Evening star., 1937-07-30
SPEAKERS UPHOLD
SUFFRAGE CAUSE
Progressive Action Group
Hears Representatives
and Roberts.

Suffrage in the District of Columbia,
question of equality with the Ma
tons citizens since disfranchisement
nearly three-quarters of century ago,
was presented again to the public
last night in talks at the Sylvan
Theater by Representatives Wood Of
Missouri and Teigan of Minnesota and
former Peoples Counsel William A.
Roberts.
The mass meeting program was
sponsored by the new and fast-grow-
ing Citizens Committee for Progress
sive Action. which has as its slogan
Progress Through Suffrage
Speaking over the radio through
Station WJSV. Roberts told the
gathering that some day the COM
mittee which is conducting this meet
ing will make real study of the
District government and will expand
the evidence of the Jacobs report
that most of our facilities are unduly
expensive. That our laws and ordi-
nances are unequally applied to our
population. That We wait for many
years for improvements in sanitation,
health and recreation which have
long since been available in most
modern cities"
No Burden Of Debt.
"Their report will unquestionably
express wonderment that nearly $50
100000 Is required to operate city
which is almost entirely free Of debt,
when cities Of comparable size have
very much smaller budgets and yet
have the misfortune Of severe debt
burdens.
Perhaps the committee will openly
question the superiority of our school
system, one of the most expensive
in the United States, and will won-
der how Cincinnati. New York and
numerous other cities can give COL
legiate education in public institutions
whereas q high school education in
double platoon classes of a size far
too large for modern education re-
quirements is the best we can afford
our children.
Some group some time can, and
will, set itself determinedly toward
the task OF securing Suffrage for the
District OF Columbia When 1t gives
evidence Of its fixed purpose and
permanence 1t will attract to its ranks
the thousands of District residents
who despaired of ever obtaining COM
petent leadership. I believe that time
has come That the mismanagement
Of our affairs has aroused even those
whose primary concern is the meas
ure of taxes and that with the backing
self-sacrificing and porsevering atti-
tude on the part of the members of
this committee. the day when the
District will have the right to vote
for its officers cannot be long dis
tant."
Nations Problems First.
Wood. q member of the House Dis
trict Committee, said he knew of the
lack Of personal interest" of the group
for the welfare Of the District. Busy
congressman, serving on several COM
mittees," he said, ARE not physically
able to give the time they should to
affairs of the District. Problems af-
fecting the Nation as a whole must
come first and too often there is no
time left for proper consideration of
the District"
"All members of the District Com
mittee," he said, have sympathy for
the District and are interested in it.
but the home State comes first, and
1t should. What this city needs is the
regular city government by which all
metropolises are governed. Strangers
with their minds on other things can't
do it properly"
Wood promised the gathering he
would spend "all the time he could
spare" in preparing bills designed to
give the District the power OF SELF
government.
Sees Situation Unfortunate.
Teigan declared ANY person inter-
ested in democracy can't help but feel
strongly about this unfortunate sit
uation" here. 1T is beyond my COM
prehension how it exists" he said.
In no other capital of any large ma
tion know of does the federal gov
ernment supplant the city govern
ment."
Teigan recommended that the citi-
zens of the District unity on getting
one thing-the right to vote THE
rest will take care of itself after that, -
he said
Charles A. Franklin, vice chairman
OF the committee and delegate to the
Federation Of Citizens Associations
from the Conduit Road Association,
announced the committee would meet
August 10 to draw up legislative ma
terial for introduction to Congress re-
garding the suffrage problem.