Evening star., 1896-03-25
THE LAWS OF THE DISTRICT
Gsa Grosvenor Oalh Attention to Some Of
+ Theif PsculiaritieG
He Thinks Q A01el Code Of Proceed.
dre Il ONE Of the Desirable
Things 10 Have Here.

General Grosvenor Of Ohio. in discussing
the capital punishment bill last Monday in
the House. made some remarks upon Dis
trict affairs.
But, Mr.. Chairman" said Gen. Gros-
venor, while on my feet I wish to COM
mend the judiciary committee. which
upon all these questions is the great COM
mittee Of the House. the able committee
OF the House. to an investigation OF a sin
gle condition to which I wish to point their
attention The gentleman refers me to the
fact that this is a murder statute. dating
back to $780, The committee will find many
other conditions in the District of Column
bia that date back, apparently, to a period
during the dark ages. and yet they stand
here as provisions of the statutes not Of
the District of Columbia. but the statutes
which operate upon the people of the Dis
trtct of Columbia. I had occasion to refer
te 1t In few remarks some weeks ago at
the board of trade banquet in this city.
Il found myself here ON one occasion
trying case before a court-martial, and a
witness was called on the stand who was
asked preliminary question on the part
of counsel opposed to the suspected tesi-
mony of the witness. The counsel said he
wanted to ask him a question or two and
asked him If he believed in God. Well. the
fellow gave some sort of equivocating an
swer; do not now remember exa city what
it was. He was then asked if he believed in
a future state of rewards and punishments.
and found him to entertain a considerable
doubt about his answer to the question; but
to my utter amazemeut they produced a
statute, which learned to my entire salts
faction was then and is now in force in the
District of Columbia, a statute that forbade
him to testify, and he was ruled OFF the
witness stand. Now, there is a question 1
should like very much to have the judiciary
committee consider in connection with the
government of the District Of Columbia.
and as soon as the committee on the
judiciary has the time to formulate and
introduce an act in reference to criminal
proceedings in the District of Columbia. l
hope that it will take into consideration
this entire question.
And while we are building magnificent
monuments and works of art to commem-
people, while we are building splendid
buildings to demonstrate the growth in
architecture Of our country, while We are
trying to construct libraries to be the
honor and wonder of the world, not only, /
trust, the Congressional Library, but some
day a public library that the people Of the
United States will have some interest in d.
rectly in the form of taxation-while we
are doing all this, and setting an example
to all the world. as well as to our own peo-
pie: while we are offering to all the world
a splendid city. full Of educational institu-
tions and educational advantages, and all
of that, think the time has come when we
should have a model code Of procedure to
settle the rights of man in this District,
and move away from the ancient land
marks which have been forgotten in the
states. and go forward to the construction
of a model code, a model system of courts.
a model system Of the vindication Of the
rights Of persons and property in this ter
ritory, which We alone can legiSlate for.