Evening star., 1938-01-27


10 organize and organise, and then to
bring together in unity Of action our
organizations. concentrating the col
lective strength Of all In the battle to
win the vital objectives of today's
What are these vital objectives7
81. The right and power of voting
representation in Congress and the
Electoral College. Since the 100000
americans of the District pay national
taxes, obey national laws and 20 to
war in the Nations defense, they are
enutled on American principles to he
represented In the National Govern
ment which taxes them, which makes
al laws for them, and which sends
them to war. Our community is un-
surpassed in the republic in INTEL
ligence, in public spirit, in patriotic
devotion, in every distinctive American
characteristic. yet is denied vital
American rights and privileges, while
weighed down with every national tax
and war-service burden. In the
privilege OF access to the national
courts We are degraded (the United
States Supreme Court says) below
aliens, and in political status classed
with the convict and the lunatic.
%. Effective participation in local
government to the full extent that the
Constitution. as at present worded or
amended, will permit.
%. Fair play by Congress, with its
exclusive legislative power in appor-
tloning equitably between the tax.
payers OF the District and the tax
payers OF the Nation Gncluding the
taxpayers of the DISTRICT, the cost of
maintenance and upbuilding of the
Nations city.
a. Sympathetic understanding and
mutual appreciation between the
Americans of Washington and the
Americans Of the United States, as
represented in Congress. Too many
OF Washington's legislators come to
view their Capital constituents as un-
appreciative, ungrateful, greedy, selfish
and censorious; and too many of these
constituents come to view the legisIa-
tors, selected for them by the Con-
stitution, as deliberately ignorant of
their needs, as contemptuously in
different to and neglectful Of their
welfare or as actively hostile. The
crying need Of the hour is change of
thought, change Of heart, a new
policy under which each OF the
capital-building partners shall heed
the injunction. put yourself in his
place!" with the result of substituting
NH 1al NiottN f1,,
Legislative Remedy Sought
"5. The same right to sue and be
sued in the courts of the Nation as is
possessed by the citizens of the States
and by aliens. Remove the hurttul
discrimination SO forcefully pointed
out by Chief Justice Marshall in de-
livering the opinion of the Supreme
Court In the case Of Hepburn VS..
Ellzey, when he said: 1T is extraor-
dinary that the courts Of the United
States, which are open to aliens and
to the citizens of other States In the
Union, should be closed upon them
District residents. But this is the
subject for legislative, not judicial,
consideration We are now asking
the legislative consideration which the
Chief Justice suggests.
THE birthday of an octogenarian
puts in the spotlight record of the
wonderful development of the Capital
in the period Of single lifetime.
Washington in 1858 was the dis
creditable capital which had resulted
from leaving national plan of mag
nificent intentions to be carried into
execution by population feeble in
numbers and resources and hampered
by the hostility Of some and by the in
difference and neglect Of many of its
legislators and constitutional pro-
tectors.
I'm place of the struggling country
village of 1858 with zig-zag grades, no
sewerage, no street cars, no water sup
ply except from pumps and springs,
unimproved reservations. second.rate
| dwellings and streets of mud and mire
the modern Washington has arisen
Americas most attractive city; the
focus OF national politics; scientific.
| literary, educational and art center;
a city of 627 200 population census
| estimate 1880. sustained, improved
and adorned by the annual expendi-
! ture Of more than SAB 900. 600. as COM
pared with approximately S40O0,0O0
| expended in 1858; with surface re-
modelled; with enterprising business
houses relieving Washington from de-.
| pendence on its great commercial
neighbors. with manufactures not i'm
posing, but respectable in view of the
design to retain Washington's pre-
eminence as residence city by en-
couraging only light and clean manu-
featuring; with an elaborate and costly
system OF sewers and water mains;
with transportation by nearly $50
miles OF street railway, underground
trolley in urban sections; with 725
miles of broad, smooth streets, shaded
for several hundred miles with $4,000
trees. destined to make Washington
the forest city, and with dwellings
| showing the most varied and pleasing
architecture springing up in success
sion where only bogs and swampy
pastures were seen 80 years ago.
F0undatlOn for the Future.
THE progress that the Capital has
made in the last 30 years, While Won
derful, furnishes only the foundation
upon which the new Washington of
the future will be built.
Some municipal material improve
ments are still needed. notably in
schools and a new public library, in
the municipal center, in hospitals,
bridges, armory, auditorium, stadium.
"But the glorious future of Wash
ington will especially correct inequities
affecting the people of Washington as
distinguished from the material Wash
ington of buildings, streets and monu-
mentS.
Among my friends who are here to-
night are many whose white hairs, or
entire absence of hair, indicate that
with me they must soon depart, yield
ing the banners Of the Greater Wash
| writ yx,l,;a ;al,