New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-01-31

upper House only such persons as the Ring could
manage and no one could be elected 10 the lower
House without the consent of the leading members
of the Ring 1t therefore came to pass that when
the chief officers of the District of Columbia
desired to do anything about the legality of which
there was any question, or against which there was
strong popular opposition, Mr.. Shepherd simply went
down to the Legislative Assembly with his bill in
his hand and he generally got it passed before he
left Members of this Assembly testified before the
Joint Committee of Congress in 1873 and 1874,
that they voted for bills authorizing the expcndi-
lures of large sums of money simply because Cover
nor Shepherd desired it.
| The Ring has always been popular with the ig-
norant negroes of the District. in its disgrace
as well as during the time when its power was
almost unlimited. Leading colored men have fire.
quently in public speeches, regretted the overthrow
of the Shepherd machine, and as intelligent man
as Frederick Douglass has, on more than one occa-
sion since the raScalites of the old ring were ex-
posed, spoken of its members and of the work they
did in the District, in the highest terms of praise.
Even after Congress had abolished the District Gov
ernment and had enacted laws the object of which
to prevent the old Ring from exercising further
influence in District affairs, their power was not
entirely broken, as every resident of the District
well knows.
vote will certainly make an opportunity for this
same class of men, or others equally unscrupulous,
to get control of of the affairs Of the District
and the result of their management can easily be
fOreseen.
1t is safe to say that nine-tenths of the property
holders in Washington and Georgetown. irrespective
of party, are opposed to the reGstabshment of
universal suffrage IN the District of Columbia
for any purpose. They willing to submit to a
direct government by Congress (Which is about the
worst government that be imagined; 10 have
placed over them Commissioners from distant States
who not familiar with the needs of the Districts
or. indeed to accept any plan of government which
may be devised by Congress- as preferable to one
founded in any degree on universal suffrage.
Another amendment agreed to by the House Com
mittee this morning provides that the Senate and
House of Representatives shall elect Commissioner
of the District who shall three years, and that
third Commissioner shall be detailed by the Presi
dent of the United States from the Engineer Corps
of the Army no ono to be selected for the place
whose rank is below that of major. This PROPOSE
ton is almost as objectionable as that for
universal suffrage. In the first place the
election of Commissioners by either House
of Congress would cause members to be over
whclmed with applications for places Every Sena-
tor and Representative would have a candidate
from his own district o. State, and there would be
hundreds OF others working aud schenlng 10
obtain votes. The selection would probably
be made at last in party caucus, and
tie successful candidate would be, not The
man best fitted 10 HI the place, but
the one whose election would best promote the
interests of the party which controlled either
House. But the evils of this system would only
begin with the election of the Commissioners.
! Every member of Congress who voted for the sue
cessfnl candidate would have sort of claim
upon him for patronage. and the Commits
sioners wonld finally be very much in the condition
of the present dOorkeepcr Of the House Of
| Representatives. who. being unable 70 withstand
! the enormous pressure brought upon him by mo!l-
bers for places for their friends, has found himself
on more than one occasion with more employees on
his rolls than the Law allows.
The present al interim system of government by
Commissioners appointed by the President. and re-
spOnsible to him. is preferable to any system en-
bOdying these two features of universal suffrage
and the election OF Commissioners by one OF both
Houses.