Evening star., 1929-11-15
Declares Connecticut Avenue
Association Takes Small
Part in City Affairs.
CITES RECORD TO PROVE
ITS LACK OF INTEREST
Comments on Announced Proposal
of Group Mentioned to With
draw From Federation.

Dr. George c. Havenner, president of
the Federation of Citizens Associations,
today charged that the delegates to the
federation from the Connecticut Avenue
Citizens Association have shown little
interest in the affairs of the Nations
Capital" during the last four years. He
said the records show that no delegate
from that association has attended a
meeting of the federation since January
4, 1927.
His statement was in answer to the
action of the executive committee of the
Connecticut Avenue Association in rec
ommending that the association with
draw from the federation, which is
charged with wasting its time in talk"
The question of withdrawal from the
federation will come before the Con-
necticut Avenue body formally at a
meeting to be held Monday night In
All Souls Church, corner of Cathedral
avenue and Woodley place. A resolu-
ton providing for the withdrawal, draft
ed by the executive committee, will be
reported on that occasion.
The delegates from the Connecticut
Avenue Association to the federation
are Harry G. Grove and Robert G.
Lynch.
DR.. Havenner's Statement.
"The Federation of Citizens Associa-
tionS is a deliberative body" declared
DR.. Havenner this morning. "1t is or
ganized and conducts its affairs upon
truly American principles.
ANY matter of major importance to
the citizens of the District of Columbia
should always be fully and freely dis
cusSed. What would we say If MissiS-
sippi, or any other agricultural State,
indicated that it was going to withdraw
its representation in the United States
Senate merely because the tariff bill,
dealing largely with schedules pertain
ing to manufacturing industries, had
been debated in the Senate from Sep
tember to the present date?
I'm the federation members come and
go as in all similar organizations, the
difference being that membership in the
federation is limited to organized asso-
Citations instead of individuals.
Quotes From the Records.
"Tn this connection I wish to invite
attention to sections /, 2 and of article
II of the federation's constitution and
section / of the federation's bylaws.
Every member association, through its
accredited delegates, is permitted TO
participate in the affairs of the fedora
ton. It will be seen, however, that
debate is limited to minutes and that
no delegate is allowed to speak on the
same question twice until all other dele
gates desiring to speak have had an
opportunity to do so. 1t Will be seen
from paragraph of the bylaws that
the maximum time allotted to any dele
gate is 10 minutes.
I'm view of what has been stated by
William S. Quinter, president of the
Connecticut Avenue Citizens Associa-
ton, it seems only fair that ! should
invite attention TO the attendance OF
the delegates from that association. A
careful examination of the federation's
records covering the five-year period
from October, 1925, to November, 1929,
discloses the fact that the delegates
from the Connecticut Avenue Assoc1a-
tion attended two meetings in 1925,
four meetings In 1926, and the last
meeting attended by any delegate from
this association was the meeting OF
January 4, 1927.
Delegates Show Little Interest.
Further, so far as I am aware, only
one resolution has been received by the
federation from the Connecticut Ave-
nue. Citizens Association. The attend
ance records of the delegates from the
Connecticut Avenue Association seem
to indicate that these delegates, are so
little interested in the affairs of the
Nations Capital that they cannot de-
vote one evening a month to try to
make Washington better city in which
to live from every standpoint"
When he heard of DR.. Havenner's
statement, Mr. Grove, one of the dele
gates from the Connecticut Avenue
Association, said today: MY reason for
not attending the federation meetings
can be very briefly stated. 1t is waste
of time to go there"
Mr.. Quinter, president of the Con-
necticut avenue body, charged yesterday
that membership in the federation was
useless" because 1t wasted its time
in talk"