Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-05-24

The President and Senate of the United
States have decided that the recordership
Of deeds In the District OF Columbia-a
purely local Office. maintained exclusively
by the fees Of local property-owners. to the
support of which the nation does not con-
tribute a dollar-shall continue to be the
pecuniary reward for national political
services rendered by the colored race to the
dominant party. and that. notwithstanding
the home-rule pledges OF the political plat
forms. such coloi ed appointee need not be
a resident Of the District. When the Pres
ident injected considerations of national
politics. based upon the race issue. into the
recordership question by the appointment
of Taylor Of Kansas 1t was recognized that
sooner or later. as in the Matthews-Trotter
case of his preceding administration, the
voteless District would be sacrificed to the
desire OF politicians of both parties to curry
favor with the national colored vote.
The appointment was bid for this vote;
the confirmation was an indication that
some OF the legislators were not to be out
done in such bidding. and that others did
not dare to hold fast to political home-rule
pledges and the dictates Of justice and
common sense in opposition to the assumed
wishes of an element of the voting strength
in the home state. This weakening on the
part OF the Senate was. unexpectedly, more
rapid than in the Matthews-Trotter case
and the bad example set by the President
was followed more speedily. This Is the
sum and substance Of the administrators
glorious victory, at the expense Of the I'M
represented District, In the Taylor confir-
nation, and every one responsible for the
act Of bad faith involved. beginning with
the President, should be ashamed Of his
participation in the trumpeted triumph.
The disappointment of the people Of the
District that the office is still to be used
as a means of national political bribery
Is all the greater because II was thought
that steps had been taken which would
remove IL from this category. When the
office paid its incumbent for doing nothing
more than any other position at Washing
ton in the gift of the President and more
than the combined salaries of several Sem
ators the carpet-bag pressure for its pos
session was irresistible. But in 1892 legis-
lation was secured which caused the COM
pensation of the recorder for doing nothing
to be limited to $4,000, and 1t was hoped
that by depriving the prize Of its extraordi-
nary richness II might be enabled to escape
the notice of political strikers in the states
and be permitted to recede into its natural
place in the list of local offices.
AAcu the OeIuOCTdllC OF 1871
the pledge Of local offices was made spe-
cifcally to the District, whereas in the past
the District had been compelled to make its
claim for home rule under a broad con-
struction of the word territories. This
wording Of the home-rule plank was
adopted with the case Of the recordership
conspicuously in mind. and the local demo-
Gratis also claim that certain of the ma
tional leaders. when campaign funds were
sought in the District. gave personal as
surances that the home-rule plank would
be enforced. 1t was expected, consequently,
when Mr.. Cleveland was elected that he
would appoint District man, and that, II
a colored man were selected, he would be
chosen from the local community, in which
the negro has concededly attained his high
est stage of development. Disappointing
these reasonable expectations the President
has appointed a nonresident as a reward
for political services, and through the infiu-
ences enumerated. he has been confirmed.
1t may be well for the District to attempt
to secure legislation still further reducing
the compensation Of the recorder and max
ing him an aprointee of the District Com
missioners. The office Is not national in
any phase, and something should be done
which will prevent the national shame and
disgrace OF a continuance Of the present
uses of this position. and remove a source
of constant friction between the people Of
the capital and the national executive and
legislature.