Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-02-07
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
Taxation and Representation.

| Taxation and RepresentatiOns
the sober and rejecting peope Of this District
that the parties now moving here for the reSto-
| ration OF suffrage are relying upon past uncon-
that have never had more than partial rea-
lization among the people Of this country from
| the beginning.
l. Take the question of taxation and repre-
sentation," which is now so loudly acclaimed,
and what are the facts? Lord Chatham. In his
| speech in Parliament on this subject, laid down
the colonies, because they were 'the commons
| OF America" and this right was in the colonial
assemblies, and in reply to Granville, who had
said s.many are taxed who were not repre-
| Sented," such as ''the India company, mer-
| chants and manufacturers, ~ he said 'but they
are all Inhabitants and as such are they not vr-
| tually represented? Many have it in their
option to be actually represented. They have
connections with those that elect and they have
| influence over them" Here was an attempt to
sustain the connection OF taxation with
@erb hsra as Sne rule but rule
| The colonial congress which met at New York
In october, 1l65, asserted the exclusive right in
the colonies to tax themselves This was the
| 1t was embodied in the constitution, one clause
| or which gives Congress the power '!to levy and
collect taxes" The reason OF this power is that
Congress is the representative body of tle ma
| ton, and taxation by it Is with popular con-
sent But as to representation in this District,
this Is one of the exceptions to the rule just as
/
and admitted by Chatham, were exceptions, and
| upon similar grounds. The people of this Dis
| trfct being inhabitants" are Virtually repre-
| sented." And with far more reason. since Con-
| gresS is directly in their midst, has provided
| standing committees on the affairs of the Dis
trict and is thus at all times accessible to the
case. This is the only view consistent with the
constitutional provision giving Congress the
| right ''Of exclusive legislation" here Other
wise, If he insisted that there shall be a dele
a
t1on in Congress, carrying with it the full right
OF suffrage on all questtOns-{and If there be
suffrage at ALL there is no point of limitation)-
this would be tantamount to setting up new
state here, which would defeat the express orr
ginal design of the selection of this place for
the seat OF government
2. But following this fallacy of the proposition
In its application to the people of the District,
it is not true in any state of the Union that tax
alton and representation go together in respect
to al the citizens of the land. In the opinion
OF the Supreme Court, delivered by Mr.. Justice
Miller in the slaughter-hou cases, 16 Wallace,
rendered since the adoption of the 14th and 18th
amendments, the court held the following Ian
guage: Nor is the amendment confined in its
application to laboring men. The mandate Is
universal In its application to persons of every
class and condition. There are forty millions
or population who may refer to 1t to determine
their rank in the United States and in any par
ticular state" every person born in
any portion of the United States is citizen.
The naturaliZed person ACQUIRES citizenship OF
the same kind without any action of the state at
all. SO either may by this title Of citizenship
make his residence at any place in the United
States, and under whatever form of state adj
ministration he must be treated as a citizen of
that state. His privileges and tmmunities
must not be impaired" If this opinion
be correct, then It appears that we have
IN tnlS country two classes OF citizens,
those who are allowed to vote and those who
are not, and since suffrage Is necessary to actual
representation, those citizens who are not al
lowed to vote are only Virtually represented"
ITO the nhraSp Lord GhathamN
they are equally taxed with the other class of
citizens who have the suffrage. This is the con-
dition of things in every state of the Union.
The conclusion from these facts Is that the
principle OF taxation and representation going
together df by the latter term he meant actual
representation is only partially carried out in
can 1t be pretenCGl that it should be carried out
In this District, which is expressly excluded By
a constitutional provision? For In the premises
We can find no other result than that suffrage
and consequently actual representation, Is not
among the privileges and immunitfes" Of
American citizenship, as defined by the Supreme
Court. Since, by this decision, a person be-
comes citizen s.without any action Of the state
at an " and yet he cannot vote but by the laws
OF the state!
3. Another point. 1t is said that the consti-
tut1onal provision has never been held to inval-
ldate the charters for local government which
have heretofore existed in this District. This
may be SO, because no case has ever been made
to our knowledge, before the Supreme Court on
that point. But there are those who have al
ways regarded such charters unconstitutional,
and SO obvious at length has this truth become
that II Congress, yielding to the present clamor,
shall again unwtsely make the experiment
measures should be taken at once to make up an
issue in some form to carry the case before the
Supreme Court and have the issue determined
once Tor all. OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES LEFT.
The Suffrage Controversy.
Editor Stdr: notice that j. p. Klingle reite-
rates, in his article in THE STAR of January 80,
what appears to be charge of enlightenment
against the Commissioners of the District of
Columbia; and asks, with an air OF triumph.
:. How is any citizen OF this District to compel
the commissioners to do anything whatever ??
reply by appealing. to the grand jury OF the
District. But still doubt the sincerity OF Mr..
klngle's belief that the Commissioners have
embezZled ten millions of dollars OF the public
money, Tor If it was so, and he had full proof OF
the circumstance, his well-known patriotism
and love for strict justice would have prompted
him to have had them indicted, tried convicted,
and punished long ago: Again, Mr.. Klingle
dWells largely upon the fact that Georgetown,
Alexandria and Washington, held charter cleo
lions from 1851, 1774, 1902, down to 1871. l do
not suppose any one here would object to
elections conducted on the principles that those
elections were-provided there was any neceS-
sity or use for any electton-then only those
qualified as property-OwnerS, free-holderS. and
taxpayers voted. II MIR. Klingle would like
to consult able authority on the subject of
universal suffrage, l beg leave to refer him
to the debates in the convention at Albany,
n. Y; In 1921, when and where such learned
Hams, Van Buren,, Root. Cramer, and others
Mr.. Klingle says that thirty
years ago the negroes of the District were
slaves p few of them were, but many were
not. There are nOtc many more and worse
slaves in the District than then; that Is slaves to
bad passions fighting whisky" to the use OF
knives, razors, pistOls-and, In fact, to all the
crimes forbidden in the decalogue! Establish
universal suffrage in this District and the num-
Der OF that kind of slaves will be greatly in !
creased by the influx or exodus here from Mary
land, Virginia, and other States in search OF |
9 bad arhishp," nominating conventions and |
noisy exciting elections, to the dismay of all |
civilization and good order and the result would
be necessity for six hundred policemen. Then |
the Police and Criminal Courts would be re- !
Quired to be IN continual sessions and the iatl |
accommodations correSpondingly increased. |
MIR. Klingle concludes his article by rather |
saying, Does Mr.. Hunt desire to re-
establish slavery in the District?" To this |
most emphaticalIy answer No;
and, further, that never was and never expect |
to be in favor OF slavery OF mind or body but |
for certain classes OF crimes agree with per- |
ttneDt remark recently made by Judge Smell |
that the 'whlpping-post would be the most APP
propriate remedy" AMOS HUNT.
A California Gold Story.
tSonora (Cal.) Inderendent, Jan. 10l
The most singular manner OF being struck |
with fortune in prospecting, that we ever
heard of, occurred above Spring Gulch on Sun-
day last. Mr.. Snow, late OF San Francisco now
In this vicinity for other parties. |
was out on quartz hunt with Dr. Drake, of |
San Francisco. They We're RETURNING hona H.