Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-12-23
Suffrage In the District.

The main point of Mr.. Durant's elaborate
argument in behalf of District suffrage at the
republican club meeting last night was that
Congress by Withholding suffrage from the
people of the District OF Columbia the capital of
the nation discredited the principle OF an cleo
tive government. He thought it a strange spec
tacle that In all this wide expansa OF the
American continent, where government is cleo,
tive, 'here at the seat of government, in sight
of all the people of this country, and of the ma
lions of the world, through their representa-
tives, the Congress OF the United States seems
to doubt the popular system and think that
elective government is a failure on the Ameri-
can continent" 1t is precisely because the
people OF Washington are citizens of the ma
tonal capital that they cannot exercise the same
powers OF self government that are exercised by
the people of any other community in the coun-
try. Congress under the Constitution has exclu-
sive jurisdiction here. and is quite certain to
maintain that jurisdiction especially il 1t is ex-
pected to contribute half the District ex-
penditureS. Washington, with its wide
avenues, and extensive reservations is planned
altogether for a government city, and it must
be run by the government. The people cannot
shoulder the enormous expenses of improving,
Ornamenting and keeping in condition this CITY,
planned for government uses, and on grand
scale, calculated to make it credtable as the
Cdpltdl VI Il great Iut ClJlxenS, CeTUaln-
ly the great body Of the taxpayers, are willing
to accept the situation. They know that in ac-
cepting citizenship in the capital city they must
yield some of the powers of self-government
that people have elsewhere. They feel that
Congress having exclusive legislation in the
District can give them no right OF suffrage worth
having, and that it is not worth the expense,
and turmoil, of keeping up election machinery
to elect few officers who can have no real pow
ers They have not yet forgotten the suffrage
experiences of the past. under the domination of
the Murder Bay politicians, and they see no
reason to expect that the same class of politi-
clans Will not spring up again should suffrage
be revived. Altogether the taxpayers think the
game Of suffrage here doesn't amount to enough
to pay for the candle.
The suggestion that the mode of choosing
presidential electors in New York be changed
has brought out letter written by Alexander
Hamilton to Gov. Jay, and dated May 18th, 1900,
advising that the very plan now proposed be
adopted. In the spring of that year the state
election had gone against the Federalists; the
legislature chosen contained majority against
that party. The existing legislature, how
ever, was controlled by the FederalistS, and
Hamilton wrote, urging Gov. Jay to call an
extra session for the purpose of 1.-THE choosing
Of electors by the people in districts" Hamil-
ton thought this measure was justified by Jun
equivocal reasons of public safety" There was,
he said, "the very high probability that this
(the recent state election) will bring Jefferson
into the chief magistracy unless it be prevented
by the measure" he advised-the changing of
the manner OF choosing electors. Hamilton
avowed his purpose to be to prevent an atheist
In religion and fanatic In politics (Jefferson)
from getting possession of the helm of state.'
Gov Jay, though strong Federalist, declined
to adopt Hamilton's suggestion or follow his
advice. He simply endorsed the letter ..pro-
posing measure for party purposes, which 1
think it would not become me to adopt"