Evening star., 1941-02-23
Ex-senator Ashurst
Addresses Oldest
Inhabitants
Expresses Sympathy
With Associations
D. c. Suffrage Aims

Speaking at the 18th consecutive
George Washington birthday cele-
bration of the Association of Oldest
Inhabitants of the District of Co
lumbia yesterday, former Senator
Henry F. Ashurst of Arizona de-
clared the association has been
prominent among those who have
builded the community, have made
it what it is"
He expressed sympathy for the
associations objective of obtaining
suffrage and other civic rights for
the District and recalled days when
he espoused statehood for Arizona.
Sometimes I would be asked why
does Arizona want to become
State?'" he said. And I would
object to the question. objected,
and I still object, to any mans ask
ing me why do I want to be free?"
More than 100 members Of the
association and their friends at
tneded the meeting at the Old Union
Engine House, Nineteenth and H
streets NV.
Cites Four Pillars.
The United States is great, Mr..
Ashurst asserted, because it is
good: if the time ever comes when
she is no longer good, she will no
longer be great"
Four pillars on which "the genius"
of this country is based. he added,
are freedom, justice. faith and al
truism. Speaking of the first pillar,
freedom. Mr.. Ashurst told the as
sociation that, under the tenetS OF
political freedom, there is no reason
why persons should lose their civil
rights simply because they live in
the Nations Capital
His address followed brief remarks
by Theodore w. Moves, editor of The
Star and president of the Associa-
ton of Oldest Inhabitants.
THE city Washington observes
the birthday anniversary Of the
man Washington with special and
perculiar devotion" Mr.. Moves said.
I'm effect the man Washington
founded and fostered the city
which bears his name. He was the
father of his city as we'll as the
father of his country.
WashingtOn's Aims for City.
Those who claim that Washing
ton, representing the forefathers,
thought that this great population,
peopling an extensive and magnif- |
icently planned city should be
political aliens. defective and delin-
quent Americans, Slur and Slander |
the flasher of His Country. Washing
tons idea clearly was that the |
Capital should be a Federal city, |
developed by the Nation and subject |
to its control but clothed with all |
American rights not absolutely in |
consistent with such national con-
troll
Mr.. Moves said that in some years
since the associations first Wash
ington's Birthday celebration in the
1860s - the association has
conducted the only organized local |
of the occasion.
Also included on the program
were: Invocation by the Rev. F.
Ernest Warren, vicar of st. Pat |
rick's Episcopal Church; reading of
Washington's Farewell Address by
Charles H. Bates; vocal selections
by David Lawrie, accompanied on
the piano by his mother, Mrs. JUS
tin LaWrie; reading of an original
poem, When Washington Crossed
the Delaware by its author, John
Clagett Proctor, who presided over
the meeting. /
Bronze Bells Accepted.
In a business session preceding
the birthday exercises, the associa~
ton accepted a gift of two bronze
bells once used on the han6-oper-
ated fire fighting cart of the city's
first fire company, which had its
headquarters in the Old Union
Engine House. The bells were con-
tributed by Mrs. E. B. Martin. widow
of a District fireman. She reported
that she had received them through
FREDERICK Z. Perry OF Duluth, MINI.
Jesse c. Suter, chairman of a
special committee handling plans
for renovating the lower floor of
the engine house, said he already
had received several contributions
toward the approximately $1,000
needed to recondition the lower floor
as a display room for many relics
of Washington owned by the asso-
citation.
Respects were paid to two men,
bers who had died since the Janu-
airy meeting, Ralph L. Hall and
Edward William Jones.
Carl J. Bergman of 1886 Mon
tague street NV. and Ara Marcus
Daniels of 1887 Underwood street
oil To