The Greene County Republican. [volume] (Waynesburg, Pa.) 185?-1867, 1867-01-16

prosperity. III was eNluently C0ntem-
plated that all local questions would be
lett to their decision, at least to au ex.
tent that would not be incompatible with
the object tor which Congress was
granted exclusive legislation over the
seat Of government. When the Cons
stitution was yet under consideration,
it was assumed. by Mr.. Madison, that its
inhabtlnts would be allowed "a NUM-.
cipal legislature, for local purposes, de-
rived from their own suffrages.' When,
for the first time Congress, IN the year
1900, assembled at Washington, Presi.
dent Adams, in his speech at its open,
ing, reminded the two Houses that it
was for them to consider whether the
local powers over the District of Colum
bia, vested by the Constitution in the
Congress Of the United States, should
be Immediately exercised, and he asked
them to 'consi Ter it as the capital of a
great nation, advancing with unexampl-
ed rapidity IN arts, in commerce, ir
wealth, and in population, and possess
ing within itself those resources which,
if not lhrown away or lamentably mis-
directed, would secure to- it a long
course Of prosperity and self govern
mcnt. Three years had not elapsed
when Congress was called upon to de
termine the propriety of retroceding to
Maryland and Virginia the jurisdiction
Of the territory which they had respec>
lively relnqulshed to the Government
Of the United States. 1t was urged on
the one hand, that exclusive jurisdiction
was not necessary or useful to the Gov,
ernment , that it deprived the mhabl
tants of the District OF their political
rights; that much of the time OF Con-
gress was consumed in legislation per-
tainlng to 1t; that its government was
expensive; that Congress was not cons
petent to legislate for the District, be,
cause the members were strangers to its
local concerns and that it was an ex,
pertinent dangerous to the liberties OF
| tl,, Cintn, IA ,a al hon hn,l -
held, among other reasons, and success
fully, that the Constitution, the acts oi
cession of Virginia and Maryland, and
the act OF Congress accept ng the grant,
all contemplated the exercise of exclu,
sive legislation by Congress, and that
its usefulness, If not its necessity, was
inferred from the Inconvenience which
was felt for want of it by the Congress
of the Confederation; that the people
themselves, who it was said had been
deprived ct their political rights, had
not complained and did not desire a re,
PROCESSION that the evil might be reme-
died by giving them a representation in
Congress when the District should be.
come sufficiently populous, and in the
meantime local Legislature; that If the
inhabitants had not political rights,
they had great political influence that
the trouble and expense of legisating
tor the District would not be great but
would diminish, and might in a great
measure be avoided by local Legislature
and that Congress could not retrocede
! the inhabitants without their CONSENT
Continuing to live substantially under
the laws that existed at the time OF the
cession, and such changes only having
been made as were suggested by them
selves, the people Of the District have
not sought, by local Legislature, that
which has generally been willingly con-
ceded by the Congress of the nation.
As a general rule, sound policy re.
quires that the Legislature should yiel
to the wishes of people, when not in
consistent with the Constitution and the
laws. The measures suited TO one com
munity might not be well adapted to th'
condition CT another; and the persons
best qualified to determine such cues
tions ere those whose interests are t.
10 directly affected by any proposed
law, In Massachusetts, for instance
male persons are allowed to vote withou
regard to color, provided they possess
certain degree Of intelligence. In
population in that State OF 1891 ,0CG
there were, by the census OF 1860, onl
9,GO2 persons ofcolor and OF the nal
) over twenty years Of age, there wer
330,OS6 white to 2,602 colored. b
the same official enumeration, ther
were in the District of Columbia GU,
764 whites to Ia, 3l6 persons OF tn
colored race Since then, however, th
', population of the District has largel
D., increased, and il is estimated that OF tn
present time there are nearly a hundre
thousand whites to thirty thousand M
groes. The cause OF the augmente
: numbers OF the latter class needs no e.