Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-12-16
The WOrkingmen and the Suffrage
Question.

LIE " Orklngmen ana the Suffrage
Question.
The Workingmen's Assembly met last evening
at Beck's Hall. Mr.. P. G. Campbell offered a
resolution that it is the duty Of Congress to
restore suffrage to the citizens Of the District
and 1t was great wrong to deprive them OF
their constitutional rights. Mr.. Campbell urged
the adoption OF the resolution warmly, saying
that right at the capital Of a country which
boasts OF self-government the ministers of mon
archical governments live among those who are
treated with less fairness than men under the
most deSp0tic gOvernmentS-right under the
caves of the Capitol the people cannot say who
shall govern them.
DOESN'T BELIEVE IN "BETTER TINES"
Mr.. 3. G: Mcdonald said that when resolutions
Of a similar character were once before intro
duced he opposed them, but he had since
changed his views, because of the tyrannical
action OF the authorities in attempting to pro-
He then referred to the fact that the papers
were crying "better times, but he did not see
1t as to the trades here. Excepting that the
day, the wages had been reduced. He favored
demonstration on suffrage and the condition of
trade. MI. Craney referred to the license bill
stone cutters had put In the bill tax of $50, the
means.
DOESN'T BELIEVE IN SUFFRAGE.
Mr.. Julian said that suffrage had brought the
District to its present condition, and If we had
never had a feather-duster legislature" we
would not now be $40 ,000, 900 in debt II we had
suffrage here we would again have politicians
hood-wtnking the workingmen. He referred to
the manner in which workingmen had been
sold out and was afraid that 1t would be the
same here as 1t had been elsewhere. AS to the
license bill he said there were two sides to 1t,
and while tax on stone yards may be against
the interests of the poor man, tax on printing
Offices rigtdly enforced would benefit the trade
and break up the 200 small offices which are
running the business here Some of these small
OFFICES are run by department clerks and
printers from the government Office. Mr..
Julian moved that the resolution go over
for one week.
"OUTS" WHO WANT TO GET GIN"
Mr.. j. j. Murray remarked that the resolution
should be well considered, and it would be well
before acting on it to ask why suffrage was
taken from us. This sudden agitation, in his
opinion, meant something and he believed there
was big cat somewhere under the meal. Why,
look at those who are trying to get up this
boom-all OF them were outs wanting to get in
There were thirty eX-officeholders.
MIR. Julien'S motion to lay over was lost.
Mr.. Murray obtained the floor again, and
urged postpOnement, saying that, when we
had suffrage before, the people did not rule, but
II was the fmportatiOns from Maryland and Vir-
gtnia who ruled, and it was because of this con-
dition OF things that the men of wealth united
to get rid of these old barnacleS. He repeated
that the meeting of Friday night was enough to
show that there was cat in the meal tub.
Mr. Mcdonald was about to reply, when the
chairman, Mr.. Hamilton, stated the time had
arrived to go into secret session, and the resolu-
ton would go over.