Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1854-12-28
WASHINGTON NEWS AND GOSSIP.

The District Of Columbia Judiciary Reform
Biu.-We proceed, to-day, to notice the objec.
lions made before the commi' tee and in the
House to this bill. These were but two, We
believe. The first was to the enactment of a
| eide Of laws, as proposed by section 20 TO,
| without the direct action of the people This
difficulty has been obviated by tho amendment
which strikes out the obnoxious clause, and
provides that the code shall first be submitted
to the sense Of the people, and then reported
to Congress for its final sanction. And this,
by the way, is conclusive answer to those
who think that the popular will has not been
| asoeTtained. If the people dislike the code
framed by their own representatives, they will
be sure to vote it down. But if the resolu.
tons of the city government are to be taken
as true exponent of the wishes of the people,
that result-so far, at least, as the people of
Washington are entitled to Be heard-is not to
be apprehendsd. When tho bill under con
alteration was brought forward, resolution
was introduced into our City Councils, instruct
ing the committee appointed to represent the
interests Of the corporation before Congress, to
call their attention to this subject; and that
resolution was unanimously adopted
The other objection was sort Of argun,s,a.
tam ad masertcordtans against the removal of
the present judges. An attempt was made to
elevate this to the dignity of constitutional
question. But that failed. Apart from the
many instances, drawn from our legislative
history, in which Congress has exercised a
similar power, and apart from the decisions Of
the Supreme Court, it seems to us that the
argument alb ixeonvenlente settles that cues.
ton Immediately and conclusively. Although
our Institutions may have had their origin in
the Dark Ages-although every man within
the scope of their influence may feel that they
are pressing like some great Incubus upon US,
yet We Gun never get rid of them, because, for
sooth, that would be unconstitutional! And
if it is unconstitutional now, it will be uncon-
stitutional always. And if that is true, let the
people Of this District no longer hug the de
lusive phantom of hope, or vainly imagine
that they have a share in the onward and up
ward destiny common to humanity Not
merely disfranohised; not merely ostracissd
from the community of those whose fathers
fought with theirs for liberty and law; not
merely cut of, by becoming the fost children
of this great Republic, from that glorious heri-
tage of republican principles which ought to
have been theirs;-they are slaves; slaves ad-
scriptitious to the soil; slaves not merely to
the high legislative department of the Govern
ment, but slaves to every petty judicial tyranny
that may happen to be erected over them
But if any one seriously entertains doubt
about the constitutional power of Congress to
reorganize our judiciary system, We would
refer him to the communication of tho present
venerable Chief Judge himself, to the House
committee, In 1880, III. Rep. 2ss, 21st Cong,
LIST sess, p. %, Of seq } and also to the commu-
nication of one of the present Associate Judges
in the same document Up. 70, tseq) And we
may add that all the members of the bar, and
other Intelligent gentlemen of this community,
who were addressed by that committee at that
time, gave their opinion (if our memory is
correcD in favor of a reorganization Of our
judiciary Mr. R. S. Coke, prepared a bill
for the organization of a court Of chanoery
and so, We think, did the learned judge then
barrister) to whom we have just now al
luded. Mr.. Morft was of the same opinion.
The late F. s. Key, whose views upon this
subject, as expressed at that time, were ex-
ceedingly conservative, proposed six changes,
" m N W hu ha hu
effect. Among these desiderata we notice ga
separate chancery court for the District"
But constitutional objection having failed,
there was nothing left to fall back upon but
an appeal to the sympathies of members of
the House We confess we were somewhat
amused when the only gentleman who seriously
opposed the bill, our esteemed and respected
friend from Massachusetts, after stating that
there were reasons privately operating upon
the gentleman from Maryland which impelled
him at first to decline tho labor of this inves.
tigation, confessed, in tho Same breath, tina
private and personal reasons, and, if We un-
derstood him correctly, such reasons alone,
prompted him to enter the arena! Let those
whose judgments are yet to determine the fate
of this measure inquire diligently into the
motives and reasons end influences which have
actuated, and will acsuate, those who oppose
it," reasons" not only of favor and affection
towards those who are held up as its appointed
victims, but in some cases, "reasons'' Of ami
mostly and revenge towards its reputed Gu
thors. We feel assured that the same high
and controlling sense of public duty which
has declared itself in the House Of Represen-
tatives so emphatically and so decisively, will
be evinced in the other branch of Congress
and that this bill, so republican and yet so
will unite the SURFACES of the
liberal minded men of ali parties.
Bogus Voting in Kansas.-Gensral Whit.
field, the Delegate from Kansas in the House