Evening star., 1939-12-08
Text of Nv. Noyes' Remarks
Head of Oldest lnhobitonts Urges Citizens
Join in Fight for Fair PIoy by Congress

political parties are neglnnlng 10
think of competing for favor in the
eyes of over 100000 potential voters
lover 81 years of age) in the District,
and our strong and active women's
organizations are aflame with right
eouS indignation over the vitally
hurtful discrimination which leaves
them, after they have helped to win
victory for all American women ex-
cept themselves, with an organiza-
ton sardonically entitled 1.-The
Voteless District of Columbia League
of Women Voters.
Seen Benefit to Nation.
We fight for political equity, for
national representation, for voting
representation in Congress and the
electoral college. We fight to raise
the voteless, unrepresented, polit-
ically impotent Washingtonian from
classification with the convict and
lunatic to that of an American
sovereign with power to participate
self-protectingly and helpfully In
the National Government which
taxes him, makes all laws for him
and sends him. to war. When the
power involved in this vital right is
won. the campaign for financial
equity and for the satisfaction of
every other wholesome need of the
District will be wonderfully strength
ened.
District national representation
will benefit the Nation. It will re-
lieve the Nation of the shame of
un-Americanism at its heart and of
impotency to cure this evil. 1t will
save the worlds great representa-
tive democracy from the inconsist-
ency of denouncing as unpatriotic
at election time the millions of po-
tential voters who fail to vote and
then itself setting the example of
contemptuous slurring of the basic
principles of representative govern
ment by arbitrarily barring from
the possibility of participating in
their National Government over
100000 District residents of voting
age who cannot vote in the States.
1t will cure the inconsistency Of
Americanizing by Americanization
schools and otherwise the immi-
grant aliens who flock here, yet in
consistently neglecting the Ameri-
canization of over half a million
residents of an integral part of the
original United States. 1t will save
the Nation from the shame of send
ing its sons abroad, as in the World
War, to fight and perhaps to die to
make the world safe for democracy,
while grossly violating the principles
of democracy in its Capital at home.
1t will prevent the Nation from
making mockery of its claim to be
foremost among the democracies
now challenged by the despotisms
of the world, by itself maintaining
a despotism at the seat of govern
ment under its exclusive control.
The Districts hopefulness in its
fight for political equity is based
not only upon increased interest and
determination on the part of the
people of the District, but on great
er sympathy with the Districts
plight on the part of groups in Con-
gress. There are pending four con-
stitutional amendments proposing
District national representation,
each of which represents the
thought of a section of District citi-
zens and a corresponding group in
Congress. These amendments are
the Capper-Norton, the Randolph
Lewis, the Kennedy and the Sum-
ners. All four amendments propose
District national representation.
The Randolph-Lew,s amendment
declares that District residents shall
| be entitled to such representation