Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1871-01-23
Tie New Government for the District

particular features OF any plan of improved
mode OF government. for the District are listened
to, We shall continue for another hundred years
to bear the evils of our incongruous rule aud
Anticipated cOde-the code which, as Judge
Cartier puts il with sarcastic point. comes down
10 US from Queen Anne and the penalties of
which are payable In tobacco. Any plan
OF united government the District must
necessarily be in the nature of an experiment,
and like all experimental measures is liable to
defects TAe nature aud extent of these defects
can only ~ sscertained by experience, and then
r6neGied Unfii the machinery il perfected and
capable OF performing the functions for which
it, intended.
Curio-sI. enough, the two main objections
urged are ir positive conflict. ON the one side
Il il ms.Ets ned that the right OF suffrage Is
abridged acre CONTRARY to the consultation of
the United states" ami on the other that Con
gress having exclusive jurisdiction the
Pistrict cannot cOustitutionally delegate to it
Tie power 70 make laws, &c. That is to say,
enc rarfy claims that by this bill Congress takes
away powers from the people uncOnstitnti0nsi-
~, ana the other party holds that Congress i
giving u more power han the constitution Al
I5ws.
But II 50 happens that both these points Yers
discussed (sce GlcJe report by some OF the
AtltEN tEN t4s III ZIG lANI~t WIEN tlt OIL WAS
under consideration; and tbat after tina. discus
son the sections referred 70 were carried by
large majority.
Judge CeOs, chairman OF the District Com
mittee, dealing With the suffrage question, d.
C,sred that after a careful examination, the
people of the District OF Columbia have about
the worst government there is in the United
States" ard he proceeded o point OIt the rea-
Scns-Valeut 70 everybody here-why a NUM-
cipal government, elected by universsIsuiFrase,
should from the anon 4lous nature of oar non
ulation, be worse government for the District
than the municipal governments of other cities.
i, that be possible. The United States has vast
property here; every nan in the United States
has personal interest in the government OF this
District, and the theory OF this bill was that the
proper conservative influence in its government
may lie secured by the appointment of a p2r-
ton OF that gOvernmeu; by the authority OF the
United States, thus rell wing it from the pra I'll
cal difficulty when occurs in most of the cities
Of the United States, and with peculiar force in
this city. Air. Coos Characterized the present
municipal governments Of the DIstric. created
by Congress a. utter failures, and held Ia AT ths
bill would I've vsluelesS il ii did no provl.e for
simple, harmonious, economical yOsernment
having & strong conservative element in IL ran
re=enting the people Of the whole United States
Mr. Wood said that fer the last dfty We ,rs ~
have had a contradictory, Heterogeneous. m
satisfactory form OF government here and the
result had been that property had not been p-o-
tected; the capital OF this great nation as not
been provided like the capitals OF Europe and
Ike the capitals Of tie States, with all those
necesSaries which make life agreeable, property
safe, and personal rights secure and respected.
The city was ruled By preponderant floating
reputation, mas of persons who not only have
10 interests here, but who are really disGualiisd
TO appreciate and comprehend properly the in
tereSt, Of other.
Mr.. Bingham, the chairman of the judiciary
Committee, secuted the talk about self
government for the people of the District,
where Congress, by the Constitution, had
exclusive control, and said the bill simply pro-
L0sed rnethed Of prim .rily allowing the people
q express their wishes subject to the controlling
power Of Congress
In regard to the eonstitutionality of the legis-
istiye powers granted by the bill % the DE-
triot, Judge WoOdward showed that, as wa
also held by M. Bingham, this was a qualified
legislative over not newly granted, (the city
OF Washington having sways possessed the leg
islative power of a public municipal CORPORA
tiOn,l but which is regulated BY this BILL and is
merely Of TIE nature OF petition of the citizens
CT this District to the Congress of the United
states, in which the legislative power resides.
Judge Poland clnched the IN after beyond al
doubt, it would seem TO US, by quoting from the
sd number of the Federalist, where it is de-
clared that there is no question but what, IN Ter
the Constitution, Congress has the power to del
esste legislative power TO local legislature for
the District. And Judge Story, Mr.. Poland
added, in the third volume of his commentaries
on the Constitution, cites apprOvingly this dec
Iaraiion of the FedeTalist.
1t is worthy of note, that after this discussion.
Mr. HOar, who had raised the Constitutional
point withdrew his amendments.