Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1870-01-17
Reading Matter on Every Page.
The Proposed Territorial Goverunens
for the District.

The Proposed TeFFitOrial GOyernAenl
for the District.
The bin drafted by the Citizens Committee
to establish a Territorial Government for the
District Of Columbia provides for the appoint
ment Of a Governor, Secretary, and Council by
the President, with the advice and consent of
tie Senate; and House of Assembly and Del
egate in Congress elected by the people.
The design of the committee in drafting this
measure, seems to have been to secure for the
people of the District full representation by
making the offices Of Assemblymen and Dele
gate in Congress elective, and at the same time
10 reserve for the Government a voice in Dis
trict Affairs through the appointment of the
Governor and Council, such as will Justify Con-
gress in surrendering to the Territorial Govern
ment of the District the power to legislate upon
District matters, reserving to itself withal the
right to repeal or annul any acts of the Terrific
rial Legislature not approved.
This enlargement of the powers of the Dis
trict government is really the vital part of the
bill Any change in the mode Of government
mere Is worthless IL it does not secure this fea-
fure. 1t is not that our officials are corrupt or
inefficient that the affairs of the District are in
their present unsatisfactory condition; but It ia
In the fact that with their present limited DOW
ers they can DO absolutely nothing 1t Is not
their fault, nor that OF the people, that our ave-
hues remain unpaved; that the canal Is useless
ana pestferous; that the old market sheds dis
grace pennsylvania avenue, and that PennsyI-
wanna avenue disgraces the city, or rather the
Government. 1t is not the fault of the authori-
lies or the people of the District that the wretch
cd old Jail bights the centre OF the city; that the
river channel is filed up, and that the miasmatic
flats south of the Presidents House are not filed
mp. 1t is not their fault that we have no rail-
road facilities, do not own a foot of rail, or
single brick or board in any railroad structure.
1t is not their fault that check is put upon In
dustry and enterprise by fossil laws received as
LEGACY from Maryland, and which that State
has long ago repealed for herself, but which
still remain an incubus upon the District.
because Congress has not time to deal with
them.
In all these matters the District would very
Speedily work a reform if she had the power.
But she cannot straighten a line in the zig-zag
canal, or touch a venerable single upon the
moss-covered roof of the market house. or fill
MP rut in Pennsylvania avenue, or clean a
gutter in frOntof a Government reservation, or
remove spoonful of the sacred soil OF the river
fats, or subscribe dollar to build railroads.
or Tor an Industrial exposition, or TO encourage
manufactures, or any other work of progress,
without the consent Of Congress.
We are dependent upon Congress for permis-
sion to move hand or foot, and, most unfortu-
nately for US, Congress never finds time to give
that permission. Congressional District Com
mlttees prepare and digest measures OF District
interest every year, but perhaps for an entire
session the House District Committee, for in
stance, will fail to get the floor long enough to
press single measure OF any Importance. II
they do succeed in getting District bill before
House. Y.-lp h,-o
uniformed member will send il to eternal
limbo OF the large number of bills in the
hands OF the District Committees at the last
session but four got through, and these were of
the most trihlng and IncOnsequential character
The members, impatient to get up their own
business, will not give time to District bill, the
consideration Of which leads to any debate what
ever. They say: Why should we, who have
to legislate tor thirty millions of people. and
are required to deal with great national
affairs, be called upon to give our time TO
petty municipal legislation, questions of street
paving, market houses, &c, &c? And why
should they? They frankly admit that they
nave no time to post themselves upon District
anairs, In order to act upon them intelligently.
and no time to act upon them if they were
posted Every member we have converse with
on the subject comedies the utter ina bility of
Congress TO give proper attention to District mat
tiers and their disposition TO remit their consid-
Grafton to any competent authority in the Dis
trict.
This, then, being the condition of affairs and
the disposition of Congress, the question rises
In what way shall this transfer of authority be
made, and how shall the legislative and execu-
tive body of the District be constituted. Sena-
tor Hamlin, Chairman Of the Senate District
Committee, expresses himself very decidedly in
favor of Territorial form Of government for
The District, and the Citizens Committee, after
going over the whole ground come to the same
conclusion The result of their labors in draft
ing plan Of District Government will be pre-
scented at public meeting this week for the
Consideration Of our citizens. We trust that
meeting will bring forth a full expression of
opinion, and an agreement upon some definite
plan OF action; to be followed up by long pull
and strong pull altogether in its behalf III
Any better plan than that presented by the COM
nlttee can be found, let it be adopted; but by
al means agree on something, and then act.