Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1875-01-02
.argest Circulation in the District
WASHINGTON CITY;
SATIRDAY....-.. January =, 1875
Taxation and Representation.

The plan Of District government propose By
the joint special committee Of Congress has
been discussed in sn of hand way by the daily
press Of the country; and the more deliberate
comments OF the weekly press and the monthly
magazines are now coming to hand. In the last
number OF HG-per's Weekly pretty long edi
torisl is devoted to the matter. The editor an
aiyzes the proposed plan, a. illustl atsi in tbs
Senate debate, and deductS therefrom the
proposition that local self government 10 as
much forbidden by the onstitution itself to the
Inhabitants OF the District Of Co!umbis a. l. isto
the int sbitas t. Of any fort national bnildlnR
or Enclosure. He gees on to say :-'' Until the
year 1907 the government OF the District was
exercised b, Congress through commissioners,
nor were the constitutional rights of the people
violated AS Mr.. Morrill,, Of Maine, truly said
the question was and il enc Of expedIeucy. In
deed, the Supreme Court has decided that every
legislative act in the District is necessarily ma
ti0nsl, for, under the Constitution, there is no
local authority in the ordinary sense. The res-
son was shown By Mr.. Thurman. 1t is that
there may never be the possibility OF juris-
cietion that might be srrsyed sgsins. the na-
tionsl government. Moreover, the larger part
of the property in the Distric: is owned by the
national government, 50 that Congress, In gov
eTring IL, is governing the com mon domain and
property. There is therefore no constitutional
right TO local self-gOvernment in the District.
The vital and essential value of that right any
where is the power OF legislation either d.
rectly or by representation, but the Consti-
tutiOn expressly withholds that power from the
District, and gives to Congress authority to
exercise exclusive legislation IN all cases what
soever.' 1t is q mere question of expeGiency
how that authority shall be exercised"
In regard TO The argument By Senator Bay-
ard that much, II not all the trouble in the
District was due to "the curse of negro suf-
rage the editor thinks 10 is not negro suf-
frsge, but ignorant suffrage which is danger
Gus, and calls Senator Bsyard's attention to the
point that in ISL, under the supremacy of his
party, mot only were the colored children of
the District uuts Ight, but half Of the white
children were without education"
Summing up the whole matter the Weekly
concludes.
Now, that the recent system has failed in the
District, It IL certainly wise TO try the plan OF
concentrated responsibility proposed by the
commute. IL must be assumed that the cam
mittee has consulted intelligent persons OF all
parties, and thst its Recommendations Are the
result OF careful observation and of various ex
leIlenee. That giant sentinel on the watch
monsrchical design in the word Regents, by
which the new executive boa-d was described,
and moved To substitute commissioners begging
DIT. M0Irlll Dot 10 think the motion demaSogi-
cal or for buDcOmbe. Why did Mr. Thurman
thiDk that II would be 80 interpreted? sThs
lady doth protest too much, methinks' The
experiment ID the District, which is polite slIy
wholly exceptional place. will be yery yslua-
bic In throwing light upon the comparative ex
ceneDce OF An appointiye system. One great
evil OF our lOcsi governments everywhere is the
great DCmber OF elective officers; and although
the constitutional conditions in the District OF
Coiumbfs are essentially different from those of
q sell governing community, the new system
canLOt Iail 10 be instructive"
It will be noticed as a material point Of inter-
est TO our taxpayers, that wherever, as in the
above, the onus OF the government of the Dis
uict Is placed directly upon Congress. the ar
gUment /. accompanied by the direct recogni-
ton OF the fact that ''the larger part OF the
property CT the District is owned by the Ma
uoDal government" and that therefore the gen.
eral government is responsible for an equivalent
proportion Of the expenses OF the District to the
amount OF property it owns. On the contrary,
the doctrine OF local self-government for this
District Is based directly upon the theory that
congress declines to recognize any RESPONSE
bihty on account of government property in
Washington, any more than it does for the ex-
penses OF any city in which it has a custom.
house court house OF other government p-op-
erty. Upon this theory Congress would readily
concede US self-govsTnment, suffrage, and all
that; and at the same time throw upon us the
Nhoie burden Of the expense Of running the
"self- government machine.