Evening star., 1939-03-04
Witty Skits Tell Mrs. Roosevelt
Of VoteIess Plight of District
League Of Women Voters Commended for
Awakening Interest in Go|Iinger Hospital

Introduced by a chorus Of wives
of the Nations burden toters," the
Voteless District of Columbia League
of Women Voters described in a
series of skits the problems of the
Poor Old Voteless District" at the
leagues annual luncheon for Mrs
Franklin D. Roosevelt at the May
flower Hotel yesterday.
Before the skits, Mrs. Roosevelt
spoke briefly, reiterating her criti-
cism of conditions at Gallinger Hos
pital and praising the league for its
part in the awakening interest she
had found in the congressional COM
mittees dealing with District affairs
She also lauded the league for
looking at problems with a nom
partisan attitude.
fundamentally" she said, there
are many things on which we are
agreed as to the objective. I don't
think when that is the case we
should think of things from a parti-
san point Of view"
Hits Partisa nship Tags"
She criticized tagging things as
party principles and clouding them
with other issues. In the District.
she said. there are many questions
that have nothing to do with parti-
sanship.
The only skit not dealing with the
District was put on by the leagues
department of government and for
eign policy. The scene was tea
party, given by Mrs. World as a
coming-out party for her daughter
Peace. Written by Mrs. Henry
Wadsworth Moore. the skit was a
play on words involving Moto. the
Japanese butler. who kept on trying
to depart with the China tea serv-
ice: Cordell Neville. complete with
umbrella: Adolf, in a fierce mus
tache: Edeuard, Benito and Joseph
(Stalin).
After Mrs. World" had confided
to "Cordell' she was 80 anxious
that her little girl be popular and
have all the boys for her friends
Bella" tWar) crashed the party,
announcing she didn't need decla-
ration to get in nowadays.
Typical of the play on words was
the passage between Neville" and
"Edouard" when "Benito" and
adolf" announced their intentions
of becoming members Of the Col
ony Club"
Said Neville: "I won't blackball
them if you can find some one else
to pay their initiation fee"
Edouard responded: "Of Corsica,
you want me to come across. Or
perhaps my Nice would do. Why
don't you be Palestine and let the
Arab mandate them. Egypt you
anyhow, If you ask me-"
Neville: Lets not pur-SueZ this
any further. I really can't do it.
England expects every man to do
his neighbor-I mean his duty. But
the Belgian Congo or the Portu-
guese."
The prologue to the skits was pre-
sented by the Department of League
Orientation with half dozen
chorus girls" singing Some Little
Wives in School, to the tune Of
Three Little Maids From School
Are We"
Here is a part of their tale:
Some little future women voters,
Wives of the Nations burden
toters,
Learning to be welfare promoters.
That's why we're here In school,
Some little wives in school.
Some little wives in consterna-
ton
At the lack of adequate appro-
priation
Joined the class in orientation-
Some little wives in school"
The little wives" remained on
the stage while "Grif1ie" (Grif1en-
hagen report; "Keppy" (Kepecs re-
port; Taxi" Taxation studies and
Louie" (Burdette Lewis reporD ap-
peared to present their findings in
verse. When Taxi" mentioned
methods of bringing forth taxation,
the chorus" sang without National
Representation? Boo!'
The Department OF Government
and Economic Welfare presented
pair of conservative taxpayers who
were willing to pay for the results
of not taking care of the under
privileged, but refused to share the
burden of prevention.
The skit put on by the Depart
ment of Government and Child Wei
fare illustrated how the vagrant,
the sick, the homeless and the IL
legitimate children are housed In
the same institutions. Entitled The
Old Woman Who Lived in Shoe"
Mrs. d. c." the mother, is shown
calling in the shoemaker to repair
the ragged shoe. She is told: That
shoes antiquated. Only Congress
can fix it,"
The Department Of Government
and Education repeated its perform
ance of the budget game" wherein
a group of children portrayed the
Commissioners, the auditor, the
Budget Bureau, the House and the