The Washington bee., 1897-12-11
SUFFRAGE IN THE DISTRICT.
AN APPEAL TO CONGRESS FOX RIGHTS
THAT THE COMMISSIONERS
MUST RESPECT

A
THAT THE COMMISSIONERS
MUST RESPECT.
The local Federation of Labor held
an open meeting last Monday night at
Hayden's hall, corner Four-and-a-half
street and Pennsylvania avenue, at
which the subject of District suffrage
was exhaustiyely discussed. The at
tendance was very good and the ut
terances of the speakers were fire.
ouently applauded. MIR. Roy Carroll
presided, and introduced as the prln-
cipal speaker of the evening Thomas
G.. Hensey.
Mr.. Hensey made most eloquent
plea for suffrage in the District of Col
umbia, and supported the most of his
statements by figures. He said that
since the present form of government
had been inaugurated the debt of the
District had increased from s., ,ooo, 900
to $40, 900 600, and that the prospects
were that the sum would be even
larger before any considerable time
had elapsed.
He stated that in his opinion it was
illegal tor Congress to tax the proper
were allowed to vote. 1t was a sub
Ject, taxation without representation,
that had caused the Revolutionary
war, he said, and even the sense of
justice of the members of Congress
ought to convince them that it was
wrong to completely disfranchise the
people of the District.
NO FAvORs BEING ASKED.
owe are told" he continued, that
we must ask for political rights, or
Congress will cut off the so per cent
of the expenses of the District they are
now paying We are now asking Con-
gress for favors, but for our inalien-
able rights We demand these things
as free men, we do not request. AS
matters are now constituted we are
governed by an oligarChy, and our
Commissioners are chosen without
respect to our wishes. We are not
consulted, but are informed that we
must take what we can get
Mr. Hensey then made an appeal to
the people to agitate the question of
District suffrage, and gave it as his
opinion that in the course of time the
citizens of Washington could go to the
ballot box and rectify the wrongs
which they believed to have cone
them.
Arthur Keep, Vice President of the
local Federation, was then introduced
and stated the condition with which
the workingmen of the District were
compelled to content themselves,
simply because they had no vote, and
their protests availed them nothing.
He said that within a few miles from
this city men were exercising their
right of franchise, and that they were
no better people than those living
within the confines of the District.
REVOLUTION THE OUTCOME
He said that if suffrage was not
granted the citizens of the District
armeG revolution would eventually
result from the utter subsection of the
right of free men.
Capt. McCathran said that the peo-
pie of the District had no voice in the
selection of the men who were to
govern them, and that they could not
even select or be consulted with refer
ence to police judge to preside over
one of the courts. In his opinion the
blue -blooded aristocracy of the North
west" settled all matters of interest to
the District people in general, and
others were supposed TO keep still un-
til they were spoken to, which was
very seldom.
RESOLUTIONS OF RESPECTS.
Other speakers were DIR. Robert
Reyburn, DIR. Purvis and Mr.. Cahill
All were enthusiastically in favor of
suffrage for the District A resolution
was passed stating that the govern
ment Of the District Of Columbia had
been un-American and in direct viola
ton Of the principles on which the re-
public was founded, and should be
abolished.
First, because it is the most expen-
sive municipal government in the
world, taking S2S. so each to properly
govern every man, woman and child
in the District, while it only required
SIS to properly administer the laws of
New York City; secondly, that three
headed commissionership makes it
impossible to fix the responsibility for
any action; third, that the present
form of government was only intended
as temporary, and was so stated in the
act creating it, and that by its action
the people were deprived Of all con-
troll over their local affairs; and fourth,
that 1t violates the spirit of the Con-
stitution and of the Declaration of In
dependence.
The resolutions conclude with an
appeal to both the House OF Repre-
sentatives and the Senate to pass
bill whereby suffrage will be restored
to the District. The Federation of
Labor, knights of Labor, Central La
Dor Union and other organizations
were represented at the meeting.