Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-08
VOTELESS PLIGHT
OF D. c. RAD|OED
Frederic William Vile Tells
Vast Audience of Fight
for Ballot Here.

Discussing the political situation "as
it does not exist" in Washington, Fred.
eric William Vile. speaking from sta
ton WMAL explained to the people OF
the United States last night over the
Nationwide radio look-up of the Co.
lumbia Broadcasting System the hu-
initiating and un-American situation
which compels the half million and
more enlightened citizens of the District
of Columbia to something resembling
political Servitude."
II refer to the fact that Washing
tonians are disfranchised," said Mr..
Vile, that they have all the obligations
of American citizenship, while being de-
prived of its most priceless privilege
the vote"
Mr.. Wiles address was the first in a
new program of radio talks on national
representation and the first of such adj
dresses to be carried over the country
in a Nationwide hook-up. The series
has been arranged under the auspices
of the Citizens Joint Committee on
National Representation.
Representative to Speak.
Representative Dyer of Missouri. rank
ing Republican member of the House
judiciary committee and Representative
Zihlman of Maryland, chairman of the
House District committee, will speak
in behalf of the voteless residents
of Washington in the second program
of the series at station WMAL between
1880 and o'clock tomorrow night.
This will be the first time speeches
on national representation for the Dis
trict by members of Congress have been
carried in countrywide radio hook-up
to the people of the Nation. The sub
iect of their talks will be National
Representation in the Electoral College
and in Congress for the District of CO.
lumbia."
Other addresses in the series will be
announced later. The Columbia Broad
casting System has rendered the Cit
liens Joint Committee its full facilities
for the campaign to AmericaniZe WASH
ington now and when the regular seS-
sion is held next Winter.
VILE Speech in Part.
Mr.. Wiles speech last night was in
part as follows:
st am anxious to acquaint the peo-
pie out in the United States with the
fact that the system of taxation with
out representation was not entirely OBJ
liberated at Yorktown. ! want them to
know that here at the very seat of the
United States Government, American
citizens are living who still are subject
ed to the principal indignity for which
the founding. fathers resorted to arms
in the War of the Revolution. That. in
a nutshell, is the District of Columb1a's
grievance, namely, that 1t is denied the
right of participating in the election OF
President and Vice President and OF
choosing the Congress which makes the
laws the residents of the District must
obey.
remedy for their political grievance. 1t
takes the form of constitutional
amendment, which has been pending
before Congress for several years. The
amendment empowers Congress to give
voting representation in the Senate,
House and electoral college to the cltl-
zens of the District of Columbia. The
amendment does not ask that the Dis
trict of Columbia shall be given state
hood. 1t does not ask for any change
in the existing state of local govern
ment in washington, under which the
President and Congress conduct the
Districts own affairs.
Seeks Nothing But Vote.
"The amendment merely seeks to
give observation-disclosures national election
rights-to have a voice in saying who
shall be President and Vice President
and to have their own spokesman in
both houses of Congress. The amend
ment does not reduce in the slightest
degree the present power of Congress
over the Federal City. 1t purely and
simply aims to convert the citizens OF
the District of Columbia from half
American citizens into full fiedged
American citizens, like the rest Of you
men and women out there in the en-
franchised regions of the air.
1.-THE amendment, to put its purpose
in the tersest possible form, proposes to
give long-delayed political square deal
to the American citizens who happen
to be residents of Washington.
by what right is the privilege of
national representation withheld from
us? Are we less intelligent, less pa
triotic, less law-abiding, less country
loving than our fellow Americans Of
the States? Is Washington, because 1t
happens to be the Capital City of the
United States, any less entitled to polit-
ical rights than the capital cities of
London, Paris, Berlin, Rome, Rio de
Janeiro. Ottawa, Toxic or any other
political center in the world? What
has Washington done to deserve to be