Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1856-05-14
SPIRIT OF THE MORNING PRESS.

The Intsiltgsncer describes the Senate bill
FOR facilitating elections in this city, and adds
"The remedies which the bill proposes for
acknowledged evils cannot but be approved
by all confederate citizens. The regulations
under which the votes are now received are
the same, we believe, as those established
when the city was less populous, and when
none but property holders were allowed the
privileges Of the elective franchise. Congress
having extended the right Of suffrage so as to
make it universal, that body ought not to
withhold such facilities as are necessary to
enable the whole people freely to enjoy the
boon thus conferred upon them. In our more
populous wards. especially, the inconvenience
Of voting has been manifest for several wears
past to every person who has attended the
polls. With too little time and too few facili-
ties for receiving all the votes, many persons
are prevented from voting, whilst others
whose time Is money to them are sometimes
required to lose several hours in di.charging
what should be very simple and easy duty.
This grievance has become so obvious that the
necessity of sbating it occupied the early at
teutiOn of the two Boards Of the present City
Councils, which, in August last, gave express
sion to their judgment on the subject by pass
ing the following ordinance, in the form Of in
attractions to their joint committee represent
Ing the interests of the City before Congress"
Here follows the joint resolution of the Wash
ipgton Councils urging Congress to pass such
a bill as the one now on the Speaker table
Ed.
This ordinance was officially published in
the columns of this journal on the 22d of Au.
gust, and to this day we have heard it COM
mended by all parties as a wise and necessary
movement. The Committee of the City Coun-
ellis having performed the duties assigned them,
and the Senate having passed bill suited to
the emergency, the fate of the measure now
rests with the House of Representatives
"We append the entire bill, as it passed the
Senate, that our readers may be fully informed
Of all its provisions. 1t has been stated on the
fsor of both Houses of Congress. without con-
tradiction, that in its present form the bill
meets the appreciation Of the Mayor and City
Councils"
The Union contains q card from Col Vim.
A. Richardson of Illinois, commenting on q
recently published letter from Archibald Will
hams, Esq., his late competitor for Congress.
In the letter of Mr.. W. it is said that Col R.
urged the Kansas Nebraska bill on the favor
of his constituents upon the ground that its
operation would be to secure to the North the
territory south Of thirty-six degrees thirty
minutes, as well as that north of that line,
&c. Of this accusation Col Richardson says:
The only notice / desire to take of this
letter Is to pronounce it so gross a perversion
of my position and speeches, then and now, as
to amount to a base and infamous lie. My
position then was, and now is, that the Kan
sas-Nebraska act was based upon the true
principles of the constitution, in recognising
the right Of each State and Territory, prspa-
ratory to its admission into the Union, to form
and regulate their domestic institutions in their
own way, subject to the constitution Of the
United States, and that would vote for the
admission Of each new State, with or without
slavery, as its own people should desire and
this principle controlled my action in the sup
port Of the kansas-Nebraska bill.
"While it is impossible for me in this card
to state all the arguments / used in the canvass
for Congress, L do say that any one who pre-
tends that / assumed any position inconsistent
with this principle wilfully lies"