Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-11-19
COMMUNICATED.
IOOMMUNICAThD.
On the Question Of SuIrage ia the
District of COIumbfa.


And now, on the eve of the approaching ses-
sion of Congress, one to be irsught With interest
to the residents of the District, inasmuch a. a
form of government is 10 be prescribed for u,
looms up the question OF suffrage, and already
portion of the press OF the ciry has seen III in
rather a dictatOrial way to announce on behalf
OF our people that they prefer an elective gov
eminent. Without assuming this t. be true OF
fals e, let ms Geal with the question. whether
any practical good results Will ensue by giving
the people an opportunity 10 exercise the ballot"
1h6 strongest argument in favor OF the 6NeT-
else of suffrage in the District Is made bv tts
advocates when they assert that 10 take IL away
Is TO Conftss that the American systeia. Of I'll
ele We franchise is failure. Strong, nol
because the District Tan iay claim to any legal
Iif BIT 70 the exercise Of suffrage, but only be-
cause Ii looks on its face as Z such confession
were made by Congress In denying il TO US. Ia
point OF law OF constitutional guarantees, now
ever, He have no claim. When tue state Of
Mary and ceded TO the general government that
poTtIUn or it's boundary which went 70 make up
the ten mile square. it did 50 with full under
standing that 1t Teiinquished any and ali int r
est II Heretofore possessed. II was free, uure-
stricted gift, without prOsisO OF any nature
or kind whatsoever. 1t knew shat the funda-
mental instrument, upon which rests our institu-
tlont, declared that over II Congress shall have
exclusive luTlSGiCtion." And il was upDn these
terms that the gift was accepted and the ceded
land became the permanent seat OF government
Having thus acquired an undisputed possession
II II became, so TO speak, the farm of the United
States, upon which the law making powers
aid no one else, were TO be its administrators
ANY American citizen, 10 matter with how htsh
and sacred a regard he esteemed the exercisa OF
the elective fran chise, who came within the
BOUNDS OF this estate, did so with a full upder-
standing that ne was settling upon possession
over which Congress was, 20 all Iutents ana
purposes, the king, aud TO whose dictum,
whether mOnaTchical or otherwise he "a.
bourd 70 abide. The TACT Of taking up an abode
within the prescribed bOands placed him in the
position Of having voluntarily disfrauchised
himself, for II within the Di>trict he ever sNer-
cised the voting privilege, he never did SO As Z
right, but as gracious fdror. There can be no
question as 10 the rights of Congress to denv IA.
the elective franchise, while on the other hand
it IL one OF grave doubt whether that body
has the night under the Constitution to grant it
The fact that Congress has permitted il does
rot carry with IL the conviction that IL had tba
legal hight SO 10 do. Ii is matter for very Sc
rlOus consideration whether that BODY has tl,
authority 10 shirk its respOns bility and delegate
Its legislative functions 60 others. MANY of the
soundtst legal minds are Of an opposite opinion
and hence question the Legality of any act o:
our CouBciLs or succeeding legisl stures; anu
upon this hypothesis is the claim urged. and
win good ground. that the debts entailed upou
this strict are III fact the deb OF the nation:
ana fyr this reason, that they become 80 be-
cause CcngTess must assume the legislative re-
SpoNsibility, it being vested, and il only. with
legislative powers Any body created tor legls.
ldtFe purposes cannot, without amending ,la
natoEa! organic instrument, relieve Congress
OF Its TespOnsl bilIty, and hence oar legislator
being but agents, they can hold the principal
for any OF their shortcomings. There can be
but one method by which Congress can deleg..e
lts legislative power, and that is by aEsend-
InE the constitution OF the United States and
by submitting the same to the people tarougb
'Ee IL gislatuTes of the several states
But It tie popular demand be that the great
boon OF suffrage, be administered this people
The privilege of the ballot can be grauted u
without enCrOachiDg on tue constitutional pre-
negatives OF Congress. Let that BODY directly
leEisIate for the District, and then let the peo-
pie choose the ministerial officers who deal di-
rectiy with the people. Say, for instance, that
we elect by ballot the Recorder of Deeds TIE
Register Of Wills, the Clerk Of the Court the
Marshal, tor, better still, abolish the Office and
give Us the sheriff SYSTEM the Collector o.
axes, the Police Court Judge and CLERK the
District Attorney, aud other Offices which VII.
tualiy belong to and deaf with the people. w
might, too, elect our justices Of the peace an
Constables. These Offices could be MADE lucra
tive and sought after, by reducing the number
and instead of having one hundred OF such ON
ceIs, (mostly bad ones rednCe the number rg,
thirds. The Office would then become lacra i've
and men Yersed IN law ami OF good charactzr
would accept them.
Past experience, however, has demonstrated
that any legislative body is a failure ia the Dl,-
tGlct. The remembraDces of scores OF Idle ne
erOes, preceding an election, cutting grass on.
OF the cutters with case knives, AMI the ludic
rous hnale Of the furniture grab, are too fre-r
in the minds of honest people ID prompt 1e
sire for return 10 any such system. NY