Evening star., 1896-03-24
WANT THE BALLOT
A Plea Made for Suffrage in the
District.
DR.. REYBURN TEE FIRST SPEAKER
Mr. E. M. BIake's Speech in Be.
half Of Labor Associations.
QUESTIONS oFTHE COMMITTEE.

Sci ators Gallinger and Faulkner gave q
hearing this afternoon, as a subcommittee
| OF the District committee Of the Senate, to
the advocates of the bill row pending pro-
vtdirg for the holding of a special election
| In the District to determine the will Of the
people OF the District as to whether or not
| they desire the right of suffrage and local
self-government. Among those who ap-
| peared before the committee were DR.. Rob-
ert Reyburn, president of the District Suf-
frage Petition Association; Mr.. w. H. G.
Simmons, master workman of District AS
sembly 66. Knights Of Labor; Mr.. e. M.
Blake. chairman of the committee on legis-
lation, District Federation of Labor; Mr..
George o. Cook Of the Federation of Labor.
DR.. C. B. Purvis, Mr.. F. L. Siddons. the au-
thor Of the bill. and Rev. Walter Brooks:
Senator Gallinger stated at the beginning
of the hearing that his time and that OF
Senator Faulkner was limited, and he
urged those who would speak to be as
brief as possible.
DR.. Reyburn's Address.
DR.. Reyburn first addressed the commit
tee He described the present form Of gov
ernment Of the District as a strange an
| achronism, reminding him Of the state of
man in medieval history. The people Of
the District. he asserted, are dissatasned
with. the present form Of government, while
the laboring people, he went on. arc to a
man opposed to 1t.
He then read a memorial signed by him.
self and Messrs. Simons, Blake, Cook and
| Siddons in their representative capacities.
The memorial set forth that the present
form of local government was In the begin
ming only intended to be temporary. and
| that 1t was at best arbitrary and tyran-
nical; that q large majority OF the people
| of the District are unJustly ruled by only
| three men, who have absolute power over
them; that the multifurious duties Of the
members of Congress prevent them from
being able to give the attention to the
| affairs of the District that they require.
and that such matters as relate strictly to
! local conditions could be properly relegated
| to an assembly composed of citizens of the
District; that the three headed and despotic
character of the present form of govern
ment is entirely unique in the history Of
the country and is a blot and q disgrace
to the nation.
Questioned by Senator Faulkner.
When DR.. Reyburn mad concluded his
reading Senator Faulkner put him through
! sharp cross-examination. He asked him
If he had ever considered the effect of max
| ing this proposed change of Installing this
popular government upon the annual ap-
preparations.
You don't suppose" he said, that Con-
| gress would make such appropriations as
| the total expenses of the District, II there
were popular government formed here?"
DR.. Reyburn's reply referred to the cap
itals Of foreign countries, such as Berlin
and Paris, and said that they are in part
supported by the central government.
Don't you know asked Senator Faulk-
| ner. chow difficult it is now for to carry
through the District appropriations on the
| 50 per cent basis?
DR.. Reyburn responded by alluding to the
| fact that the government owns one-half of
| the property in the District as a reason why
the fifty per cent clause should be main
| tained. Mr.. Faulkner waived this aside
| as immaterfa1, for he said that he heartily
agreed with the theory that the govern
| ment should bear half the burden Of gov
erning and maintaining the District. He
| city is governed better or worse than the
average American city. DIR. Reyburn re-
| piled that, In his estimation. this Is the
| worst governed city in the country.
I Senator Faulkner wanted to know what
| power the three Commissioners have that
Is not expressly given them by act of Con-
gress. DR.. Reyburn replied that they had
no direct powers of that nature, but they
| had discretionary powers, and they have
| the right to manufacture law in the form
| of police regulations.
Senator Gallinger suggested that the
| Commissioners exercised direct influence
| on the making of laws by framing bills
| and making the first report on all local
| measures.
1 T
| we take the final responsibility for all leg
| islation.'
I'VE want to relieve you Of that respon-
| siblity." SAID Mr. Simmons
| Il should be glad, for one," said Mr.. Gal
linger. Ito be relieved of that responsi.
| bility."
| Mr.. BInke's Statement.
Mr.. E. NJ. Blake next took the floor and
| read prepared statement, in which he sci
| forth that the District government as al
present constituted was not founded Oh
the consent of tie people. The present sys-
tenn, he said. is hostile to American ideas
| and is an innovation that threatens the
whole people of the country. He said tha,
| the organizations Of working men, who are
| in hearty accord at all times with the prin-
ciples of the Constitution, greatly desire
a change, and that the local workingmen
| have much to complain Of against the Dis
| trict government.
| He said that the Commissioners have
| never originated single measure in favor
| of the working classes. Labor measures
| submitted to the Commissioners have, he
| asserted, been treated with Indifference,
| and he quoted a special instance where the
| Commissioners had returned bill to Con-
| gress with an unfavorabla report, but with
! out deigning TO submit any reasons for
| their decision.
"What was that bil?" asked Mr.. Gal
| linger.
TT was the bill designed to relieve the
| people Of the District of the cost and in
| EQUITIES of the contract SYSTEM" answered
| Mr.. Blake.
He went on to argue that the District is
| entitled to statehood, and he compared the
| population Of the District in 1880 with that
| of several of the states, showing that there
| are more people here than in a number of
| the communities that now have the right
| of self-government.
| '"Then you think" said Mr.. Faulkner,
| that there should not be an exclusive
| jurisdic tion of the federal government over
| its own capital?"
! 'I think there should be some measure of
| supervision by the government over the
| capital, but 1 believe the present system is
contrary to the principles that actuated the
| trainers Of the Constitution"
One Principle in the Constitution.
But" answered Mr.. Faulkner, 'ft was
ere Of the principles Of the founders of our
country, as embodied in the Constitution,
| that the government should have exclu-
| sive jurisdiction over an area ten miles
| square to be used as the national capital"
| There was some discussion as to whether
| tie advocates Of suffrage in the District
| VIC uld be willing to pay all of the taxes II
| popular form of government were in
| stituted
| Mr.. Blake declared his entire willingness
| to assume the entire burden of govern
| ment, but others on the committee felt
| that the government should pay the taxes
| on its lands. which would thus reduce the
| charge on the individual taxpayers