The leader., 1899-03-08

trict of Columbia, the seat of national
government, where the law-making
body of the republic has annual SEES
sions for legislative purposes. But the
laws which are in operation here are
the veriest conglomeration of the ar
cient and the modern.
The District of Columbia was orig
inally a portion of the sovereign state
of Maryland; and when the capital city
was founded here it was ordained that
the laws of Maryland should continue
TO be in force. From time to time the
congress has repealed some of these
laws. and enacted other laws in then
stead; but there still remains in opera
ton number of laws of the old state
OF Maryland some Of them being most
ridiculous. Moreover, many of the laws OF
Maryland have been repealed or mod
flied for that state. but they are still in
force here.
Then, for a time, we had territorial
form of government III the District OF
Columbia, and the territorial legisia'
ture passed q number of laws which are
sui Ill lOICtS wv 1'"'N @o'
had a territorial form Of government
for more than 25 years. In any other
community something would have been
done long since to bring order out OF
chaos.
But there is another condition which
is not generally understood. Ever since
1872 the District of Columbia has been
without the elective franchise, and has
been entirely under the control OF the
federal authorities. The people can
not elect anybody TO any office. The
president appoints three commissioners
to execute the laws, and they appoint
all subordinate officials. The congress
has legislative power here; ard during
the past 25 years the congress mas
passed great many laws for the DIS
trict of Columbia, regardless of al
other laws.
No wonder the big policeman is puz,
zled, and wonders how TO prevent and
suppress crime. We have Maryland law
district law and congressional law
Many of these statutes conflict with
each other, and sometimes the judges
do not know what to do with Grim
inals, because of the conflicting laws
Our lawyers have again and again
asked the congress TO have our laws
codified and ratified, and made stable
But the congress is body hard to
move, unless there is some chance fol
iobbery or corruption in view.
St. AIMS infant asylum has done a
great deal of good in this vicinity. NO
body knows how many children have
been taken there after their abandon
ment. and saved. When one OF the
sisters was asked if it would be safe td
say hundreds, she replied that II woulo
be safe to say thousands.
Unfortunate and abandoned women,
with limited intelligence, see no future
for themselves, except the abandon
ment of their children. Sometimes the
misera bic mothers abandon their chill
dren in the public parks, and leave
them to die as naked as they were born
The story told by the policeman
| about the way eolored women are
sometimes placed in charge of infants
is true story, and illustrates a com
mon occurrence. Middle-aged coloreo
women have all of them had more oil
less experience as nurses, in then
Younger days; and no one of them il
surprised when white lady asks hei
TO take charge of little baby for
| few minutes. The colored woman looks
upon it as a most natural occurrence
| Then, while the honest black woman
| holds the little one tenderly, the dis
honorable white woman disappears In
the thrones of the city streets.and per-
haps takes train TO Baltimore or else
where, SMITH D. FRY.