Evening star., 1895-07-16
The Suffrage Movement in the District

The Suffrage Movement I'm the District
To the Editor of. The Evening Star:
The right of suffrage here will increase
population by drawing people to the Dis
trict from the surrounding states, and will,
without doubt, make the city in a few
years one of the most prosperous ones in
the United States. That a young man who
was born in the District, and takes deep
and patriotic interest in the city and Dis
trict, has not the right to vote is a rilIcu-
lous state of affairs.
What is a republic? A republic generally
speaking, is supposed to be a country that
Is governed by the people, and every intel
ligent and free citizen in that republic is
supposed to have the right to vote, some
thing that 270,OoO free and intelligent citi-
zens of the capital of the United States of
America are not allowed to do. Shall this
state of affairs exist any longer, young men
and women of this District? There are a
number of intelligent young men of Wash
ington who are working for other people,
and have no business interests of their
own, and without exception they want and
will work hard for the right of suffrage for
their city and District. 1t Is the older men
who have business interests here who are
against 1t, and why are they against 1t?
For the reason that it might at first prove
disastrous to their business interests. 1t Is
simply selfish motive, and a person loses
patience with such narrow-minded and
selfish men. The man who will sacrtfce his
life for this country is to be admired. but
can We admire that man any longer when
he will not sacrifice few dollars in the in
terest Of the right Of suffrage for this Dis
trIct?
That the colored population is a serious
question in relation to the right Of suffrage
in the District must be admitted; but 1t
must he acknowledged by ali that there are
more intelligent and well-educated colored
people in the District of Columbia than any
state in the Union. People who remember
the state of affairs under Gov. Shepherd
say that il we have the universal right OF
suffrage in the District the same conditions
will exist that existed then; that Is. the
colored population would control things.
This is not SO. person may as well say
that he will not sit in a certain chair for
the reason chat he once sat in said chair
when 1t contained a pin, and the next time
he sees that chair he reasons thus: This
chair had pin in 1T the last time l occu-
pied it. and consequently must contain a
pin at the present time, so i Will not go
near it. An Intelligent and enlightened man
will reason about the matter in the follow
ing manner: This chair had pin in 1t once
when l occupied it. but is that any reason
that it contains pins now? L Will examine
it and see. And finding no pins, he occupies
it for the practical and comon sense reason
that 1t is a convenient and comfortable
seat. If the people who think that the
same conditions will exist today that exist
ed years ago will look into the matter
closely they will find that things have
changed. and that such state of affairs
cannot be repeated at the present time, and
that the condition politically will, without
doubt, be all that can be wished for in the
capital of the proudest nation on earth.
Suffrage" is surely coming, and within a
much shorter time than good many peo-
pie think. There can be no doubt that an
overwhelming ma jority are in favor of the
right of suffrage for the District. and all
that is needed to obtain 1t is public demon
stration, which is beginning to be felt at
ARTHUR E. BROWN.