Evening star., 1938-04-30

Twenty first and G streets NV, was
Albert Landay, junk dealer of COL
Twenty-third street NV, who offered
his junk truck to haul voters to the
polls. Landay, native OF Rumanio
who was naturalized in Ohio many
years ago, said he wanted something
to say about the way he was governed,
because he didn't like the way police
ticketed his truck whenever he stopped
to deliver q package.
About rs voters. most Of them stu
dents, had entered the polls at Howard
University by $50 am
Voting was light in the early hours
at the Garnett-Patterson Junior High
School, Tenth and U streets NV.
Miss Celestine Hodges, of ZIG S
street NE, head interior decorator of
large department store, was the first
to drop a ballot in the box in the
30th precinct headquarters at Nc
Kinley High School, Second and T
streets NE.
From the SO precincts the bal
lot boxes will be taken to 1917 H
street, where the count will be made
by experts Of calculating machine
company sworn in by the Board of
Election Supervisors.
Members of Congress have indicated
they will be largely governed by the
answer given today by residents of the
District on suffrage.
Voters have been urged by a coali-
ton of many civic forces throughout
the Capital to vote yes" on both
questions - national representation
and local suffrage.
The only qualifications for voting
are'that one be a genuine resident d
Washington, 81 years of age or older"
Must Register First.
Voters were required to register, with
name and address, before casting their
ballots, but the voting itself was secret.
The ballot itself did not carry the
name of the voter.
Voters were allowed to vote only in
the precinct in which they live, but
not In the precinct in which they work.
Policemen and firemen were being
excused from duty long enough to vote.
The parade to the ballot boxes of the
city followed strenuous campaign in
which virtually all of the argument was
put forth in favor of votes for the
District. Only few voices were raised
publicly against suffrage
Spectacular features of election eve
last night was the torchlight parade of
the Junior Board Of Commerce, from
John Marshall place and C street down
Pennsylvania avenue to the public
park at Fourteenth street and Penn
sylvania avenue in front of the Com
merce Department.. There an old
fashioned outdoor rally was held, with
torchlights. music and speeches. The
modern note was broadcasting of the
program by both the National Broad
casting Co. and the Mutual Broadcast
ing System. Prizes were awarded for
the best stump speeches and for the
best costume.
Strong Showing Urged.
Significant prediction at this rally
was by Malcolm S. McConihe, Demo-
cratic national committeeman for the
District Of Columbia. He declared:
Make a grand showing tomorrow.
II you do, I am quite sure Congress in
a very short time will give us the suf-
frage that belongs to u.s."
Newbold Noyes, associate editor of
The Star, in radio address over Sta
ton WMAL last night called on vote
less Washingtonians. Of whom he is
one, to cast their ballots in the refer
endum.
Explaining that he had been born
In this city, and had never voted, Mr..
Noyes said 1.-The same disability has
been the lot Of the men and the wom-
en- Of my generation whose only home
has been in Washington"
All of us, think, might have
wished that we were holding an off,
cial referendum tomorrow instead of
one of an unofficial character" he
said, land that We might have had
more time to prepare ourselves. A ref
erendum vote in any community re-
quires lengthy preparation and the
establishment of efficient machinery
with which the citizens are thoroughly
familiar. Here in the District we lack
such machinery; we have lacked the
time necessary to familiArize ourselves
thoroughly with the actual processes
Of voting. and we lack the official
sanction Of our Government, which
does SO much to add strength and
prestige to plebiscite of this sort.
Fine Showing Urged.
Lacking all these things and fac
ing many obstacles, it seems to me-"
he declared, that it's up to all of us
who have the best interests of WASH
ington at heart to get out and vote
tomorrow"
Explaining the questions on the
ballot, Mr.. Noyes said he was not
telling his audience ''how you should
vote"
But" he declared, unless you are
willing to have your taxes levied and
collected indefinitely by a Govern
ment in which you are wholly unrep-
resented; upless you are willing to
have laws affecting you passed by q
Government in which you are totally
unrepresented; unless you are willing
to be ordered off to war by a Gov
ernment in which you are totally un-
represented-in fact, unless you are
willing to subscribe to principles which
are totally un-American in concept
and in practice, do not see how
you can vote other than yes to both
questions"
Effective Demonstration.
The Junior Board OF Commerce
demonstration was colorful, noisy and
effective. The parade down Pennsyl-
vania avenue was headed by "Paul
Reverb" n costume, On Z hosss. Hasac