The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1867-01-10

Z C6I Jdlu I6I III VI .ItS1UeuC0 WilIliu Iue
| State? In neither of the States would
1.-The colored population, when acting
together, be able to produce any great
! social or political result. Yet in New
York, before he can vote, the man of
color must fulfill conditions that are
not required of the white citizen.
In lPennsylVania the elective fran
chise~ is restricted to white free
men, while ino Indiana negroes and
mulattoes are expressly excluded
from the right off, suffrage 1t
hardly seems consistent with the
| principles Of right and Justice that
the Representatives of States, where
suffrage is either denied the colored
man, or granted him on qualifications
requiring intelligence or property,
should compel the people of the Dis
.trict of Columbia to try an expert
ment, which their own constituents
have thus far shown an unwiIlingness
to test for themselves; nor does it ac-
cord with our republican ideas that its
principle of government should
lose its force when applied to resi-
dents of the District, merely because
their legislators are not, like those of
the States, responsible, through the
ballot to the people for whom they
are the law making pOwer.sra
| The great object of placing the seat of
government under the exclusive legis-
lation of Congress, was to secure the
entire independence of the general
Government from undue State infu-
ence, and to enable it to discharge,
| without, dangerof interruption or in
fringement of it's authority, the high
| functions for which it was created by
| the people For this important pur-
pose it was ceded to. the6United States
! by Maryland and Virginia, and it GER
taihly never, could have been contem-
/ plated as one ofothe objects to be. at
famed by placing it under the exclu-f
siEe Jurisdiction .ofGQongress1 that it
y cue .lfFD9d .to9pEepagapdists or POI
| tlticai Parties a place for an eXperi-a
tt4entafe tests Of them principles and
I. While indeed, the presidents of the
seat of Government. are not citizens
Of any States and are nov thereflwe al ]
lowed a voice in the EieetoraG COLI
lege or represeptatlonaip the councils
Of the IA teRs they are, nevertheless,
American SiizenSsr entitled nas such.
to every .sFRliti4p tyi gtIthe Constitutions,
to every benefit Ofathe laws, and to
every rightrwhich pertains to citizens
of our common country, ia all mat
terst affecting their domestic affairs
The spirit ofour democratic form Of
government demands that their wish !
es should be consulted and respected, /
and they ought tofeel that, although I
not permitted practically to partici-
pate IN national concerns, they are,
nevertheless, under a ira ternal gov
eminent regardfpl of their rights,
mindful of their wants and sOlicltous /
for their prosperity. 1t was evidently |
contemplated that all. local questions |
would be left to their decision, at
least, to an extent that. would not be
incompatible with the object for
which Congress was granted exclusive
legislation over the seat of Govern
ment
When the Constitution was yet I'M
der consideration, it was assumed by
Mr. Madison that its inhabitants
would be allowed municipal .legis-
lature for local purposes, derived from
their own sufrages. When for the
time Congress. in 1900. assembled at /
Washington, President Adams, in his
speech at its opening, reminded the I
two Houses that it was for them to
consider whether the local powers
over the District of Golumbi vested
by the Constitution in the Congress, of /
the United States, should be imme-
diately exercised; and he asked them
to consider it as the capital of a great
nation, advancing with unexampled
rapidity in the arts, in commerce,lin
wealth, and in. population, and pos
sessing within itself those resources
which, if not thrown away or lament
ably misdirected, would secure to it a
long course Of prosperity and self
government. Three years had not
elapsed when Congress was called
upon to determine the propriety of
re-ceding to Maryland and Virginia
the jurisdiction of the territory which \
they had relinquished to the Govern
ment Of the United States.
1t was urged on the one hand thar
exclusive Jurisdiction was not neces-
sary or useful to the Government: .
that it deprived the inhabitants of
the District of their political rights;
that much of the time OF Congress
was consumed in legislation pertain
ing to it; that its government was ex-
pensive; that Congress was not com
petent to legislate for the District,
because the members were strangers
to its local concerns; and that it was
an example of a government without
representation, an experiment dan
gerous to the liberties of States.
On the other hand, it was held
other reasons, and successfully,
that the Constitution, the acts of
session of Virginia and Maryland, and
acts of Congress- accentinp the grant !