National Republican., 1884-05-10
CONGRESS- INDICTED.
Washington Knights Of Labor Speak Plain
Words 10 the Statesmen.
They Charge That the Petitions Of a
DISTINGUISHED People Are Ignored
And That Citizens Have Left No Remedy Against
Wrong But Force.
They Demand tho Right OF soIf-Goyern-
ment Given TO Other Men.

On April 30 District Assembly No. GO sent
a manifesto to the house committee on the
District of Columbia. No answer has yet
been received to IL. Following is tho maui
festo:
GENTLEMEN: OF the two parties to which
you belong one has declared in its latest ma
tional platform that "the right to a FREQ
ballot is the right preservative Of all rights"
and the other has for years been continued
in power on its promises to secure "a free ball
lot, full vote, and honest count"
Our government was built upon the princi-
pie Of coincidence of representation with
taxation. You are yourselves the creatures
and benefciaries of the elective franchise.
You have, therefore, usurped tyrannical
power, abandoned tho principles of democ-
racy, denied the sincerity of your party ut
terances, and stultihed yourselves in unani-
mously refusing TO report TO the house bill
for tho restoration of self-government in tho
District OF Columbia
But wo should have less reason to complain
II, after having assumed imperial power, you
had wisely, earnestly, and efficiently exer-
cisod that power for the benefit Of your sub
jects.
Bills and petitions, by which alono tho peo-
pie Of the district can express their will, have
been laid before you, but the important ones
have been ignored or defeated by you.
When the house has granted from its
occasion you had nothing to report. On an
other day you tried to pay from the district
| treasury to lady Of high social standing" q
| bounty of $4,000 in grateful recognition of
services rendered by her husband to tho United
States. On another day you made an abortive
effort to build bridge for the benefit Of your
chairman's constituents to be paid for by the
disfranchised citizens Of the district.
You have had time to consider at great
| length bill to protect" rabbits aud par
tridges in tho District Of Columbia, but
bill (5273) to protect the people from the
incompetence and carelessness of steam
engineers you have ignored.
| You have refused to investigate the district
commissioners Office even when one of your
number reports that frauds of great rnagni-
| tude have been committed, because you
believe the result will be unfavorable to the
continuation of the present system Of gov
ernment.
You have refused to grant relief either to
| the overtaxed patrons or the overworked
| employees of the street railways, even though
tho fact that stock, the par of which is $50,
sells at $3.50. proves at once the extortion
practiced upon both passengers and en-
ployes.
You have given "hearing" without limit
| to the friends and enemies of the steam rail-
ways which destroy the beauty and utility Of
our streets and parks, knowing and intend
ing that the corporations will be forever un-
molested because hearing is not action.
Bill 52S5, to abolish the truck system an
outrageous method of swindling, in which
one OF our criminal judges participates bill
5274 to remove the chain gang from the
streets and public works; bill 1879, to improve
mechanics liens, and many others important
to the welfare of the people Of the district,
you have disposed Of in lump as of "no
Importance"
1t is known to all that the laws of tho dis.
| Ii -. l. l. L,,N ill
not ask congress to pass the compilation
which has been made.
Our courts are on level with those of Gin.
cinnati, and you deliberately leave us no rem
edy but force, when an outrage upon justice
is perpetrated by denying us any part in the
selection Of judges, marshals, juries, and pros
ecuting officers.
Our police force and detective system are 0
disgrace to civilization, but you are indiffer-
ent because your property is elsewhere and
you can seek personal safety in fight.
Experience has amply proved that the
members of tho district committee are too on
crossed with their own and their coustit,
uents' affairs to attend to the great and nu
merous affairs of our people, and that con
gress is too busy with the affairs of the nation
to do the work of q legislature for the Dis
trict of Columbia.
There is but one remedy. We demand tina
we shall no longer be subjected to the alter
nhtlVe OF no BoNeInmoub Ut all' OF Oh gov
ernment chosen by the ignorant negroes o
,, the sixth Maryland district the poor whit
trash of the eighth Virginia district, and thu
worthy but msinformed voters of variou
! provincial districts. We demand the righ
, which in theory is accorded to every one, an'
/, in practice is denied only to the citizens o
the District of Columbia-the right of self
, government.
: Until this is accorded We demand that yo
= shall fully perform the duties you have vol
, UNFAIRLY assumed, and abandon all othe
|, |, occupation in order to justly regulate tn
: affairs Of the 100000 people whom you hav
made your involuntary wards.
By direction of District Assembly, No. 6t
Knights of Labor.