Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1870-01-21

! that The Government should have q voice in the
local government; bat he was happy 70 say,
\ althouS b one or two members of the House Com
m tee took that view, that the Senate Com
Inttee were in favor OF the people electing all.
| Hi connection with this project was the result
| of & couversation With an extreme Radical SEN
atOr who is III favor VI exte RdiDg, and not con-
tracing suffrage.
| REMARKS BY Mr.. GREEN.
| Mr. A. n. Green assistant Commissioner of
| the Fourth Ward said they did not care about {
| the spo ciOus pleading they had heard. When
| the peOpi. of this county SEE tue scheme, they
will looked aghast, for it is An ATTEMPT to rob
| them 0i tLeir franchise. He proceeded: What
docs the lapeT 81 this afternoon say ret.rringtO
tn, meeting Of last night, which, il SAYS was the
| arg 4 and tishtest packed meeting ever held
in tLe Distl ict OF those who oppose III measure
| ~, read al editorial in THE STAR of yesJcrl law
| and said that paper speaks of the opponents "a
| wa!d commissioners, contractors, scaveng r.
| ard strikers. He then read extracts from the
| report OF the meeting at Kibournc & LlItas on
| Saturday, showing that Mr. Shepherd hal re-
Ported a draft OF n bill, aud asked if the ctli-
tor die not krow when ne penned the article and
| was Nj. Shepherds bill
| The Chair here explained that it was true
| that MIR. Sh, pherd dill submit draft Of a bill.
but that its main features were those of the bill
| OF Senator Hamlin, drafted last session
Mr.. Green continued, saying that the bill in
| some features was Objectionable, AMI charged
| ttat the projectors OF the bill were here plead
| lag with them to aid capital. He asked were
| iiIy prepared to accept the proposed meas
| uFes. No; We must have another trial of thu
MI. John O'Donoyan here mounted the Plat
| form, but gave "aS 10 sir. Elyans.
SPEECH BY MR.. ELvAHs.
! Mr. Elvans said as the subject WAS an imp0r-
| por N, one. he hal placed on paper his views,
| which he proceeded TO read as follows:
! Nj Chairman II l. useless for the gentelI,u
u deny that the orr gnal intention ri the prom
i",ht eitizens' Wa, To abrid.e the rights OF a
| large lOrtiOn Of the citizens OF the District. |
! uniei stand that this meeting is being held at
| The Instance Of the twenty prominent gentle
| mon who. rumor says, have been holding a 81.
res OF exclusive meetings at the Office OF one OF
| tier number, for the purpose OF inaug ura;ins
q change of form and of powers in the govern
meat oi the District OF Columbia. From the
| very able address OF the senior member of the
| I'll IN, which seems to have engineered the move
! ment-an address for which every well-wisher of
District advancement must and does sincerely
! thank hini--Me are able to extract infor-
| nation, conclusive in its nature. which
| goes To provo that very persistent effort
| Is necessary, now or never, i'll order To
rlace the future OF the c"rital beyond the waves
| of discord and the breakers OF anarchy, which
now threaten to ensulf it. Consolidation should
| be the battic-cry OF high and low, rich anu poor
| white and black, male and female, ami W.
ought all TO be instant in season and out al
season., in obtaining it. Dual corporate au-
thOriiy, levy courts, double school boards, Dis
! trict and Independent police COMMISSIONER
| each antagonstic to the other, and all detri-
lnt ntal to the proper comforts and rights of tn
citiZt lis should be blown TO the four winds ut
heaven, and i'm their place, be erected govern
! meht with authority to protect or restrain the
! people. without regard to residence Boun-
dairy street, or Rock Greek, or over the Eastern
| Branch of the Potomac.
