Evening star., 1946-01-25

Calls on Senators 10
Back D. T.. Vote Bill
A delegation representing the Fed
Grafton of Civic Associations today
added their names to the growing
list of organizations which have Wis
tied members of the Senate Ju-
dietary Committee to urge support
for the Sumners-Capper resolution
to give the District representation in
Congress.
The federation representatives
urged the Senators to vote out the
measure when it comes before the
full committee February A. 1t has
been given favorable action by a
judiciary subcommittee.
This was the fourth such visit to
the Capitol by proponents of the
measure designed to grant the Dis
trict voice in national affairs and
thereby remedy a situation deplored
by most civic minded groups and
individuals, including President Tru-
man.
Efforts Having Effect.
While no new names were added
today to the list of Senators publicly
on record favoring the measure, A.
L. Fickling, chairman of the associa-
tions' Suffrage Committee, who
headed the delegation, said he be-
lieved his groups effort and those
OF other organizations working with
the Central Suffrage Conference
We're having beneficial effect.
Many Senators have asked that
Washingtonians demonstrate sup
port of the Sumners-Capper bill, -
Mr.. Fickling stated, "and we are
convinced that these visits are one
good way of answering them"
Besides Mr.. Fickling, others rep
resenting the federation were
Thomas Frazier, James w. Williams,
Mrs. Rosina Tucker, Mrs. Ida S.
Taylor, w. P. Brooks and C, A.
McCane.
Historical and moral reasons why
the District should have suffrage
were advanced in separate speeches
here last night by exponents of the
Central Suffrage conference drive
for favorable action on the Sum-
ness-Capper resolution.
Mrs. Gordon Balm, member of
the popforepco,c Nof;o,,I D.-
sentation Committee, told the
Washington Chapter for Unitarian
Fellowship for Social Justice that
the District should expect the vote
because it is guaranteed by the
Declaration of Independence.
Quoting the Declaration passage
which states that governments de-
rive their just powers from the con-
sent OF the governed" Mrs. Balm en-
phasized the failure of this precept
to hold true here. She added, how
ever, that the Declaration likewise
pointed the way to remedial legis-
latlon such as is embodied in the
Sumners-Capper resolution, quot
ing that part of the historical tract
which guarantees the right of the
people to alter the situation when
ever any form of government be-
comes destructive of these ends"
UNO Preamble Quoted.
~ Mrs. Balm told the group, meeting
at All Souls Church, Sixteenth and
Harvard streets NV, that the pre-
amble to the United Nations
Charter had "reafirmed faith in the
fundamental right of all to a voice
in government"
"As free Americans" she contin-
ued, I'VE have just engaged in man
kinds greatest war for the right of
peoples to govern themselves. AS
citizens it is our obligation to work
for the correction of defects in our
own scheme of government"
Speaking over station WWDC,
L. H. Neville e-Thompson, chairman
OF veterans affairs for the Veterans
OF Foreign Wars, told his listeners
the organization he represented.
both nationally and locally, had
been an advocate of District suf-
frage for 10 years.
"The franchise is right which
should be given every citizen of
this country as an innate heritage" I"
Mr.. Neville Thompson asserted, re-
marking that ''it seems a crime
that the men of the District who
fought in and survived the war
still had no voice here in the Gov
ernment they struggled to protect" {"
Another visit to members of the
Senate Judiciary group will be un-
dertaken tomorrow by representa-
tives Of the Federation of Citizens
Associations.
Other activities scheduled by the
Central Suffrage, Conference as part
of the vote-seeking campaign in
clude q talk by Wilbur S. Finch,
acting chairman Of the conference
and president of the Federation of
Citizens Associations. Mr.. Finch
will be heard at 7:30 o'clock tonight
over Station WWDC.