Evening star., 1935-02-27
:VOTELESS WOMEN
PLEDGED SUPPORT
.Capper and Copeland Will
Help, They Say-Edson
Hero of Evening.

: Two Senators pledged support to
national representation for the Dis
-trict at the dinner rally last night of
the Voteless District OF Columbia
League of Women Voters, but the hero
of the evening was 90-year-old John
Joy Edison, Nestor of Washington's
financial and civic circles.
Drawing applause from the 100 or
more women present, Mr.. Edison dra-
matically expressed his desire to vote
before he dies and deplored IS years
of disfranchisement in the Capital OF
the country he defended as a soldier.
II want to vote before die" he
said simply. II have lived here for rs
years and have never been allowed to
vote. I have studied this situation
and have seen and felt the injustice
of it. The relations between the Fed
eral Government and the District will
never be settled until the District Is
permitted national representation"
"Unjustly Treated"
. II think have been unjustly treat
ed myself" continued the white
haired vice president of the Citizens
Joint Committee on National Repre-
sentation. II have served this Gov
ernment as q soldier, but have never
been privileged to vote. Yet ! hope
some day to have the right to vote for
the Government I helped to defend.
Aside from Senator Capper. Repub-
lican, of Kansas and Senator Cope
land, Democrat, of New York, who
voiced their approval Of national rep
resentation, the meeting at the La
Fayette Hotel received an encouraging
message also from Chairman Norton
of the House District Committee.
: In note read to the audience Mrs.
Norton expressed the hope that "at a
not far distant time the District citi-
zens will have control over their own
affairs"
: Mrs. Richard Hogue, president of
the Voteless District of Columbia
League of Women Voters, presided at
the opening of the meeting and then
+. turned introductions over to Mrs.
Charles H. Weston, chairman OF the
committee in charge.
: League Work Lauded.
Senator Capper praised the work of
the local league in behalf OF the
schools and housing especially, but
declared their greatest service had
been rendered in support of national
representation for the District. He
said progress was being made.
Senator Capper has sponsored the
resolution now before the Senate to
permit citizens of the District to have
representation in Congress and the
Electoral College. He stressed the
need for continued agitation for the
. constitutional amendment which would
remove from District citizens the Stig-
ma of disenfrancisement.
"Mr. Edson's speech is unanswer-
able from any argument" he said. 1T
is unthinkable that this fountain
head of democracy, the Capital City,
so regarded the world over, has not a
voice in the affairs of government.
Senator Capper said he believed
the "cause is stronger than it has
ever been" and In pledging his own
support suggested that the league mar
shall all the outside support possible.
Copeland Is Supporter.
Senator Copeland explained the re-
1ations between the District and Con-
gress and the constitutional powers
which, he said can be changed only
by the amendment he joined with
Capper in advocating. He declared
he believed the Capper resolution Is
perfectly proper"
las for local self elf-determination, I
believe in that, too," he added.
Copeland said that If all the facts
are represented to the Nation, it
would be possible to secure adoption
of constitutional amendment which
would assure complete political inde-
pendence for the District. He ex-
pressed the opinion that at least 80
per cent of the people in the country
are unaware Of the peculiar situation
Of voteless residents Of Washington.
Representative Greenway of Ari-
Eona, one OF the honor guests intro
duced, also gave a few words Of en-
couragement. Jesse G. Suter, vice
chairman of the Citizens Joint Com
mittee on National Representation
for the District, briefly outlined the
aims Of the movement.
National representation in no wav
affects the government in the Dis
trict," he said. Congress can change
that at any time. So there is no
attempt In the amendment to take
the control over the District of Co.
1umbia from Congress"
Support for the campaign was
voiced also by officers of the Ma
tional League of Women Voters. Miss
Marguerite Wells, president, said the
national league would never cease to
campaign for the amendment and
predicted success. She said there was
widespread sympathy and under
standing Of the voteless condition of
District citizens.
Miss Belle Sherwin, past president
OF the national league, said: THE
situation in the District only strength
ems the conviction that all must have
the vote"
Mrs. Louis Gutenberg, legislative
chairman Of the national league, and
Miss Edna Johnston, a member of
the local Dinner Committee, also
spoke.