The morning times., 1896-03-25
FOR RIGHTS Of FREEhEA
Continued from Second Page.

ported III adversely without deigning I,
submit any reasons for their unlavorabl,
! Judgment.
ia t.i.ewcr TO Senator Gallinger lie sale
the bill meant was that freeing workini
people from The iniG Guitles OF lie contract
| system.
lie tiad one suggestion as to the form
or the new government. That was that q
| state should be established out Of the
District. He read figures showing that
the population here is larger than IN lei
aware, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah
wyoming or 0klahCma. The aggregate
wealth was also greater
Senator Faulkner asked If 1t was pro
posed that the general government should
not exercise special control over the ter
| ritory set apart as the seat OF government
| lie pointed out that this had been the
plan at the very foundation or the city.
REMARKS OF MR.. SIDDONS.
Mr. SiddOns spoke next saying he would
| like to try to answer some or Senator
/ fauiKners questions. The reasons for the
| establishment of the present form OF gov.
ernment, he said, were familiar to all
| and 1t was equally well known that the
| most important Of these had passed away
| lit was now time to change government
| which had been established to meet a
| temporary condition, 4 fact recognized
| IN the very act creating it.
1t was not the purpose now he said,
IN answer TO question from Mr. Faulkner,
! TO discuss the form or government desired.
| They We're merely asking that the aues-
| tion whether this form should be kept
| be submitted 10 a vote or the People
| lie liked tue present arrangement by which
| the federal government exercised a super
vision over the expenditures OF the local
authorities. This was Il salutary check
| upon Hnwise outlay. They would be will
| ing under tue new form for the Treasury
| ." continue to control that part OF the
| funds contributed by the national govern
| ment.
| As to the powers Of the Commissioners,
he said, they are governed by Congress;
bat In matters comparatively trivial,
| though really very Important TO citizens,
| they exercise the legislative as well us the
! executive function.
In concluding he said that Senator
| Faulkner's colleague had introduced
| bill asking local self govern ment for
Cuoa; 1T would be shameful 10 give Cuba
suffrage ana refuse il 10 the District.
In reply to questions Mr.. Siddons said
It was only intended TO give the right to
vote to persons who have not retained
5Aat riSi-j IN the States sw4ence they como.
There are about | 8 COO office -noIders
here, bui only a part of these held citizen
Ship elsewhere, Citizenship here would
require residence or'atleast a year.
AN HISTORICAL REVIEW.
1r Purvis gave an historical review of
The forms of government that have pre-
vailed here. He sail the question had
been discussed ever since the end of the
last century, and in lS02 suffrage gov
erninent had been given the District b.
an act signed by7PreSilent jefferson.
The charge had been made that The Dis
Nyp
passed into the present form. This was
mistake. Congress in 1871 established
iiew government with an elective lower
branch, but The control was really in n
board of public works, over which the
people had no check. 1t was this board
that had run the debt in six wears from
100000 to S25,000,000. The people
OF the District who had no share in con-
controlling the creation OF this debt might
repudiate it.
Mr.. Simmons said he did not care to
take the time of the committee further
than TO say that he represented thirty-Six
organizations, whose members were all
in favor of suffrage for citizens here. He
pointed out some Of the facts upon Which
they based their opinion.
Mr.. Brooks said he would content him
self with a comparison. The British ex-
Ncuttye does not interfere. with lucal gov
ernment. London, for example, is gov
erned mainly by the corporation of Lou
don, with 206 councilmen, in its most
numerous branch. This is the condition
of things we want in Washington The
general government in London exercises a
proper influence upon the conduct OF local
affairs.
Even the people of St Petersburg. under
the car of Russia. have more local self
government than res dents of the District.
We have nothing whatever TO do with
the elevation of Our political masters. The
President is as completely independent of
the people of the District as the ear is of
the Russian peasantry. He is fully and
arbitrarily my political MASTER he eX-
claimed las was the man who owned me
in 1861"
How do you feel" asked Senator Gal
lin@er. 'when you read the declaration of
1776?'
II feeI.'' said Mr.. Brooks. after mo-
ment's hesitation over misunderstanding
the question, Il feel that l am denied the
right which Americans then fought for.
the right Of representation in the po wer that
lays taxes"
FOR WOMEN, TOO.
Mrs Colby, of the woman's Tribune, said
she was present to ask that the bill be
amended by striking out the word male.
She said she had heard.the same arguments
as made now. presented many times but
never before by men. 1t was always by
women.
She then drew a picture showing how
women have been Classed politically with
idiots. lunatics, criminals, and citizens
of the District Now. the men OF the Dis
trict are ungallantly trying to leave her
with only the other classes as associates
We are a disappearing SEX she con-
tinued. when you want to punish us
or to tax us we can be seen. But when 1t
comes to rights and privileges, we are
excluded. You talk of the people, but
you don't mean us. We are neither citi-
zens, Inhabitants nor even persons But
believe we have never been excluded from
the class of the governed; and being of
this class, under the first principle of
this nation, we have a right to voice in
our government.
The bill considered was never originated
by the Knights of Labor, for at their last
session they voted unanimously in favor of
admitting women to vote In the District
aleng with the men. IL we are to exchange
an arstocracy OF a. class instead of an
autocracy of a few persons, 1t is hardly
worth The whle'
DR.. Reyburn said The trainers of the bill
did not object to suffrage for women, and
Mr.. Simmons said, - as Mrs. Colby had
stated, the Knights of Labor were in favor
of 1t. DR.. ReyhurR thought that with
woman suffrage In the measure. it would