Evening star., 1939-02-01
Franchise Pleas
To Congress
urged on D. {.
VoteIess Women Told
To Take Vote Fight
To Capitol Hill

them today an injunction from
Chairman Jennings Randolph of the
House District Committee to take
to Capitol Hill" their fight for suf-
frage here.
Mr.. Randolph, speaking at din
ner meeting last night of the Vote
less District of Columbia League Of
Women Voters, when suffrage and a
merit system for the District were
discussed, offered two specific sug-
gestions. One was for individual
appeals to members of Congress
and the other was for the league,
working through affiliated State
groups, to bring before all Senators
and Representatives what Mr.. Ran
dolph describes as "a very righteous
cause"
1--WE are bombarded each day
with questions as to how we stand
on all kinds of questions, Mr.. Ran
dolph said. Few of the questions
put to Congress today could be more
properly asked than, where do you
stand on suffrage for residents of
the District of Columbia
Would Promise Finish Fight.
"Let them know this Is not a
dormant thing but that you intend
to fight this through to a successful
conclusion"
Mr.. Randolph, who has introduced
one Of two resolutions pending in
Congress to give District residents the
rights of representation, said some
Senators and Representatives from
States in which not more than 13
or IA per cent of the eligible vote
was cast in the last election, would
deny District of Columbia residents
the right to vote" He added that
he believes ITS to 200 members of
Congress, had they the opportunity,
would vote now for District suffrage.
One of the recurrent objections
to suffrage for the District, the
speaker said, is the relatively large
percentage of colored vote. IT have
seen these men and women become
as interested in government as
Others" he said. With suffrage in
the District, Mr. Randolph contin-
ued, colored people would, to the
best of their ability, and with all
sincereity, take part in the processes
of government"
Il feel there is no part Of the
United States, be it the tiniest
hamlet in the land or the Nations
Capital, that should not have the
right to vote and that RESPONSE
bility," Mr.. Randolph concluded,
land I pledge you my continued aid
to that desired end"
Poll Shows Suffrage Sentiment.
Supplementing the figures given
by Mr.. Randolph on the support the
suffrage movement now has in Con-
| gress, Mrs. Charles H. Weston,
chairman of the leagues depart
ment of government and its opera
ton, and in charge of last nights
program, gave the results of sur
vey being made of new members of
Congress. Of SO new members who
have responded to questionnaire,
As favored suffrage for the District
without qualification" Mrs Weston
said. Two others were for national
representation and two for local
suffrage, while nine opposed and IL
withheld comment for further in
formation, which, the chairman
added, has, as you may imagine,
been furnished them"
Mrs. Weston also read a letter
from Theodore w. Noyes, who was
unable to accept an invitation to
attend the meeting, saying, The
cooperating women's organizations
are absolutely certain to win their
battle to eliminate the contradictory
and slurring word 'Voteless' from
the title 'Voteless District of Colum-
bia League of Women Voters The
campaign of the women inspires the
men to similar action and co-operat-
ing they will depart from their po-
lltlcal assoclateS-the convicts and
lunatics-and join with pride the
class of American political sover-
eighty"
In the part of the meeting devoted
to the merit system, Mrs. B. M.
McKelway reported on a study the
league is making of a bill proposing
the establishment of a merit system
for the District of Columbia. She
introduced several speakers who dis
cussed questions concerning a proper
merit system.
Defines Real Merit System.
One of these, Mrs. Harris Baldwin,
vice president of the National
League of Women Voters, discussed
what is true merit system, and
said it involves more than eXamina-
tlons, permanent registrations and
retirement, important as these are.
Another speaker, William P. Leh-
man, examiner for the Civil Service
Commission and contact representa-
tive for the District, explained that
while the present District merit sys-
tenn has accomplished much good"
the highly developed merit sys-
tenn of the Federal service still re-
mains to be fully applied to the
District Government" Three ways
this may be done we're listed by Mr..
Lehman as Cd BY the extension
of the present system to the ex-
cepted departments, which would
require the consent of the appoint
ing powers in each of the depart
ments; CD BY the establishment,
through an act of Congress, of
separate merit system for the Dis
trict, to be administered by the
District Government, and 90 BY
the application, through an act of
Congress, of the Civil Service act to
the District Government.
Mrs. Henry Grattan Doyle, chair
man of the Board of Education,
explained the operation of the
boards merit system for teachers,
who are among the exempted Dis
trict employees from civil service.
Mrs. Louis Gutenberg, president
of the league, announced that the
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