Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1867-01-10

conferred apOn congress unlimited power
within the District of Columbia, titles of
nobility might he granted within It's boun-
daries; laws might be made respecting an
establishment Of religion, or prohibiting
the free exercise thereof; or abrldglng the
| freedom Of speech or of the press or the
| right OF the people peaceably to assemble
and to petition the Government for q re-
dress Of grievances Despotism would
| thus reign at the seat of government OF
free Republic, and. as place OF permanent
residence, it would be avoided by all who
prefer the blessings of liberty to the mere
emoluments Of official position.
It should also be remembered that IN leg
islating for the District Of Columbia, under
the Federal Constitution, the relation Of
Congress to its inhabitants is analogous to
that of a Legislature to the people of
State, under their own local Constitution.
It does not, therefore, seem to be asking
too much that, in matters pertaining to the
District, Congress should have like re-
spect for the will and interests of its inbab-
itants as is entertained by a State Legisla-
ture for the wishes and prosperity of those
for whom they legislate. The spirit OF our
Constitution and the genius Of our Govern
ment require that, III regard to any law
which is to affect and have a permanent
bearing upon a people, their will should
those who are acting in the capacity Of their
legislators Would, for instance, the Leg
islature Of the State of New York, or of
Pennsylvania, or of Indiana, or of any State
in the Union, in opposition to the
expressed will Of a large majority of
the people whom they were chosen to rep
resent, arbitrarily force upon them, vo-
ters, all persons of the African OF negro
race, and make them eligible for Office,
without any other qualification than q GER
tain term of residence within the State p
In neither of che States named would the
colored population, when acting together,
be able to produce any great social OF po-
litical result. Yet, in New York, before he
can vote, the man Of color must fulfil con-
ditons that are not required of the white
citizen III Pennsylvania the elective fran
chise is restricted to white freemen while
in Indiana negroes aud mulattoes are ex-
pressly excluded from the right of suffrage.
1t hardly seems consistent with the princi-
pies of right and justice that representa-
tives Of States where suffrage is either de-
MED the colored man, or granted to him Oh
qualifications requiring Intelligence or pro-
perty, should compel the people of the Dis
tict of Columbia to try an experiment
which their own constituents have thus far
shown an unwiilingness to test for them
lican ideas that the principle Of self govern
ment should lose its force when applied to
the residents OF the District, merely be
cause their Legislators are not, like those Of
the States, responsible, through the ballot,
to the people for whom they are the law
making power.
The great object Of placing the seat Of
government under the exclusive Legislation
OF Congress, WAS to secure the entire indie
pendence Of the General Government from
undue State influence. and to enable it to
discharge, without danger Of interruption
or infringement of its authority, the high
functions for which it was created hy the
people For this important purpose 1t was
ceded to the United States by Maryland
and Virginia. and 1t Certaln Y never could
have been contemplated, rs one of the OBJ
iects to be attained by placing it under the
exclusive Jurisdiction of Congress, that it
would afford to prOpagandistS OF political
parties place for an experimental test of
their princi plies and theories. While, i'll
| deed. the residents of the seat of govern
ment are not citizens OF any State, and are
not therefore allowed Il vCce in the elccto-
| ral college, or representation IN the cOun-
| ellis Of the nation, they are, nevertheless,
| American citizens, entitled IT'S such to every
guarantee Of the Constitution, to every
| benefit OF the laws, and TO every right
which pertains to citizens Of our common
country. In all matters, then, affecting
| their domestic affairs, the spirit of our de-
mocratic form OF government demands that
| their wishes should be consulted and res
| pected, and they taught to feel that, al
| though not permitted practice lily to partic
| ipate III national concerns, they are never
theless under q paternal Government, re-
| gardful OF their rights, mindful Of their
wants, and SolicitOus for their prosperity.
| It was evidently contemplated that all local
| questions would be LETT to their decision, at
least to an extent that would not be incom-
| patibIe with the object for which Congress
was granted exclusive Legislation over the
seat of government. When the Constitu
| ton was yet under consideration it was as
snmed, by Mr.. Madison, that It's inhabl
tants would be allowed "a municipal leg
islature. for local purposes, derived from
| their own suifrages." When, for the first
time, Congress, i'll the year 1900, assembled
at Washington, President Adams, in his
speech at its opening, reminded the two
| Houses that it was for them to consider
whether the local powers over the District
of Columbia, vested by the Constitution III
the Congress of the United States, should
he immediately exercised, and he asked
them to ''consider it as the capital of a
great nation, advancing with uneXampled
rapidity in arts, in commerce. III wealth, and
in population, and possessing within itself
those resources which, if not thrown away
or lamentably misdirected, would secure to
it a long course Of prosperity and self gov
eminent" Three years had not elapsed
when Congress was called upon to deter
mine the propriety of retroceding to Mary
land and Virginia the jurisdiction of the
territory which they had respectively re-
linquished to the Government of the United
States. It was urged, on the one hand,
that exclusive Jurisdiction was not necessary
or useful to the Government that it de-
prived the inhabitants of the District of
their political rights that much of the
time of Congress was consumed III legisla-
ton pertaining to it that its government
was expensive that Congress was not com
petent to legislate for the District, because
the members were strangers to its1ocal con
Germs and that it was an example of a
government without representation ex-
pertinent dangerous to the liberties Of the
States On the other hand, it was held,
among other reasons, and successfully, that
the Constitution, the acts of cession of Viz
ginia and Maryland, and the act of Con
II