Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1872-01-26
A Discussion i'm the fifth District.

about one hundred present. and Mr. J. " Rotss
called the meeting 10 order and took the chair.
Geo. Forester acting ~ secretary. The latter
read a me morris! asking Congress =. to 50 snerI
The act creating government for the DistTi Ct
OF Columbia that the people mag he ALLOW ed tC
elect the Governor and Board al Public Works,
the me mbeTs of the Legislative Council, and all
other District officers whose saRares exceed
twelve hundred dollars per annnR; and also To
enact that whenever the people OF the District
snail. by majority vote cast AZ any regular or
special election ~ decide they nc ar discontinue
any Office created by the Governors az the Board
OF Public Works or by the Legislative AsseE-
bly,"
Walker White addressed the chair as MI
Speaker, and asked 10 make an inquiry 70
the effect OF the memorial il IL Nas a fight ON
/ the board OF legislature?
Mr.. Il. Brown said it was not now tiane 10 raise
fight against the Legislature. Wait until
April, and if they 10 not do right Tia N 60 tor
them.
The chairman said it was not proposed TO
fight the Board of Public Works or Legislator
either, but they came to take some measures to
protect their rights.
The cOndreading OF the memorial wSs allied
for, when White said ifthey all understood il a.
well a. he twas unnecessary, and that the resO-
luton
Mr.. r. Brown" a point if you please; ( is a
memorial"
Wbite.-''well, can't split dick"
Himber and White both claimed the floor, and
the chairman (BOtts) told Himber to proceed.
Mr.. Himber urged that il was unnecessary 60
ask for the election of a Governor; it could BoI
be done unless the District was created a state.
White rise to a point-the President IL
poorly, ard should not be embarrassed. The
man on the floor is contractor, at least he has
BEEN
Brown objected to White proceeding.
White" Well, am speaking for the good OF
the poor man"
Forester. White is not a resident Of Wash
ington"
BTOwn.-"White is making too long a point
White" The short and long talking we like
10 excuss, and the very point Is in that prOmOr-
ial ilnemorial.) Is that correct?" ILaughter.l
A vOice.-'He didn't vote at the last election
BTown.-" A man who didn't vote in the 5th
district should not be allowed TO speak here.''
White.-"well, will respect the chair, as be
The Chair" Well, why don't You act like a
man. not like you was in the country at a corn
shneking." [Laughter.I
Mr.. IIimber continued, saying the govern
ment will also insist on having representatives
on the Board OF Public Works. A voice, "Oh.
you are sOre."l "Well, what if 1 am; if have
difficulty with the Board OF Public Works it
Is my business and not yours" He did not fight
the board, AMI sustain the board in making i'm
provements; but that was not the question, they
came to fight on the election of officers. He stood
now on the same platform he was on last year
in favor of electing officers. The last clause of
the me mortal giving the people the right to
abolish Offices could not he carried out He did
not wish it to go out that the memorial wasen-
dorsed as a whole.
White attempted 10 get the fOcr again. amid
cries OF, "Send Walker 10 GeOrgetOwn,' and
for "Green" and Cook" Forester claimed
the floor for White. and the chair insisted that
White should sit down; but White declined
saying that no man had more cou tesy for the
speaker than he. "As for that promorial inc
moral }, sore contractors come here TO approve
II, and all you who are raising points of order
have axes to grind. Why, you who are irving
To speak. you know tina; you have been irving
your aNe and are going into the fire depart
Dsnt the first Of the month. ILaughterI An
other Is grinding his axe by horse and cart on
Tie public work. Why, God Almighty knows
YOU have all got something to grind. Now, /
am coming right down to the final point.
voice: Thank Go1!''l can't split dick, bur
know right from wrong. Why, they send Oft to
New England to bring men here TO fool u.s.
n motion was made that Walker take his seat
and carried, but Walker didn't comply.
X. Brown said they didn't want flaming
speeches, but they wanted to know if the Dis
tTlct Of Columbia meant to starve them out
Why Is IL thus? Because men az the meetings
had told them lies, and they, having got their
votes. didn't now care for them. As for con-
tractors, we know some of the work must be
cone by them, but ii should be done by our own
contractors, and not by New York and Boston
men; Why don't they give work TO Henry Birch
and Bill Fletcher?
chair, and addressed the meeting, stating that
they in the sixth district had not made a Single
mistake; they had adopted a platform favoring
the election of all officers and stuck to it-their
delegate voting for the resolution of the House
Of Delegates on that subject. The clause that
work should be giyeS to the lowest bidder was
not put IN bills in regard to Improvements, and
tie Board had adopted its own scale OF prices
which Is said 10 be too low. Under this scale
work is given out, and II YOU don't 10 IL in thirty
days 1t is taken away and given to New Workers
officers, and bis district (6th) was unanimous
on 1t.
The meeting was here resolved into a mass
meeting, with Mr.. BOtts III the chair and Mr..
Cant secretary, and White attempted to speak
amid cries $50 20 Georgetown" ''Y0u are mad
because your mule Is Dead" &c.
Mr.. Henry johnson vas call.d and addressed
the meeting, stating that he was protective
tariff man, in favor OF keeping the work at home
among themselves. They had right not only
to eTiticise their opponents, but their own party
and he referred to the House of Delegates having
adopted resolution looking to the election of
all officers, which had been defeated in the
Council because they knew that they could not
be elected. He favored the extension of suffrage
and thought that the proper time had come to
ask il.
George Hatton Sid that he acknowledged
having IL ihe past committed some faults which
he regretted. He saw in the last campaign a
disposition TO trample ont the life's blood of the
laboring man. Now you are looking for soup
houses, then you fell into line at the cry OF hip,
hip. hurrah, and at the crack of the whip.
because you expected that the frost would be
done away with, the rains stayed in the heavens,
&c. Having got your votes, they then say to the
north, "Come down to this modern Eden we
have made, where sickness, sorrow, pain and
death are known no MORE Then they elected
every candidate, even his political enemy, Bill
Dickson.
A. Nj. Green followed, in the course OF
Lis remarks urging that they get up their petit
tons to Congress asking a modification of the
law. The Board of Public Works had hereto
fore elected whoever they wanted. and the la
boring men had been used as tools in their hands
He was in favor OF investigation by Congress,
and regarded this as an opportune time to petit
ton Congress. All they had to do was to ask
for what they wished, not less thai, they wanted
but more and then perhaps they would obtain
the needed legislation. He cautioned the eolore1
men not 20 be led astTay, especially in regard 10
movement to elect white men to the republj-
can nominating convention. Select colored
man and stick to him.
A resolution was adopted declaring that the
privilege of selecting the OFFICERS by ballot meets
with their hearty approval, and respectfully
petition that the charter OF the District be 80
amended as to allow the selection Of executive
officers by ballot, and requested the Board of
Public Works 10 resume work On the improve
mnts contemplated by them.
Remarks were made by Col. j. W.iI Barnes,
chairman OF the central mmittee, and Rev W.
j. Walker, after which the meeting adjourned.
~
The JOINT COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE AND
MANUFACTURES of the two houses of the legis-
Iative assembly OF the District of Columbia, ap-