Evening star., 1940-02-09


Association marshaled its forces for
a new offensive in behalf of national
representation and local suffrage
today in the wake of a fresh in
dictment of the Districts present
form of government as outmoded,
inflexible and undemocratic.
The association, which will lay
plans for further action at another
meeting February 10, fired the open
ing gun in its new campaign at an
old-fashioned town meeting" at the
Chamber of Commerce last night,
when a parade of speakers from
many fields offered testimony to
show that social conditions here
prove the need for self-government.
Several hundred citizens and rep
resentatives of civic organizations
applauded vigorously as Representa-
tive Jennings Randolph, chairman
of the House District Committee,
opened the meeting by piedging
continued activity in the fight for
national representation and local
suffrage.
Sends Request to Commissioners.
The West Virgin1an, co-sponsor Of
a bill that would give the District
the right to participate in local and
national Government affairs. said
he had written the Commissioners
10 days ago requesting that they
include provision for an elective
council in their reorganization plan,
but had not yet received an answer.
Mr.. Randolph urged the associa-
ton to take up the fight with re-
newed vigor, because this is a
righteous cause and some day will
meet with success" There shouldn't t
be a single section in this country,
he said, where men and women are
denied the right to participate in
Government.
DR.. James A. Nolan, executive
director of the Washington Crimi-
nal Justice Association, mounted
the speakers rostrum to point to
the fact that the rate of serious
crimes in the District increased II
per cent in 1889 over the previous
year. He said the criminal popu-
lation of the District is greater than
that of II States in which the
Prison Industries Reorganization
Board recently made study.
The chief factor in the increase
in crime here, he said. is the mount
ing heroin-peddling traffic and the
fact that local courts don't impose
heavy enough sentences on narcotics
peddlers. The average sentence here
is only IS months on this charge,
as compared to three years in Mary
land, two and one-half in Virginia
and four years in West Virginia.
Stressing the need for additional
policemen, he said the underworld
refers to Washington as a soft
spot"
Sees Vote as an Answer.
'The granting of suffrage would
make the District responsible for
law enforcement" he declared.
After all, community participation
in our own problems is the basis Of
democracy"
DR.. Edmund M. Ellerson, member
Of the District Medical Society, then
discussed certain phases of public
health administration, criticizipg
the municipal governments admin
istration Of Gallinger Hospital, and
Frank c. Waldrop, Times-H Herald
editorial writer, took the city heads
and Congress to task for enacting op-
pressive and discriminatory laws. He
made special reference to the snow
removal parking ban, which he said
was utterly unnecessary and foolish
land was enacted merely as whim.'
Problems confronting schools came
next and S. Jay McCathron, counsel
and legislative chairman Of the
Congress of Parent Teacher Asso-
Citations, charged Congress and mu-
nicipal officials with putting pad
lock on your tax receipts and Jug
Cling your wants and needs" He
said the action Of the Commissioners
and Budget Bureau in cutting school
estimates for 1941 from some $18,-
000, 1000 to about $13,000,000 was
typical of what has been going on
for years.
He cited the fact that Wilson
Teachers College has been con-
demned for years, education of
handicapped children has been
hampered by lack Of funds, class
rooms are overcrowded because OF a
lack Of teachers, many buildings
being used are more than go years
old and only emergency repairs are
being made. For years, he said,
parent-teacher groups and other
civic associations have been fur
nishing equipment that should be
provided by the District.
TITS just . question Of how long
we're going to stick out our chins