New-York daily tribune., 1865-12-25
A DELICATE DISTRICT.

A DELICATE DISTRICT.
There is nothing like impudence. Congress,
for the poor privilege Of occupying little land
in the District of Columbia, pays, to speak
roughly an annual rent Of about one hundred
thousand dollars per square inch There Is not
village in Ireland so utterly pauperlzed as
Washington would be tomorrow If the Gov
ernment should be transferred to another local
ity. Hotel and lodging house keepers, grog-vena-
ers propriet0rs of brOthels and OF hells, ana
great many Others in the Capital of more respect
able calings, would all find their occupation
gone in an instant and Washington would be-
come brokendown' Virginian village, haunted
by loafers and dedicated to lazineSS. The citl-
gems of this delightful metropolis are divided
into Whites and Blacks, and, 30 far as our OBJ
servaton has served Us, ne are quite sure tha'
the Blacks are not less respectable, thrifty, and
intelligent than their light-colored neghborS.
They have acquired property, personal and
real; and. considering the example which too
many Members of Congress have set them, they
deserve high praise for being no worse than they
are But no sooner is it proposed to allow these
Blacks TO vote for Mayor and Councllnen OF
the city than special town meeting OF White
folks is called "to show how repugnant the pas
sage of the Negro Suffrage act is to the people.
We are almost tempted to laugh at this FAINT ht'
tie spasmodc kick of the dying monster. Perhaps
it would be pleasing to these tastidious creatures
IN have the slave-shambles and the barracoOns
restored under the shadow Of the Capitol. Per
hsps they would like to have their dear Dis'rct
exempted from the blights Of the General Eman'
cipa,ion. Perhaps they would have the ten
miles square reserved as sort of Goshen, to
which the patriarchs might flee with their hu'
man herds, so that, above our loud cries o
Liberty Forever" might arise the screams OF
the aogged and the chatter Of the mau-auction.
II so. let them "holda general election, and sig
Nifty their most moderate desires!
1t is painful TO think how much merted shame
the city of Washington has brought upon this
nation-how tho cofile-gangs tramped through
its streets; how the most infamous OF all trades
there centered; how these conspirators plotted
against the life of the land, and the indvsibility
of the Republic; how there the most fnghtiu!
assassination in history was planned and exc
cuted: how there bad climate has sapped the
physical. and worse influences the moral vigor
of many of our chosen men; how almost every
tradition of that fatcd city is Notifying to our
pride and discreditable to our public reputation
And now in this little corner, IN which above all
other places we have right TO try experiments
liz we please, and in which, above all
other sections. it bchooves Us to be bold for
justice aud sound policy, knot of nice folk,
who eat our bread and wear our clothes, and
fairly exist upon our patronage, convene to de-
clare how repugnant it will be to their d. allcate
feelings if we allow colored men to vote for
their own immediate rulers. There are other
things which, we doubt not, would be equally
repugnant. 1t was once fiat felony for the
plicate for their masters, who needed praying toI
30 much. Would Washington like an Act o.
Congress to prohibit colored conventicles! OF
colored debating societies or colored masonic
lodges9 or colored charitable associations and
temperance associations or colOred professions
on Pennsylyania.ayenue or colored Sunday
schools Why should they stop with colored
suffrage The argument against that is just
as good an argument against allowing the com
monest rights and the least restricted liberties
to these Pariahs who are gathered about th,
Legislative Temple ostentatiously dedicated Il
human Equality. We advise these delicate
burghers to be little more modest in their dc
mands, or they may awaken some fatal morning
to find President, and Secretaries, and Genera
Post Office, and Patent. Office, and Smithsonian
Institute, and Congress itself, all gone To SOM
cheaper and more civilized city, leaving tn
i landlords to starve in their lonesome barracks
and the ragged aristocracy Of the Avenue u
bewai those departed subsidies which ono
filed their stomachs and covered their backs.