National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-12-18
DISTRICT IN CONGRESS.
SENATE DEBATE ON THE MORRILL,
BILL.

HEALTH-NO CONCLUSION REACHED.
THE DISTRICT IN CONGRESS-.
In the Senate yesterday the District bill was
taken up, the question being on the Amendment
Of M. Thurman to strike out the word Regents"
wherever it occurs, and insert COMMISSIONER
which was agreed to.
Mr.. Morrill,, of Ms, moved TO amend the 18th |
section to provide that there shall be but one |
coroner instead Of three. Agreed to.
Mr.. Bsysrd called attention to the 18th Sec |
ton, in relation to the
BOARD OF EXCISE,
which he said was cumbersome and unnecessary.
POPULAR SOVEREIGNTY.
MI Morton said there was one feature of this |
bill which he totally dtsapproved. 1t took from |
the people Of this District, population number
ing 10000, larger population than some Of the
States-it took from them the right to administer |
their own local government, and put that gov |
eminent in the sole control Of three men to be |
appointed BY the President This was anti-Re- |
publican, it was Ruu-DemocrRtic, and he could |
not vote for it. He knew what would be said |
about h-that it was an attempt to get rid Of |
eOlored suffrage IN this District, where the exper
He had heard that there were white men in the |
District who would be glad to surrender the suE- |
rage themselves in order to have the colored men
deprived Of II. He did not go so far as his friend
from Maine, IN oei1sFing that Congress should |
District. Congress had the same power over the |
Territories as over this District, and It had no
own government than it would have to deprive |
the people Of the Territories These people here |
were as much entitled to the privilege Of local |
selEgovernment as the people Of any other por- |
lion OF the Union. The people Of this city had |
power to govern this District 10 three men, it had
the right to delegate it TO the people themselves.
time he should offer an amendment to make the |
three commissioners elective by the people, in
stead Of appOintiVe by the President.
TIoNAL.
Mr.. Morrill,, Of Ne, replied to Mr.. Morton, |
and repeated his view that properly, under the |
Constitution, there could be no such thing as To-
cal selEgOvernment in this District. In Congress |
was vested the exclusive jurisGistion, and it had |
no right TO delegate it Viewing It as question |
of eIpediency, he asked, would any one want to |
60 back to the inadequate administration of the |
local government prior to IB7O-an administration |
which was below mediOcrity, and made this great |
capital Of the United States inferior to any Of the
State capitals and inferior TO most Of the cities of
the country? And would any one want to go |
tack TO the administration Of the last three /
years? He wished to say nothing against the
government in the last three years. They had
done great deal Of good work, and had beauti-
system OF government was too expensive. Mr.
Morrill, then replied to the objections Of Mr..
Baysrd to the excise question, and opposed the
motion made by that Senator to that section.
MIR. Baysrd remarked that he fully agreed
with Mr.. Morrill, as to the exclusive power and
jurisdiction Of Congress over the District, and
said that it could delegate that power to many
or as few as it pleased. 1t could confer suffrage
or withhold it, as it pleased. The experiment Of
negro suffrage, which had been tried here, had
been a most sickening one, and Congress might
well hesitate against Continuing the Ignorant and
depraved rule which had been exercised over this
District for several years past. Mr.. b. then ad-
dressed himself TO the objections which occurred
TO him TO the excise regulations which he said
was an attempt TO
INVADE THE DOMAIN ov MORALS,
under the cover Of legislation; to regulate the
social habits Of men in regulations to collect
AZ M n q he civ 70
this excise board to regulate the conditions upon
which liquor licenses are 20 be issued was unlfm-
tied, and tnstanced the unhappy results which
had ensued in the State of Maine In the attempts
to regulate the liquor traffic. Under the clause
in this bill no man who had sold liquor could be
secure Of privacy in his house at any hour in the
night OF day. He moved TO strike out from line
eleven to line thirty-One, inclusive, on page 90,
which provides that bond shall be given for the
payment Of the license and to observe the cOndi-
lions prescribed by the board Of excise, and to
insert provision requiring all fees for licenses to
be paid in advance at the Treasury. Rejected.
Mr.. Edmunds, by unanimous consent, submitted
the bill to enable the Supreme Court Of the Dis
tTict Of Columbia to proceed with its jury bust
Mr.. COROYer moved an amendment to
sections, relating to
THE BOARD OF HEALTH,
and insert therein q provision continuing the
present board Mr.. Conover alluded to the ex-
trayagant expenditures Of the present Board of
Health. amounting TO over $4,000, while in his
State the entire expenses Of the state govern
salaries by this board
The amendment vas lost,
= ~, Ih4TmSn, m He thought Il Tint 10 Aa1t the
Board Of NJ this expensive and useless machin-
ny. He knew Of no city in the country which had
such extensive Board Of Health, and many
thought that the chief object OF the present board
was TO make personal capital.
