National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-03-02
The Nations step-Children.


Not the Indians for them all hearts
beat, except those whose beating they stop
with murderous hands, and their suryiv-
ing friends. Not the Chinese; they are
the new-found brothers of all, except
those who are irritated by their immedl-
ate presence. Not the negroes; they are
the object of at least one party's inter
ested care. Not the criminal, the insane,
or the idiotic; these. are our special
charge. Who, then, are these step
children of the Nation? They are the
people of the District of Columbia. They
are governed without their consent, and
taxed without representation. Not only
are they taxed for expenses incurred by
the local government set up by the
United States, but now it is proposed in
Congress that their money be confiseated
TO meet expenditures of the United States
Government, in which they have no
other or greater interest than have the
people of Maine or California.
Two conference committees have
already failed to agree on the bill max
ing appropriations for this District, and
the opinion prevails that no settlement
can be reached unless by an agreement
with the House conferees to principle
which would render the people OF the
District of Columbia liable to pay one
half the expenditures of the United States
Government, within its limits, for all pur-
poses whatever.
The District jail is used by the United
States for purposes independent of the
District. If a counterfeiter, or robber
Of the revenue, or perjurer in United
States court is convicted in any State, that
State is subjected to no expense; the cul-
prit is imprisoned at the expense Of the
United States, against whose laws he has
offended. But if, for just such crime in
this District, a person is convicted and
imprisoned, it is proposed that the Gov
ernment shall pay one-half and compel
the payment of the other half by the
District. The insane asylum is crowded
with people admitted in times past upon
the order of the Secretary of the Interior,
who are no more justly d charge upon our
people than they are upon the people of
Connecticut Yet the District is to be
mulcted from year to year for one-half
the cost of their maintenance.
Three hundred special policemen have
been authorized for the preservation Of
order and the prevention of crime dur
ing the inauguration time. This expense,
incidental to a great national occasion, is
no more properly a charge upon the
people Of the District than is the cost of
erecting the platform at the east front Of
the Capitol, on which the new President
is to take the oath. And yet one half
of the pay Of these policemen is to be
extracted from the pockets of the step
children Of the Nation.
Now we hope the Senate conferees will
adhere to the position taken by the body
they represent, and that they will not
allow the United States Government to
be sponge, or the people who reside at
the seat of government by leave only to
be bled for even the smallest sum for
purely national uses.
If this community is to pay half the
bills for the Government prisoners and
insane, or half the cost of any one item of
expense incurred solely on account of the
Inauguration of the Nations President,
then we defy any man to show why We
should not be made to pay one-half
the cost Of the construction of the new
State building and all other Government
buildings, one-half the expenditures at
the navy-yard, and one-half the salaries
of the employees in the various Depart
ments.
We hope the District bill will fail un-
less it is freed from the unjust provisions
we have alluded to, and purged of the
pernicious principle which imposes ma
tional burdens upon small locality.