Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-03-21
THE EVENING STAR.
TU.CDCnx March n, 1875.
CONGRESSIONA
Conclusion Of re.t-rdnv,s pr,> "''

| tImo.SSsSTeu' MI mitchell arguing in favor O.
MIR. Thurman characterized the latter bin
as T new t subsidy to the railroad companies.
ton to the timber depredators.
Inc discussion was continued at length
The District Government Bill.
HOUSE.--After our report closed
The dehciency bill was beXt considered and
labor at the navy yards was taken up. Mr..
Cox IN. J was loud in denunciation of the
delay that had occurred in the payment OF
these poor men. MIR. Foster took him to task
| Tor talking buncombe, and asserted that he,
As the professed leader of the House for econo-
my, was as much to blame as any other mem
| DER oil the House. During the discussion allu-
sion was made TO the refusal of appropriations
ior public buildings. Mr.. O'Neill asserted
mat IL would have been better for the country
II Congress had not been in session at all, as
| me tlnkellng with finances and the tariff had
Done more than anything else to stop the
INDUSTRIES OF the country. But for the agita-
| ZION OF tneSe subjects millions would have
| Teen invested, and given employment to the
| thousands that are now idle. After some un
important amendments the bill was passed.
The House then, at 80 o'clock, proceeded
| 10 consider the bill providing a permanent
form of government for the District of Column
pa as II In committee of the whole, Mr.. Hale
Mr.. Hendee recited the action of the United
States government in the creation of the terri.
| t0lIal government i'm 1871, and its abolition
and the appointment of three Commissioners,
as a temporary government, June 10Th, lS7i
lhis government was intended to be and was
| styled temporary government. Since the
abolition of the District legislature, Sc, there
| had been three several attempts to provide
| form OF government, all of which had failed
| NOW the committee 1.-THE committee on the
| DiStrict) had prepared the bill presented at
this time. lie then proceeded to explain the
provisions Of the bill, stating his objections to
certain matters of detail in the bill lie did
| lot like the mode of selecting the Commits
sioners. While the bill proposed one TO be
selected by the House, one by the Senate and
a third by the President, from the engineer
| corps of the army, he would have the three
commissioners appointed by the President, by
and with the advice and consent of the SEN
ate He did not agree as to the feature rela-
ting to an elected council 1t bore toe close a
| resemblance to the late council, and he thought
| IL unwlse to throw back into the District the
increase the expenditures of the District. He
| believed three Commissioners, under bonds
for the faithful performance Of their duties,
| preferable To the kind of suffrage proposed
| lie haG no objection, but he did object to the
requirement of three years residence, which
was longer than was required in any of the
| states. He also believed the levying OF a poll
| tax an error, and thought an educational
| quanhcatlon more in accordance with the
| spirit Of our institutions.
Up to this time the relations of the District
| had never been settled. The United States
| owned htty-fOur per cent. of the whole area,
and the last appraisal of values showed the
| property OF the District and the people of the
| District was $6,C0O,OO0, and of the government
| was So, 100000 Whenever improvements had
been necessary the government had made
| such appropriations as il saw fit, and required
the people of the District to pay whatever
Congress might say. Up to this lime the ex-
Penditures by the general government had
| been nine millions and by the District thirty
| four millions, or four times as much as the
| general government. The appropriations of
the government had been mostly made during
the past six or eight years. During the first
| seventy years the government expended for
this purpose less than two millions. A debt
had been created in which the people had had
| hnt inc
| general government should come forward and
share Its expense. To-day property was almost
worthless, and could never be Of value while
the debt remained on it. The 365 bonds being
guaranteed by the government, the bill wisely
provided that the Treasurer should pay the in
terest on these bonds and charge it as a por-
tlOn OF the governments expense of the sup
port of the District.
| MIR. Blackburn followed, and reviewed the
PROVISIONS Of the bill, giving his views upon
| some OF the leading features, leaving details
| TO be discussed when the bill came up for con-
sideration by sections under the five-minute
sent of member of the committee. Some of
the members desired to submit amendments,
but as a whole it was approved by the entire
committee. He had been authorized by the
committee itself to offer an amendment to the
effect that no contract should be made with
out the assent OF the three commissioners. As
Of the commissioners. the engineer ' member tg her
being one Of the two. This amendment would
take away from the engineer this sort of veto
|
The bill varied from the present law not In
the number bat in the mode of selecting the
commissioners: HE proposed plan, he said,
was best calculated to secure a non partisan
board. The engineer member was TO be of a
rank above that of captain. This gave the
PRESIDENT six lieutenant colonies, twelve
colonies and yfOur majo from which
| to make the selection for the third member.
| He believed the bill, as whole, was good
one and ought to pass, and give to the people
| OF the District better government than they
have. One of the principal objects of the com
| mitee had been to put every possible limita-
ton upon the exercise of power. Upon every
had been transgressed and money expended
| without legal authority. 1t had been the de-
sire to prevent this by restricting power and
Heretofore the heaviest expenditure of mo-
| ney in the District had been on the streets and
avenues. and they were likely to continue to
therefore eminently proper that an expert
| eDced engineer should be member of the
triumyirate: Being military man and non
| partisan, it would also aid in keeping the
board non-partisan, whichhad been the desire
OF the entire committee, and it had been pro-
posed in framing the bill that there should be
| joint election of the other members one
from each OF the two great political parties.
| The engineer, without whose assent, as we'll
as that of the others, nothing could be done,
| would feel that his reputation and his CON-
| mission were at stake upon every official act,
| and this he felt was the strongest possible
guarantee for faithful administration of af-
| fairs.
| He eulogized the engineer corps as one whose
| eScutcheOn was not stained. There may have
| been exceptions, but that did not detract from
| the general character and reputation of the
| corps.
In reply to question by Mr.. Conger as to
| the mode of electing the two civilians, one by
| the House and one by the Senate, Mr.. Black
| burn said no one could tell certainly, but ifthe
| gentleman wanted guess he would say that
| the House would remain of the same political
| complexion as now for the remainder of the
| century, and after the fourth of next March
/ the Senate would be the same. The bill, he
| said, abolished the several boards which now
| existed Independent of the commissioners.
| The board of school trustees was abolished but
| reinStated i'm another and he believed better
| form. The board OF health was abolished. as
| it ought to have been long ago, and provisions
| made for health officer great Improvement
| on that cumbrOuS machinery.
Mr.. Buckner asked if he understood the fifty
per cent of expenses covered the proportion
OF District expenses for certain objects, such
| as the courts and police, now borne by the
| government.
| Mr.. Blackburn said the U. 8. Supreme Court
| was of course national, and its expenses were
| to be paid by the general government. All the
| other courts in the District, the Police, Sc,
| were, as he understood, to be paid from the
| proposed fund. He was not welded to the
| fifty per cent feature Of the bill, nor to any
other particular feature, but he appealed to
| the House to perfect and pass some bill. Some
L Ia l,nE