! Enlargement of power of q consolidated Dis
| trict should also claim our earnest support
| With the legislation for nation reaching from
| the Atlantic ocean to the Pacific, and from the
| AroostOOk to the Rio Grande resting upon
| thc1n Congress will not if they could, aud
! cannot if they would, pause in tho great la
| Dor before them TO look after the compare
| lively paltry matters OF detail required by this
child in pinatores called Washington, or the
| District OF Columbia. 1t is time that this ma
| ti0nal baby had been weaned and driven from
the nouri>hnent of Federal pap, and forced to
'hoe its own road for means OF life. And it
| does seem as If the child were ready to look
out for its own future salvation, provided it
| be allowed sufficient free agency in the prem
! lses. For more than two years past it has asked
| Its parent to grant it the same assistance and
! authority which has always been freely award Il
To its sisters. the Territories. 1t cries out 'Givc
me room TO grow: give me power to act; give M
| liberty to breathe-lIberty to exercise NV own
! judgment in a way consistent with your known
/ and established rules for the government OF
your children "a they grow up-and will prom
isc 80 to conduct myself as 10 win your favor
and relieve YOU from the charge of my support
! and the ANXIETY OF looking after my welfare
j am III favor, Mr. Chairman, decidedly
favor of generalization and ena meIt OF GU
lative authority Of the District of Columbia. 1
confess am opposed TO the midnight caucus n
gilt-edged mote arrange ment by which il il pro-
posed to cOniine the benefits and Responsibilities
| OF the proposed change to twenty gchtlem u,
However energetic, honorable. able, or ambi-
| tiOus. And here, Mr.. Chairman, 1 hey 10 dep
| Tccate the tone and language of the editorial
| of The STAR i'll its structures on gentle IN al
| who have seen proper 10 dissent from the
| views of the twenty. | respect hghiy the edi-
| tor. In private and i'll official comm mica
| ton with him through many years / have al
| ways found hin! a noble advocate or gener-
! Gus lencmy, and | do not believe that he il
| capable OF denouncing man fellow or a
| 'sCaNen9er' because such a man may cOnScieu
| tlOusiy oppose a Observation-Disclosures tn"
| opponent may be low down in morals, moTey or
| influence. Take my word for IL, gentlemen, the
| editorials referred to were the lucubrations OF
| some ambitious "tiranl Duke ''L0rd, -
| whose zeal Outran his Judgment, and were not
| the views OF the editor. Now, Mr.. Chairman
! while majority OF our citizens probably favor
change in accordance with the suggested plan
of consolidation and rehabilitation let lis
| see how it is proposed TO be brought about and
| what the apparent design Of the close corpora
| ton OF twenty is.
We have a notice (not of a call of a meeting)
of the proceedings OF a meeting, not to be held,
but held at the office OF our enterprisng citizen
| -, at which it was resolved (by the twenty
| that Congress should be applied to forthwith for
| change OF government, and a sub-commit
| tee Of three WAS appointed to draft a plan
| Tor The government OF the new Territory
\ by the statements OF political economists and
| from experience we know that ordinarily
| voting POpula,iOn-a population directly and
| personally interested in all measures look
| ing to the greatest. good to the greatest num-
II
pie. Apply this rate to the meeting OF
caucus which has been held, and the immortal
| twenty represent just 40 votes, out Of sag an
entiTe rOting population Of 25,00O in the District
| But SUPPOSE We grant, (Which We c0nnot, be
| cause As yet no effort has been made to refer
| the work Of the Subcommittee OF three to the
| people, on the contrary, studi0us attempt
| seems TO have been made to get the matter be-
fore Congress without consulting the people or
| their representative men, suppose We grant
that everything i'm the inception of this business
was intended to be fair, open handed, and regu-
| lar, how does the whole thing strike us?
| disclaim any disposition to be captions or to
| wound the feelings OF gentlemen who have done
and are doing much to advance District inter
ests; but it is utterly impossible for me (no mat
ter how II may strike Others) To divorce the pub
lished accounts of meetings, quietly called and
as closely held and engineered, ALWAYS at the
same real estate Office, from the idea OF an ex-
cecdingly clever and scientifically cOncOcted
advertisement, costing nothing, and yet widely
difiused.
Mr.. Chairman, two years ago. at midnight on
the eve Of the incoming Christmas dav | was
startled from my SAUNDERS by the sound of sweet
| music L rose and listened; grandly, through
| the clear, cold air of that winter night came
the sound OF twenty vOices-colored vOcalists-
singing that glorious anthem of ioy:
while shepherds watched their fscks by night
All seated on the gr und,
The angel Of the Lord came down,
And glory shone around
Iwlll always remember the sOlemnity of that
hour-the hymn, with its effects Of time and
| place. again and again racur tn mo eynp pouy