that that official re-
fused to issue pass permitting the
ships to sail.
Adams, the president of the Town
Meeting, announced: This meeting can
do nothing further to save the coun-
try. and the meeting adjourned. AS
the meeting broke up, from the out
side there was heard the scuffle OF
many feet accompanied by an Indian
war Whoop and a cry Hurrah for
Griffon's wharf! The Boston Harbor
a teapot tonight The colonists filed
out of the Old South Meeting House
and followed long file of what ap-
peared to be Mohawk Indians In their
march to Griffon's wharf. TneSe
Indians, with faces Enthusiastically paint
ed, feathers in their hair and wearing
blankets each carried a Ratchet. When
the wharf was reached the 'Mohawks'
boarded the vessels, and as the popu-
lace watched from the shore the
chests of tea were brought on deck,
broken open with hatchets and con-
tents dumped into the salt water OF
the harbor. For two hours these pro-
ceedings continued, the people on the
shore watching, unmlndful OF the colo
December nigh The next morning,
like sea-wesd ebn the harbor beach,
For many years the identity of the
alleged Mohawks was shrouded in n1yS-
terry, but it eventually became known
that the 80 Indians came from So
called North End Caucus band OF
stalwart daring and fearless mechanics
who met at the Green Dragon Tavern
under the leadership of such men as
Joseph Warren, John Hancock, Paul
Revere and other patriots.
Tea Party's Song.
THE following old Revolutionary
ditty, said to have been the rallying
song of the tea party at the Green
Drabon Tavern, is significant: AS much
as I would like to do so, am unable to
sing it for you. That is impossible, as
I haven't the music and must therefore
be content to read it:
"'Rally. Mohawksl Bring out your
And tell King George we'll pay no
taxes
On his foreign tea.
His threats are vain; he need not
think
To force our wives and girls to drink
His vile Bohea!
Then rally, boys, and hasten on
To meet our chiefs at the Green
Dragon.
"'Our Warren's there and bold Re-
we're,
With hands to do and words to cheer
For liberty and laws.
Our country's braves and firm de-
tenders
Shall ne'rr be left by true North
Enders,
Fighting Freedoms cause!
Then rally boys, and hasten on
To meet our chiefs at the Green
Dragon
"You doubtless recall the thrilling in
cidents leading up to the Boston Tea
Party-the Stamp Act-the Boston
Massacre-and the various attempts tC
use the colonies as source of revenue
to help take care of the heavy English
public debt. There seems to have beer
no disposition on the part of the col.
onists to evade any responsibility O
taxation or other obligation to the
mother country. They we're, however
firmly grounded in the belief that ther,
should be TO taxation by Parliamen
IN which they had no representation
They declared emphatically that taxa
ton without representation is tyranny
OF course, the English idea of repre-
Sentation was somewhat different iron
that of the coloniStS. In fact there wa
such a marked difference between tn
two ideas of representation that to tn
English the American objection Seeme'
foolish The English believed that
representative from any part OF Eng
land represented the whole nation an
that the American colonies being par
of England we're consequently repre-
sented The colonists idea was that tn
voter and the representative voted TO
must be residents of the same district
The voters of any district had the RICH
to send one of their own citizens to an
assembly if they were to be represented
The other colonies made forceful pro
test in various ways against these sam
obnoxious tax laws, but the event Il
Boston Harbor on December Is, 1T;
had the most pronounced effect on tn