National Republican., 1883-08-17
LETTERS no THE EDITOR.
IN FAVOR OF SUFFRAGE.


/ think that 10 is better to toll the truth
about tho cause of our city debt. Everybody
that writes about it knows that IL was
not suffrage that caused It. The people
had suffrage all through tho rebellion and for
years later, but they made no city debt, and
made few improvements.
The capital of the nation was but q rookory.
There was not n single street in the city that
was fit to drive upon. Pennsylvania avenue
was covered roughly with cobble stones.
The parks and other avenues were unim.
proved. 1t was city of dirt, dust, and heat,
and had not friend in congress. The whole
northwest was united in favor of the removal
of the capital to some live place.
Alexander Shepherd and few progressive
men induced congress to change the form of
government, giving the district delegate in
congress, governor board of public works,
and legislature, the upper house to be ap-
pointed by the president and the lower house
to be elected by the people. This was the
suffrage charged with making the
present city debt. The governor was APP
pointed The board of public works and the
council were appointed by tho president, as
our commissioners arc now. Banker Thomp.
son and other safe men were in tho council.
The board of public works mapped out tho
system of parking and city improvements
that has and will make it the most beautiful
city in the world aud the most desirable
place as a residence for the man of science,
literature, and leisure of any city in America
or Europe.
From the day that the board of public
works gave their plans to the public almost
the entire wealth and, with few exceptions,
all the old white citizens united and actively
worked for the defeat of the scheme of i'm
provemcnts mapped out by the board of public
works, and all who were in the city at that
time know how bitter the fight against Shep-
harI l,a .I., IL ,st
would be bankruptod; that tho debt being
made could never be paid that the debt was
illegal, and would be repudiated. Tho result
was that the board of public works had to
establish scale of prices for work at least one
third more than the same work could have
been done for for cash.
The board of public works, for their own
protection, elected tho legislature. Every
influence that could be was enlisted by them;
in word, the powerful opposition to Shep-
herd and his improvement system cost the
city ut least one-third more than if all the
people had insisted with him in making the
improvements. These same men, with few
exceptions who fought Shepherd are now
fighting against suffrage of any kind.
think that it is safe to say that ne.tonths
OF those opposing suffrage do 80 because of the
negro vote in tho city. If the laboring ele-
ment was foreign rather than black there
would really be no opposition to suffrage.
The appointing power is always mainly un-
der the influence of what is termed the upper
circle. The poor havo little influence in ap-
pointments, and that naturally causes those
who control tho appointments to tenaciously
hold on to their grip, and the result in the
city under the present commissioners system
has been that all the appointments of rulers
come from the same little sacred spot-the
northwest. lt.seems to have even ran down
into the appointment of school trustees. East
capitol, with nearly one-third of the popula
tion of the city, has never had q member of the
board of public works. commissioner nor
even the head of division, and no matter
how honest or well disposed commissioner
may be, they will naturally see more im-
provements needed near them than in outside
places.
1t seems that there would be no loss and
much gain if the city was divided into three
districts, allowing each district to elect n com
missioner, and let the President appoint two
more, and allow these five commissioners ia
manage all local municipal affairs. The peo-
pie suffer greatly for want of such local lcgis-
lation. Let these commissioners have power
to change streets and alleys, settle cases OF
damages, make police regulations, enforce
sanitary and other regulations for the benefit
of the people, but in no way changing the re
lation between the city and Uncle Sam finan
cially. The elective commissioners, coming
from the people. and representing each section
of the city, would better understand the
needs of the people than commissioners living
within stones throw of each other, and the
two appointed commissioners would sec
that the government was cared for. Would
not this be good system, and if not, why
not? IL. L.