National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1878-03-01
District Suffrage.

Ex-Postmaster-Genera KING airs his Dem
ocracy z bya communication in last even
ing's Star opposing suffrage. 1t is an effort to
disparago self-government In this District, to
hattcr, and at the same time to condemn, Com
missioner BRYAN, and to boot.lick the present
trumverate rs q satisfactory form Of govern
ment to nineteen-twentieths of the people of
this District. lie is so delighted with the
Commissioners view of the meaning of the
Constitution regarding suffrage in the District
that he quotes the paragraph, and then pro-
ceeds TO take him down as follows:
After so clear statement as this Of the senti.
ments OF nineteen wenticths of the taxpayers in
this District in respect To suffrage was very sorry
10 hear him say, Nor would IT, perhaps be unrea.
sonabe for Congress to accord us the right to elect
q delegate to Congress, who might acqualnt that
body with the wants and wishes Of our people"
No, no; we have had enough OF such noisy
demonstrations" universal suffrage brought upon
us when had 1t in all Its vigor Let us continue
under the satisfactory government of Commission
ers who at all times have access to the committees
ofCongress as well as to It's members individually
and who are afforded all needed facilities to "ac.
quaint that body with the wants and wishes Of our
people"
Here is Democracy of the purest modern
type. 1t would do credit to the bull -dozcrs of
the Southwest. The residents of the capital
Of the great model OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
tieths Of them-have had enough of self. gov
ernment! They clamor for despotsm I! And
they arc chsmpioned by the only surviving
New England member of the last Democratic
Cabinet! Our Democracy is Of q funny sort
1t is new name for practical dcspotsm
But how does this representative Democrat
assume to speak for nineteen-twcntieths of the
people of this District for all people are tax
payers" here. We have personal tax. Under
our system every man who pays room-rent or
board is a Taxpayer here. All CONSUMERS are
taxpayers. Our merchants and house owners
and clearinghouse and hotel keepers arc only
so many conduits through which taxes find
their way into the Treasury. But Mr.. KING
would, in the purity of kis Democracy, ignore
all these except the landowners But this
Misrepresentation will deceive no person of
ordinary intelligence who resides In this Dis
nois can comprehend 1t or not.
But the Democracy of Mr.. MADISON was of
different type. He gave his views Of suffrage
in this District in the forty third number of the
Federdlist, page $3.50, HAMILToN's edition, 1909,
as follows:
As 1t thG District Is to be appropriated to this
use IA Cnnlal) WIN the consent OF the state Ccuing
IT. as the State will no doubt provide In the COM
pact for the rights and the consent Of the citizens
inhabitns ~ as the inhabitants will find sufficient
the cession; as they will have he'd
| their voice In the election OF
the government which Is to exercise authority over
them; as n municipal legislature for local pur.
| poses, derived from their own suilrages, win o.
course be allowed them; and Us the authority o
the Legislature of the State, and of the inhabitant,
of the coded part of IT, to concur in the cession viii
be derived from the whole people Of the State II
their adoption Of the Constitution, every imaginary
objection seems 10 be obviated.
If MADISON were living, what frightfu
minority he would be in, according to Mr.
KING, Ell! But, on behalf of the citizens o
Washington and the District, we repcl tn,
libel on their patriotism implied in Mr. KING
assertion that the present form of government
Is satisfactory. 1t is just what our forefather
made the war of the Revolution for-taxatioI
without representation.