Evening star., 1940-03-15
Oldest Inhabitants
Hi Lump Sum Swap
For Vote Statement
Association Reiterotes
Stond for Political
And Fiseol Equity

Protesting q recent statement that
> majority Of the people Of the Dis
trict would be willing to give up the
annual payment Of the Federal Gov
ernment toward District expenses,
in exchange for suffrage, the Asso-
ciation OF Oldest Inhabitants for
mally has reiterated to the House
District Committee its stand for
both political and fiscal equity"
The protest took the form Of a
letter sent to the District Com
mittee by q special committee au-
thorized by the association at a
recent meeting to take such action.
The letter took exception to a
statement by Harry S. Wender, vice
president of the Federation of Citi-
zens' Associations. Mr.. Wender was
not named in the letter. Mr.. Wen
der appeared before the Reorganiza-
ton Subcommittee of the House
District Committee March 5. Dur
ing a debate with members of the
subcommittee over his desire for
suffrage, Mr.. Wender declared:
Il would be willing to take the
So, 900 900 Federal payment and
throw it into the Potomac River
and to let the residents of the Dis
trict pay the whole bill-if that is
necessary to give the people here
local self-government."
Committee Drafts Letter.
He referred to the Federal pay
ment as mess of pottage,' and
added that he believed most resi-
dents would agree with him. Mr..
Wender also is president of the
Southwest Citizens Association and
chairman of the Committee on Leg
islation of the Federation.
The letter protesting this state
ment was drafted by a committee
composed of John B. Dickman, ST.;
Harry A. Burr and Jesse c. Suter.
The letter follows:
"On behalf and by direction of
the Association of the Oldest In
habitants Of the District of Co.
lumbia, we do hereby enter pro-
test against an unauthorized state
ment made by a spokesman for
the Federation of Citizens Asso-
Citations at recent hearing be-
fore the Special Subcommittee on
Reorganization of the District Gov
ernment. This particular state
ment, in effect, was that a large
part of the people of the District
Of Columbia would be willing to give
up the annual payment by the Fed
eral Government toward the ex-
penses Of the District of Columbia
in exchange for the grant of Dis
trict suffrage.
THE Association of the Oldest
Inhabitants is afilliated with the
Federation of Citizens Associations
and knows that the said spokesman
had no authority to suggest any
waiver Of an equitable participation
in the financial support of the Ma
tional Capital by the United States
IN exchange for suffrage or any
thing else. Such financial partici-
patton has always been considered
by this association and also by the
Federation as q just and natural
obligation which could not in fair
ness be ignored or denied. The
justice of the claim that this Fed
eral obligation be met is entirely
Independent Of the granting or the
denial Of the right Of suffrage.
Keep True to Faith.
'For years the Oldest Inhabitants
have demanded. as q matter of SIM
pie justice, both political equity and
fiscal equity for the District of Co.
lumbia. BY political equity we mean
the right to voting representation
in the Senate, House of Representa-
tives and among the electors of the
President and Vice President by rep
resentatives of our own choosing
and access to the courts of the
United States by the citizens of the
District equal to that accorded the
citizens of a State.
by fiscal equity we mean the
bearing by the United States of its
equitable share toward the expense
of operating, maintaining, expand
ing and beautifying of its own Ma
tional Capital.
Under the leadership of our pres
ident, Mr.. Theodore w. Noyes, we
have kept true to the faith in the
three items in the associations slo-