The times., 1898-01-18
House &
Litera1 Furnishers.
9TH and | Sts. N. w.
MANY AR9UE FOR SUFFRAGE.
The House Committee Hears Dis
satisfied Citizens.

The House Committee Hears Dis
satisfied Citizens
Those citizens who are dissatisfied
with the present system Of the govern
ment Of the District of Columbia were
accorded q hearing yesterday by the
House Committee on the District.
There were only a half dozen present.
but these represented organizations and
societies or dissatisfied individuals.
DR.. T. +. Lee first addressed the
committee. He urged that the present
form of government of the District is
not satisfactory, because it is not Il
representative one, and said: While
[ Congress under the second para graph
third section Of the fourth article of
the Constitution. is given the power 70
dispose of and make all needfu rules
and regulations respecting the Terri
tories or other property belonging TO
the United States. there iS not one ar
ticle, section, paragraph. line or a sin
gle word in the Constitution that en-
powers the Congress or the Executive
together or singly. TO deprive any cit
iZen Of the United States of The right
of the ballot and fun representative
citizenship.
Mr.. NJ. /. Weller found fault with the
present system because it was uR-
<1iiFElCdii. ne Sttiu ltdL dDbul dii Elif
rights the people Of the District have
are To pay taxes and grumble He de-
clared that it was not true that the I'M
prOvementS IN the District had been
due to the present form Of government.
and he was confident that more pro-
gress would have been made under a
municipal form OF government. He
believed that municipal government
would prevent the Determinations that
are now made. He complained that as
the District is now run poor man can
not. in East Washington, get a brick
sidewalk but rich man in the north
west may have asphalt streets. Gov
eTnment by suffrage, he believed,
would place all on an equality.
Mr.. William c. Dodge. who for many
years has antagOnized the present sys-
tenn. was heard. He advocated "A
change and declared the present sys-
TEN, for erudeness, reminded him of his
jCurneying in 40 across the plains. He
said the District Commissioners are an
exclusive set that they have issued or
ders that the press and public should
never know what they contemplate do
ing. As an example Of the arbitrary
manner in which they do business. he
said that last spring his neighbar did
some rebuilding and in 50 doing tore
up about three feet Of Mr.. DOdge'S
~ 2.
uuested the Commissioners TO make the
repairs To the walk. and the superin-
tendent recommended thai the entire
walk be relaid. which said Mr..
Dodge. Il had to pay for
He declared that under the present
system Commissioners We're appointed
by the President on the recommenda-
tion of a few influential citizens, and
that the appointments were made with
out a knowledge of the needs Of the
District. He said he believed an elect
i've system with q common council
would be better than the present plan
of government The Commissioners as
now constituted have absolute power
over life and health and property They
regulate plumbing. health laws and
property. From their decisions there
is no appeal Their acts are absolute.
He believed that if the question were
submitted to the people at large uni
yersal suffrage would be demanded.
and that if left TO a tax paying sif-
frage some compromise might be ef-
fected He preferred the latter.
Mr.. w. H II. Simmons. representing
the local Federation Of Labor. said
that organized labor wants local self
government. He said the people do
not care about the cost of the govern
ment but they want to govern them
selves.
Thomas G. Henry. chairman of the
central committee of the Citizens Suf-
frage Association. made an earnest ap-
peal for local self-government.
AT the conclusion of the hearing. Mr..
]. d. Croissant asked the committee
not to take action until the other side
could be heard. and was assured that
his request would be granted.