Evening star., 1940-11-13
Two Speak
At VOteleSS
League
Representation
And Foreign Policy
Are Topics

With guest speakers discussing
both foreign policy and national rep
resentation for the District, the
Voteless District League Of Women
Voters at its semi-annual meeting
last night adopted program for the
season emphasizing studies of Know
Your Country's Foreign Policy" and
''Know Your Washington"
The speakers were Mrs. Quincy
Wright, foreign policy chairman Of
the national league, and Jesse c..
Suter, of the Citizens Joint Com
mittee on D. c. National Repre-
sentation.
Contending that the No. prob
lem in the District of Columbia Is
to obtain national representation,
Mr.. Suter pointed out that, while
the organization might be concerned
properly with study of foreign re-
lations, the voteless residents of the
District have no voice in that field,
or in any other, where congressional
action is required.
Cites Summers Resolution.
Mr.. Suter urged that the first step
toward enfranchisement of the Dis
trict should be taken through the
Summers resolution, which would
provide national representation for
the District, and warned the women
against scattering their fire by try
Ing to indorSe everything
Discounting the value of move
ments to obtain local suffrage prior
to national representation in Con-
gress, he declared: II want to vote
for somebody who has power to do
something. And If we get national
representation, it will put us in
position to get any improvement in
our local government we may think
to be needed"
Mr.. Suter also quoted estimates.
based on census reports and other
sources, that more than 100000 per-
sons of voting age in the District of
Columbia were unable to vote on
election day.
IF there were ever on this earth
q people with a reason for righteous
indignation and sickness at heart, it
is the people of the District of Co.
lumbia on national election day."
he declared.
Mrs. Wright, discussing the for
eign policy study of the league,
pointed out that this country has
its only opportunity to do construc-
tive work at the present time in its
relations with the Latin American
republics.
She announced that the league is
preparing an inter-American study,
to be sent out this week, which she
said would be concerned with
facts" as opposed to sweetness and
light"
Points to Individual Nations.
Cautioning that each of the repub-
lies is an individual nation with in
dividual problems, Mrs. Wright de-
clared: 1--WE can only have an in
telligent inter- American program
when we realize the situation varies
In every country"
OF the responsibility of the United
States in a postwar world, Mrs
WIlSIlG SOiIllllellIcQ UtldI UIllS is GIle
only country with a relatively free
mind to put to the task. AS one of
the great powers, this nation can
recognize the role it has in the world
and decide what its obligations are,
she suggested. The policy of this
country. whether active or inactive,
is decisive in the fates Of other ma
tions, she maintained.
On adopting its seasons program,
the league, at the suggestion of
Capt. Rhoda Milliken Of the Wom-
ans Bureau of the Police Depart
ment, decided to include study of
housing in the District with a view
to support plans for adequate hous-
ing "in view of the national emer-
gency."
A special study looking to i'm
provements in the child labor law
in the District also was voted.
Mrs. M. o. Lorenz, league presi-
dent, presided at the session, which
was held at the clubhouse of the