Evening star., 1938-11-17
More Vigorous
Drive Launched
For D. +. Vote
Encouraging Reports
Of Fight Heard
By Committee

achieve national representation for
Washington was set in motion late
yesterday by the Executive Com
mittee of the Citizens Joint Com
mittee on National Representation
for the District.
The Executive Committee heard
encouraging reports OF the fight
for suffrage in recent months and
approved resolution to request
Senator Capper, Republican, of
Kansas ard Representative Nor
ton, Democrat, of New Jersey to
reintroduce the Capper Norton
joint resolution in the House and
Senate Immediately after convening
OF the 18th Congress in January.
Paul E. Lesh. chairman of the Con-
gressional Hearings Committee of
the citizens joint group, introduced
the resolution which further pro-
vided:
That the Committee on Con-
gressional Hearings be authorized
to endeavor to get early favorable
action by the House Committee on
the Judiciary either by a report on
the record of the 1888 hearing or
after a new hearing.
Delay in Senate Hearing.
THAT the matter of requesting a
hearing before the Senate Commit
tee on the Judiciary be deferred
until after favorable action by the
House Committee, and that further
action in pushing our proposal be-
fore Congress be left to the discre-
ton of the Committee on Hearings
and in harmony with the uni
form attitude of the Executive
Committee
The resolution thus set forth the
immediate plan of legislative action
to be followed by the Congressional
Hearings Committee. Mr.. Lesh ex-
pressed the opinion it would be
quite possible to get a favorable
report from the new House Judi
ciary Committee when Congress
convenes in the next session
Referring to hearings before the
18th Congress, Mr.. Lesh said he did
not expect Ito get report from a
dying Congress. The hearings, he
said, were in no way a failure. Il
feel that we, as we'll as Chairman
Hatton Summers, derived something
from the hearings" Mr.. Lesh con-
tinued, "and I feel we have friend
in Representative Summers"
Actual Residents in d. C..
Mr.. Lesh also suggested that the
number Of civil service employees
working in the District but living
in nearby Maryland and Virginia
be subtracted from the total of
Government employees here before
determining the number of actual
residents in the District to be
placed before congressional COM
mittees early next year.
The executive committee, meet
ing in the Board of Trade rooms
in The Star building. heard from
Chairman Theodore w. Noyes, Vice
Chairman Jesse c. Suter and others
a recapitulation of the fight for Dis
trict suffrage, before and since the
Districts referendum on national
representation and local self lf-govern-
ment last spring.
Mr.. Noyes announced the appoint
ment OF former District Commits
sioner George E. Allen to succeed
Thomas P. Littlepage, resigned, as
chairman of the Finance Commit
tee.
Discussing the financial phase of
the Joint Committees work, Mr..
Noyes recommended the committee
authorize Mr.. Allen, in co-opera-
ton with officers. ito build up
strong and enthusiastic money!
raising organization which, under
able and aggressive leadership, shall
not only make record of large
subscriptions from the few but shall
put on big membership campaign
for enrolling large s1-a-year mem
bership under the plan of the D. C.
Federal Suffrage League.
Means of Identifying Citizens.
This" Mr.. Noyes told the Ex-
ecutive Committee, will be the
means of definitely identifying a
large number of our citizens in
the movement and of making them
feel that they are participating def
nitely in solving the financial prob
lem"
Mr.. Noyes also announced the ap-
pointment of John T. O'Rourke and
Claude H. Woodward as members of
the Executive Committee. Mr.. Wood
ward was elected secretary pro tenn
pending the election of permanent
secretary.
In his opening remarks, Mr..
Noyes said, This meeting soon
after a national election, in which
we were not permitted to partici-
pate, and shortly before the conven-
ing Of a new Congress which is
our only local as we'll as national
legislature, imposes the obligation
and furnishes the opportunity for
especially effective labors in pro-
motion of our cause.
I'VE are sending to all members
OF our new House of Representa-
tiveS and to the recently-elected
Senators a letter calling attention
to the fact that in their election to
Congress, they are elected as mem
bers of the local legislature as we'll
as national legislature for the whole
OF the United States, urging them
to give sympathetic, helpful thought
to the welfare of their voteless con-
stituents under the Constitution,
as well as of their voting constit-
uents whose votes have sent them
to Washington"
with the convening of the Sew
Congress only about two
ahead" Mr.. Moves CON.