Evening star., 1934-04-15
Evan I'll. Tucker
Head of Unit Ever
Since 1t Began.
HISTORY is REVIEW
OF AREAS PROGRESS
Building, Transportation
and Suffrage Efforts
Are Summarized.


whose life has been interviewer with
all affairs of the Northeast section as
we'll as the citizens association.
Mr.. Tucker is the only president
the Northeast Citizens Association has
ever had. In addition, he is the only
member of the group now who was
member when it started its career on
October 10, 1892. with the avowed
purpose of looking out" foc the af-
fairs of the Northeast.
AS near to representation as there
is in the voteless District of Columbia,
the association has repeatedly set
forth its desires that the District be
granted some form of suffrage, repre-
sentation in Congress and a govern
ment of its own. Only last week the
association passed resolutions COM
mending Senator Arthur Capper and
Representative Mary T. Norton for
1cent utteranceS urging these reforms
as well as a separate budget for the
District.
Helped Improve Flats.
One of the projects to which the
organization points with pride as hav-
ing been instrumental in its accom-
flats of the Anacostia River and con-
verting of the reclaimed land into
AnacoStia Parkway. The group now
seeks to further this program by the
reclamation of land along the west
bank of the river as we'll and the Gre
alton of similar parkway as a part
Of the same project.
Another park project for which the
association takes part credit is the
creation of the Union Station-Capitol
Plaza.
And not so many years ago the
group set out to get, and secured, ade-
Quate electric street lights in all
streets and avenues in their section
Even now when member of the as
sociation brings to its attention that
some street or alley is inadequately
lighted, the secretary Immediately
takes it up with the District authori-
ties, and the light usually is installed.
On the occasion of his election to
the craftsmanship of the Legislative
Committee for the fortieth time in
October, 1882, Mr.. Tucker The has
held this office for AZ years also) ad-
dressed the association which year
after year has renamed him as its
head. A part of the address follows,
and tells the accomplishments in
terse form:
Projects completed or provided for
by legislation and appropriation: Rec
lamat1on of AnacoStia Flats; erection
of Union Station and elimination of
all grade crossings; providing a sew
age disposal system; providing an
increase in the water supply; provid-
ing filtration plant for water puri-
tcation; erection of the District
Building; erection of the City Post
Office.
Selection of the present Public
Library site; erection and equipment
Of a fire engine house in the North
east; erection and equipment of a
truck house in the Northeast estab-
nshment of a branch post Office in
the Northeast; establishment of a
branch library in the Northeast; erec-
tion of eight grade schools, Eastern
High School, Stuart and Eliot Junior
High Schools, a school for tuberculous
children, and home and school for
feeble minded.
Sought Car Line Extension.
Extension of street car lines on
Florida avenue, Eighth street and F
street northeast; acquisition of land
and its conversion into park between
the Capitol and Union Station; extern
don of a new wide avenue from Union
Station to Pennsylvania avenue; ac-
QUESTION of AZ acres of the Patterson
tract for a public park; acquisition of
Mount Hamilton and Hickey Hill for
~taI 1ieI,y 1f
tum.
Extension and improvement of
New York avenue from Florida ave-
nue. to Bladensburg road northeast;
widening and improvement of Ben
ming Bridge and erection of a new
Benning Bridge: erection of two in
c1nerators; erection of a sanatorium
for the treatment of tuberculouS chill
dren erection of the Gallinger Hos
pital: installation of electric lights
In all Northeast streets and avenues.
Legislative acts passed and placed
into operation: Establishment of the
park and planning and zoning COM
missions; provision for the regulation
of vehicular traffic regulation of sal
aries of teachers and other Board of
Education employees; regulation of
f1remen's and policemen's salaries;
elimination of all railway grade cross
ings; provision for furnishing uniforms
for policemen and firemen; provision
for reduction in gas price to 81 per
900 feet and the increase in candle
power from 16 to %; compulsory
school attendance; regulation of child
labor; prevention of social diseases;
institution of five year school build
ing"
The association also has taken part
in hearings on numerous legislative
bills of interest to the District, to list
which here would require pages.
Winter Activities Listed.
During the past Winter, some of
the outstanding projects it has spon-
sored are the enlargement of Eastern
High School, now overcrowded; erec
ton of a District National Guard
Armory in the Northeast, and i'm
provement of certain schools in the
section, some of them in sad states
of disrepair, to quote Alfred Calvert,
chairman of the associations School
Committee and a member of long
standing.
The association has more than 400
members on its roster, and meets on
the second Monday in each month at
Ludlow School, Sixth and G streets
northeast. 1t is one of the few as
sociations in the city which are not
affiliated with the Federation of Citi-
zens' Associations, and its representa-
tives appear directly before Govern
ment officials and congressional COM
mittees without first taking the mat
tiers up before larger parent" group
The Northeast Citizens Association
has had but five secretaries in its AZ
years of existence. Samuel Sowerbutts
served from the organizations incep-
ton until 1918, when he was sue
ceeded by Roscoe jenkins, at present
an active member of the group. In
1921 G. H. Aschenbach became sec
retary serving for four years, until