National Republican., 1883-07-25
What Mr.. W. G. Dodge, Of Capitol Hill, Has to
Say Upon the Subject
He Thinks There is an Earnest Desire
for a Change Of Some Kind.
Three Commissioners Are Too Many and He Prefers
but One Ruler.
The People Should vote--A Quslihnd
Suffrage Preferred.

elueraDle aJuenJlOn 10 ulBtrlCJ aHhlrS. WnhJ
are your views on the suffrage question and
the necessity for a new local gvernment~
said a reporter to Mr.. w. c. Dodge, the chair
man of the committee of citizens of East
Washington.
al have always taken an interest in local
affairs wherever l have resided" was the
reply.
GAS all have is here, and mostly in real
estate, aud as expect to live and die here,
and probably my children will also, neces-
sarily feel good deal of interest in district
affairs, and have given the subject good deal
Of thought and steady"
"Do you favor change; and If so, why
and to what extent?"
al ain decidedly in favor of change, but
under no circumstances would l favor any
change of the present financial relations be-
tween the United States and the district
Congress would not consent to give up its
control of the power to fix the taxes, to re-
ceive, hold, and disburse the money, and COM
pei au accounting of the district officers; nor
do we want any change in that respect, be-
cause we know that tho present plan is abso-
lutely safe. There can be no defalcation or
frauds by which the distrit can lose anything,
as is SO common In other cities; and any man
who would do or say anything that would
tend to disturb the present arrangement by
which the United States pays one half of the
expense ought to be buried alive in the Poto-
mac flats.
"rhe reason why favor a change is be-
cause i do not believe in an arbitrary and ir-
responsible government anywhere in time of
peace. Local governments especially should
be amenable to, aud controlled by, the citi-
zens of the locality. The present district
the most arbitrary and irresponsible in exis'
tence. 1t has no parallel anywhere except
under some of the absolute monarchies of the
east, and is contrary to the whole spirit and
genius of our institutions. In saying that |
do not refer to the commissioners but to the
system. We all understand that its creation
was an accidental or incidental occurrence,
growing out of the dissatisfaction of the
citizens and of congress, at the reckless aud
extravagant course pursued by the board of
public works, and its gross violation OF the
act of Feb. 81, 1871, which limited the total
Indebtedness that might be created, includ-
ing what already existed, to Sl000O,000.
"Under the present plan the citizens bave
no voice whatever, either in the selection of
the officers or in their course when in office.
The commissioners have no legislative pow
ers and no discretionary power except in de-
termining how and where the money for
street improvements shall be expended and
in few minor details. 1t is a cast-iron system,
with no fexibility whatever. If the cholera
were to invade the city to-day, the commits
sioners have no power to spend a cent to pre-
vent it or protect the people except the mea-
ger sum appropriated for the health office.
They have no power even to abate tho null
sauces declared detrimental to the public
health by the health Office. 1t is so in refer
ence to nearly everything pertaining to the
public interests. They can hardly ill up
mud hole unless its existence was anticipated
and provided for in the previous years eSti-
mate and appropriation. Such system can
not be expected to work satisfactorily any
where for any considerable period OF time.
1t may answer as means of temporarily
bridging over the interval between the eX-
tinction of the former plan and the establish
ment of suitable local government for the
future, and that was all it was designed for
Another reason is, that congress has not
the time to attend to our affairs, or if they
have members are so much more directly in
terested in the affairs of their own districts
and constituents that they will not attend to
us. Said senator last year to citizens who
besought him to do something we have
50,000,000 of people to legisate for besides
the District of Columbia and you can't ex-
pect us to spend our time playing town coun-
Gil for you people here. You ought to at
tend to these matters yourselves, as our'con-
stituents do at home' Again, a member of
the house. and who had for several years
been n member of the district committee,
said: 1T was ridiculous to suppose that con-
gress could or would attend to the local af-
fairs of the district. Why said he, here l
am on three committees, and my time is so
taken up with looking after the affairs of my
constituents in the departments that can't
even get here in time to attend the commit
tee meetings 1t is impossible for us to get
time to attend to your local affairs. 1t al
ways has been so, and it always will be so
long AS it is left to congress. You ought to
have local government of your own
Many senators have expressed the same opin-
ion, and the only objection in their minds is
the fear of return to the cxtravagant meth
ods of the former government under tho
board of public works.
"'rhe result is that we have the most absurd
medley of local laws and 10 power to remedy
them. A few days ago woman was fined
So for selling cigar on Sunday i'll George
town, while all over this city they are sold
with impunity. We have one law on the
north side of Boundary street, and another
law on tine south side The whole thing is
absurd. Only a few days ago The REPUBLI-
CAN had an article on the necessity for a new
code of laws for the district in which it very
nfS5ReTly exposed some of the present absurd
tiles. a Aew code, civil and criminal, was
prepared at an expense of several thousand
dollars, two or three years ago. One OF them
/ think was adopted by the senate, but when
il camo before the house at the next session Mr..
Haskell, of Kansas, objected, and declared
that unless it was so changed as to provide
for mixed schools it should not pass, and it
did not"
"How great change would you suggest?"
"Now rs to the oXteut and character of the
change that should be adopted, that is n mat
ter that should be carefully considered. l am
not in favor of returning TO the system that
existed prior to the establishment of the So
called district government in 1871 because it
would result in destroying the present rela-
tiOn of the United States and the district, and
because, also, it would bring back the dis
graceful scenes which exist in all local gov
ernments where they are run and controlled
by aud in the interests of local politicians
generally of the lowest class. We want, ii
possible to avoid that, and yet secure a gov
ernment in which the people shall have a
voice, and in which all sections aud interests
may be fairly represented"
"What have you to suggest"
81 think a very satisfactory and at the
same time safe and conservative government
could be had by abolishiug the three commits
sioners, and which, rs Commissioner West
truly says, never did work satisfactorily any
where, and having a single executive officer.
Then let there be an executive or legislative
council, to be composed of say thirteen or
fifteen citizens, each elected from specified
district, and having and exercising the pow
ers now exercised by the commissioners, at
least so far as making up the estimates is
concerned, and they should also have con-