Evening star., 1938-07-05
TRUE DEMOCRACY
HELD UNFA|[|NG
Cummings Aide Tells Oldest
Inhabitants Youth Should
Answer Challenge.

Charging that the comic opera.
democracies" of Europe had failed be.
cause the peoples of those countries
had neither experience in, nor appre.
citation of individual liberty" Harry
B. Fleharty, special assistant to the
Attorney General, yesterday sounded
call TO American youth to accept the
challenge of "dictatorial governments
in Europe that Democracy has failed
and should be abandoned"
The speaker chose the Association
Of Oldest Inhabitants of the District
of Columbia and its Fourth of July
celebration at the old Union Engine
House, to deliver his appeal to youth
through patriarchs" of the National
Capital.
Taking up the charge that de
mocracy has failed Mr. Fleharty de-
clared that lin simple truth there was
not even an experiment in democracy
in Germany, italy or Russia The So
called attempts to establish democracy
In Europe were designed" he said,
ito establish personal and political
rights in nations whose people neither
asked for nor desired them
ITO Progress and Preserve"
"The real challenge which We older
Americans bequearh with this Gov
ernment to the younger generation, u
he said, lis a challenge to progress
and yet to preServe-to so order the
affairs of government as not to tear
the tree of liberty from the soil in
which it was planted in 1776, not to
destroy the Constitution under which
liberty was flourished as no place else
in the world, but retaining and exer-
cising to their fullest powers the
splendid mechanism of our Govern
ment, adapt it to the changed condi-
tlons OF life so that economically as
we'll as personally and politically ours
shall be a government of the people,
for the people, by the people,
Stressing the economic situation. the
speaker declared. There is tremendous
urge in the temptation to deliver the
economic life of the Nation into the
control of capitalize place the pros
perity of the people in the hands of
a small class to be originated, directed
and maintained by them
But as surely as the wages of sin
Is DEATH" he charged, the result of
divorcing control of the economic
processes of life from the people is
the end of democracy"
The speaker claimed the economic
philosophy of the Man of Galilee was
full of the idea that IAN individual or
a nation is anti-social when it permits
accumulation of wealth in the midst
Of poverty"
Sees Irony in Votelessness.
Praising the Association of Oldest
Inhabitants for their patriotic devo-
ton through long series of celebra-
tions Of the Fourth of July, Mr.. Fle-
harty declared it was with sense
Of irony" he spoke of government
by consent to an audience who have
very little to do with consenting to
their own Government" The found
ing fathers, he said, had no conception
OF the forthcoming size of the District
Of Columbia, nor of the taxes it would
pay, when there was provided a Gov
eminent that rests like an incubus
on the District" He hoped that Con-
gress lin their sense of justice ere
long will overcome the circumstances
that confront you"
John Clagett Proctor, vice president
OF the association. who presided, read
an original patriotic poem, Lest We
Forget" The Declaration of Inde-
pendence was read by Jesse c. Suter, a
vice president of the association. Mrs.
Marie c. Deal, accompanied by Mrs.
Hattie A. Weber, sang, and the invo-
cation was by the Rev. Horace E.
Cromer, pastor of Emory Methodist
Episcopal Church, South. who is
president of the Washington Fedora
ton of Churches.
In expressing regret at the absence
of Theodore W. Noyes, president of
the association. Mr.. Proctor said Mr..
Noyes takes keen, active and per-
sonal interest in this association
Two relics of old local bridges were
presented to the association by Mr..
Proctor, One was an iron tablet from
the old Aqueduct Bridge. shown in the
accompanying photograph of the
patriotic celebration. It was a gift
from l. H. McMichael. The other was
link from old Chain Bridge. John
r. Mahoney, financial secretary, an
nounced that it was his grandfather
who had forged the chains for old
Chain Bridge
Heurich Oldest Member.
Christian Heurich was praised by
Mr.. Proctor as the oldest member of
the association, who will be 96 next
September II. Characterized as lone
OF our outstanding and most dis
tlnguished citizens" Mr. Heurich took
bow, and was applauded. James F..
Duhamel recalled Fourth of July cele-
bratlons as guest at the White House,
IN the administration of President
Johnson
Mr.. Suter displayed a flag which
had been used by his father to deco
rate his home at the time of the
centennial of the Declaration of In
dependence in 1876.
The association authorized letters
written to two i'll members: Judge
Robert E. Mattingly and Joseph L.
Keefer.
The Entertainment Committee for
the celebration included: DR.. Hugh M.
Smith, chairman: Horace j. Phelps,
assistant chairman: James F.. Duhamel,
John Clagett Proctor, Fred A. Emery,
Jesse c. Suter. Elra c. Palmer, j. Eliot
Wright and Theodore w. Noyes, ex