Mr. Morton said the present Board Of Health
had been eminently successful in preserving the
health Of the city.
MI Howe submitted an amendment. striking
out that part Of the eleventh section requiring
one Of the members Of the Board Of Health 20 be
appointed on the written recommendation Of the
Surgeon General Of the army. Lost.
Mr.. Morton moved to amend the third section
BY providing that the three commissioners shall
be elected by
THE QUALIFIED VOTERS OF THE DISTRICT.
Mr.. Bayard said he believed that the evils
under which this Distri . had suffered had been
caused in the main by the exercise of the suE-
trage by those who were entirely unfit for it. His
sympathies were for those in this District who |
had been despOiled of theiE property through
this exercise OF suffrage. IRsSbelieVed in leaving
this question Of suffrage where 1t was intended
that it should be left, with the communities that
were to be affected for good or evil by it. He did
not wish 10 stlgmatiZe the recent government Of
this District, but when he said that it was very
bad and very dishonest government he said
merely what the almost unanimous voice Of Con
gress had said in Wiping out that government. |
The party Of which the honorable Senator Mr.. |
Nortonl was such an ornament was entirely re- |
EPonsible fOrall the evils forced upon this Dis
trict and upon the country by negro suffrage. He
would not vote to bring the curse Of negro suE-
he was convinced that they desired it.
Mr.. Thurman said unless the bill was greatly
altered he could not vote for the amendment or
the Senator from Indiana. He was as much in
Favor OF HOME RULE
as the Senator from Indiana, but under the Con-
stitutiOn there could be 10 such thing IS home
IaIe N thls district The resident in the District
stands precisely on the same footing the man
within any Of the forts or Rrsenals OF the United
States. Congress may, II It chose, create munich
palities here, but when it Withholds the suffrage
II does not deprive the people here Of one right
either natural or created. He did not say that a
government might not be properly founded on |
suffrage He thought the old municipaIities Of
Washington and GEORGETOWN did pretty we'll !
and he had opposed the territorial bill three years
ago.
THE NORTHERN LIBERTY MARKET.
General NJ. Z. Meigs has sent the following
letter to the trustees Of the Northern Liberty /
markets
SUARTERNAsTER GENERALS OFFICE,
WASHINGTON, ID. C., Dec. 3, 1874. |
To the Trustees Of the Northern Lf5srty Market
GESTLEaES: beg to compliment you upon the
splendid market-house nearly completed by your
association have seen nothing in Europe or
America Of better model. If the drainage is
made good, so that every part of the floor can be
drenehed with water under strong pressure and
ter into the sewers it viii Be perfect. I have
never seen the temperature Of the great markets
in Europe or America perfectly we'll provided for.
venture to suggest what think the proper and |
best mode. or course you will consider it and
adopt it or not as may meet your views The |
purchasers at 3 market 20 clothed for the outside
temperature, and therefore there is for them nc |
need Of heating the hall in cold weather Meats
and vegetables keep best in a temperature near
% degrees the freezing point Of water, but those
who are obliged TO remain for many hours in the |
market suffer If the temperature is kept too low |
If every stall is provided with q small coil or
plate Of iron, heated by steam, large enough to |
place the feet upon, the feet can be kept warm !
and II the feet are warm very low temperature
can be borne. 1t has therefore seemed to me that
TINS winch does not require much fuel or large
DollcTs or much pipe, is the best mode Of heating
great market. Either q cast-iron radiator Of |
eight or len inches square, set flush with the |
pavement, e coil Of nch-pipe, Of the same sur
lace can be plaeed at every stall. A stesm-pipe |
Of moderate size, should pass along the front OF
each row Of stalls, being placed q few inches be.
low the radiator, which should be connected with |
IL by a short inch pipe. The whole original cost
would be moderate, and the surface Of radiation !
20 be heated being small, the quantity of fuel |
used would be small. The man flow and return |
pipe should be placed in trench filled with char
coal the best OF nOn-conductors, to prevent waste
Of heat.
Very respectfully your obedisnt servant,
NJ. q. MEIGs,
Quartermaster General u s. A
In connection with the above IL NAV be proper |
70 say that the architect Of the building JAS h