The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1944-11-08
Observations
Congress Will
Find Important
Tasks Ahead
BY HELEN ESSARY

This is a subject into which ]
have not before pounded type
writer But here goes
/ resent not being able to vote
simply because | am a resident o.
the District OF Columbia.
When | consider wnatsis happen
ing in countries whose govern.
ments deny their people the right
of suffrage, feel intensely tnat
! personally want TO prove 10 my
self that | live in a nation whose
people have the privilege OF decid'
ing on their form OF government
and on their administrators.
More than ever before does II
seem important TO me 10 thus show
myself that ! am citizen OF 4
free country. Yet on the day when
millions OF Americans vote | must
sit dumbly at home waiting for
news on how other people have cast
their ballots.
II had a residence in a state
which permitted absentee ballots"
] should continue TO resent the
no voting" rule in the capital nf
the most important nation on
earth.
How can we be expected TO pro-
duce here anything but words?
Suffrage being denied us, we must
become gossips and intrigantes.
And another point-the most inn
portant-l've not yet heard one
good reason why citizens OF the
United States living in the District
OF Columbia should be denied the
right TO vote.
William Howard Taft In a CAPT
tai centenary speech said the real
reason the seat of the young re.
public had been moved from Phila.
delphia to the swamps OF the Poto-
mac was because when one import
ant piece OF legislation was being
debated at the Congress in Phila-
delphia, members of Congress were
waylaid and even beaten up with
clubs in an effort to influence their
voting.
A particularly bad episode Of this
sort decided the government heads
to move the capital TO the flats into
which we now have sunk our citi'
zenship where there would be no
chance of outside influence and
where we could keep the popula-
ton from itsel' voting"
FROM A RED CROSS GIRL
SOMEWHERE IN FRANCE: Il
have gone through cities only
few days after the infantry had
passed through and / have visited
places completely by-passed by the
enemy. A day spent at Mont st.
Michel eating the famous ONE.
lettes and climbing to the top OF
thu cathedral spire the bright
sun, the wind and the ocean made
me feel more like tourist than
an re Doughgirl.
The people living In Mont st.
Michel show no signs OF having
been occupied.
I'VE came upon a horrible situa-
ton in a really occupied town
yesterday. A boy had been pitch
ing hay In the field and was blown
up by a concealed land mine-a
German BOBBY trap. There was no
undertaken but a nun has been
preparing the people for burial. 1t
is hard for me TO understand the
sort of Catholic resignation OF
some of these French to the fact
that you cannot expect happiness
on this earth and so make the best
OF what you've got.
There, for example, is Madame
Blanchemain, our cook. Old and
fat. not very clean but with a
devilish CLEAN in her eye. When
call for the people in the morning
the three young boys who are al.
ways my passengers grab the back
seat so there is no room for Mad
anne B. Undaunted, she climbs in
and plunks her whole weight down
on. top Of the boys, paying no atten.
tion to their squeals.
She took me to her poor little
house today. A shell had explod.
ed in II and 1t was a shambles.
She showed me her little aluminium
cook pot with the shrapnel holes
in II and her linen torn to shreds.
Wept when she talked. but next
sho offered me cider. Then sent
me home with my arms full Of
flowers and baskets OF eggs.
I'VE can't decide where she
sleepJ unless It is in her chicken
COOP. Yek she is not unhappy.
Jokes all day with the boys and
throws doughnut dough at them.
Tomorrow we are going to drive ~
Bayeux to pick up her 23.year old
daughter who was 'requisitioned'
by the Germans before the inva-
sion and who had Just been dis.
covered"
NEW YORK-AP-The New