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Show ; Voteless Washington By Frederic J. Haskin. 4 WASHINGTON. March 7. Four hundred hun-dred thousand voteless Americans have opened a nation-wide campaign to secure representation in congress and a voice in the making of their own laws. Residents of the District of Columbia have decided to renew their fight for suffrage, suf-frage, and, as the quickest way of gaining gain-ing tho desired end, arc opening a campaign cam-paign to enlist the aid and sympathy of their fellow countrymen carrying the battle to the halls of congress by way of the people. "If Bill Hicks of HIcksville," the people peo-ple of Washington argue, "writes his representative in congress and asks how it happens that in a free country like America four hundred thousand, people I are denied the privileges of citizenship, the aforesaid congressman, thinking of Bill's vote, is apt to consider the Austin-Chamberlain Austin-Chamberlain amendment more carefully than if approached by a voteless Wash-inctonian." Wash-inctonian." B'elieving that the "Bill Hickses" of the nation are as a rule justice-loving chaps, and have only neglected taking up the fight of their fellow countrymen In the national capital through ignorance of their plight, the business men of Washington Wash-ington a few months ago printed a postscript post-script to their letterheads in a few lii.es of red ink, plainly Mating the case as it stands and asking their correspondents' aid and sympathy. The postscript reads: "Four hundred thousand residents of the District of Columbia pay federal taxes, obey federal laws, go to war to defend the federal government; but these four hundred thousand have no presidential vote, no national representation. 'Taxation 'Taxa-tion without representation is tyranny.' Will you help us'.' If so, write us, and wo will tell you how." Since the postscript first appeared under un-der a Washington business man's letterhead letter-head over one . million of them hav been printed, and have gone out to carry their ' message to tho million business men throughout the nation receiving tho letters. let-ters. The idea was originated hy Joseph Kaufman, a Washington business man and a firm believer in the theory that "it pays to advertise." "If y.ou want to change the course of a river, start at the source," Mr. Kaufman Kauf-man argues, "and if you want to effect constitutional amendments, talk to the people, the source of legislation. We must advertise our plight We must cell the conviction of the justice of our cLiniB to the hundred million people In the land. Half the people back In the states do not realize our condition. Let us advertise adver-tise the truth and leave the rest to their sense of justice." The scheme has worked. In answer to the plea, the business men of the city u re receiving from every state and section sec-tion rtf i he Union promises of help and requests for inf or. nation as to how they .mi bc-t "Tve the people of Washington in their fiht. "How can wo folks In New Haven help you foil;s it: Washington get a chance to vote?" was tho postscript to abetter re ceived In Washington from a big business busi-ness house in New Haven. Conn. The answer was a small folder compiled by a Washington newspaper, explaining- tho amendment introduced into the house by Representative Richard W. Austin of Tennessee Ten-nessee on April 28. 1917, and In the senate by Senator George E. Chamberlain of Oregon on May 11, 1H17. "The amendment," the folder explains, "gives congress the power to correct the injustice to the District of Qolumbia without with-out disturbing, in the slightest, national control of the capital or the prese'.it form of municipal government. Congress retains re-tains every power that it new possesses, all that Is proposed in that the District of Columbia shall become a small fractional frac-tional part of that congress, and politically politi-cally an integral part of the nation which that congress represents." The amendment contains the following provisions: "That congress shall have power to admit to the status of citizens of a state residents of the district constituting the seut of the government of the United States. "The residents of the district shall be entitled to elect one or two senators as determined by congress, representatives in the -house according to their number I as determined by. the decennial enumeration enumera-tion and presidential electors equal to their aggregate number of representatives in the house and senate. "That congress shall provide by law the qualifications of voters and the time and manner of choosing the representatives in congress. "That congress shall have power to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying Into execution the foregoing powers." It is pointed out that the reasons given by the members of the constitutional convention con-vention for depriving the seaC of government govern-ment of the rights of citizenship are no longer applicable, tnd that the citv has grown to proportions undreamed of by our forefathers. "The city," the folder declares, 'has now three times the average number of inhabitants of the colonies prior to the revolutionary war. If the District of Columbia Co-lumbia had been organized fit the time of the drafting of the constitution as it Is now it would have been the most important im-portant political body of them all, and would have demanded and received full representation in congress." Trade bodies and citizens' commit toeR and associations of the national capita' have unanimously indorsed Mr. Kaufman's Kauf-man's scheme of interesting those out-pJde out-pJde the city in the question of suffiage for the District of Columbia. &unKlSe At present the mnjorltv of the large business houses of Washington print the votes for the district" slogan at the close of all of their private and business correspondence, cor-respondence, and advo-ates of the scheme believe that before long every letter anc package leaving the district will carry the menage Tho slogan Is printed on the letterheads of numerous firms cutslde the city, concerns that have consented in this way to help tho people of the district. dis-trict. Many of the answers received in reph to the little postscript diseloso the f u't that business men and others In cltie'-cutslde cltie'-cutslde the district are unawar- of th'i-voteless th'i-voteless condition of the people of Washington. Wash-ington. A firm In Rochester, N. T wrote-"It wrote-"It was really a great surprise- to ua to learn front the imprint on your Idler head that the residents of the Dif-lrrtl Columbia are taxpayers without r"pr sentation." The writer promised lobr-i the question before the local trade a?-ciation a?-ciation at its next meeting and ash further information as to the assists?" he can render to 1he district's peopit. Another firm writes from Texas: "We shall be very glad to brine ii matter before our local commerci.il K-i We shall be pleased to present the rr-'1 ter to our congressmen and senators' the hope that the taxpayers of your c ' trict will receive the consideration U! deserve." The question as to tbe necessity ofi constitutional amendment to secure f-; frage for the district is repeatedly cussed and debated in the city. Manp tho residents of the district believe i -such action would be unnecessary. t Advocates of the amendment hold t; as the constitution gives congress eicv sive jurisdiction over the district, r constitution must be altered before :; people of the district can share In t-: own lawmaking. Opponents of the ame ment believe that the right of excia-jurisdiction excia-jurisdiction gives congress the po'r bestow upon the residents of the city -rights of citizenship whenever it see?;; The consensus of opinion among thel-ing thel-ing business men of the city zceir.s te that the amendment would expedite d ters, and it is for the amendment thev are working. For the residents of the district not use letterheads there has beer. -' signed by O. F. Jones of Washing; little '-suffrage for the district" fJ: bearing the same appeal as the post -in the same words. Since the stickers appeared, 'a , February, over twenty-five thonFo ,; them have been pasted to letters packages going out from the distnc- |