Evening star., 1902-03-11

| pressed on 10 tuc exercise OF It's pOWeIS
On the part Of the people Of the District
there Is evidence that they were not OBJ
| ltvious OF their rights or OF their interests
nor OF the important stage reached in their
| history.
Congress Memorialized.
Before report was made In Congress on
the subject of a government a memorial
| was presented to that body from the free
holders OF Alexandria, praying 1t to estab-
lish q system OF legislation and government
| for the District. Similar action was taken
| by the citizens Of Washington. In both in
stances. It viii be noted. Congress was
asked to provide q system Of legislation
| and government. while in the halls OF Con-
gress members. speaking In behalf OF human
liberty. and especially OF the political rights
| Of citizens. urged their colleagues not to
| commit the crime OF DISTINGUISHING these
people by disturbing the existing form OF
government.
A meeting Of citizens Of Alexandria. called
| to consider this matter, adopted memorial
to Congress urging that body not to Inn
peach the general sovereignty and jurisdic
| ton then exercised by the two states In the
| District. In the House Mr.. Craig of Mary
land. whose district included a portion of
| the territory of the District, said he was
| acquainted with the sentiments OF the peo-
| pie Of the District, and that they favored
| assumption and were opposed to delay.
| Reference was made by Mr.. Bryan to the
pamphlets which, in the fashion of the day.
! views on this subject. A. B. Woodward's 8
essays on the government of the District,
numbering eight, were the most elaborate
and the most important OF those efforts. He
| favored an amendment to the Constitution
| SO that the District would be entitled to
representation in Congress. He also ad-
vocated a territorial form of government
for the District
Scheme Of Government Proposed.
In January. 1901. the committee Of the
| House. Of which Mr.. Lee was chairman,
reported to that body scheme Of govern
ment, which was. in brief, territorial
| form. and like the one formulated by Mr..
Woodward, In its general outlines. at least.
resembled that which had been provided by
| the ordinance Of 1859 for the government
OF the northwest territory. Mr.. Woodward.
however, placed no restrictions upon the
franchise except that OF citizenship In tho
United States and residence in the District.
In this particular the House bill differed, as
| 1t confined to freeholders ofice- holding and
the exercise Of the franchise, following in
the latter particular. at least. the prevail
ing custom in this country at that time
An approach to the recognition of the
principle which is the underlying one of
the present form Of government, that Of
the equal financial responsibility OF the
general and local governments in the ap-
preparations for meeting the local govern
mental expenses, was made perhaps more
fully in the House bill than in that sub
| mitted by Mr.. Woodward. The former
| fixed charges upon the federal treasury
| the pay Of the governor appointed by the
President and Of the members of the leg
| islature elected by the people. Mr.. Wood
ward intended the District to bear the bur-
den of maintaining the legislature, while
| the governors salary was to be paid by
the general government. When this bill
came before the House for discussion the
| Sd Of February, 1901 an effort was made
| to postpone the entire subject on the ground
naQtn1v there nnrQGSffv
Congress to assume further jurisdiction over
| the District at that time. However, this
| failing, the attack was then directed against
| the bill itself, and the criticism was espe-
| cially sharp that the people were not al
| lowed to choose their own governor and
| their executive and judicial officers. At
| tention was called to the fact that no man
| In the District would be represented in the
| national government which he contributed
| to support, "a denial Of natural right"
The Senate Measure.
| In the Senate a measure was under con-
| sideratfon, which eventually took shape and
| became the law Of February q, 1901, the
| main features OF which were the provisions
for a judicial system Of the District, and
| continuing in force the existing laws Of
Maryland and Virginia. Before the final.
| action was reached by Congress resolutions
| adopted at meeting of citizens Of Alexan-
| dria were received urging the national body
| not to proceed further in the assumption
of powers over the District. This protest
| was based broadly upon the plea Of human
| rights, which the further exercise by Con-
| gress Of its constitutional function, 1t was
l urged, would violate.
Recognition of Human Rights.
| The abstract force OF the reasoning rela-
tive 10 human rights was recognized then
| as now. At the same time, during the past
| century no substantial progress was made
| in divesting the general government Of all
| or a part of its powers over the District, or
| Of changing the political status Of it's cit
| liens. 1t Is apparent that theoretically the
people OF the District might be claSsed pO-
iitically, as was done both in and out of
| Congress, as community Of slaves. Prac-
| tically such considerations did not seem to
have as much weight with the residents at
the nations capital as their confidence that
! thedr prosperity and happiness could safely
| be intrusted to the national legislature, to
which had been given the custody of the
interests Of the nation In the seat Of gov
| ernment.
| The enactment Of the law of February q.
| 1901 marks the close Of the initial period in
| the history Of the government Of the Dis
| trict. 1t is an act Of great Significance, as
| by 1t the constitutional powers were more
fully and directly assumed by the national
| body.
The local governmental agencies existing
| in the territory when 1t came under fed
! eral control were allowed to continue in
| opera ton. and these, with direct legisla
| ton by Congress and the corporation, pro-
| vided the following year for the city of
| Washington, constituted the government
| Of the District. which continued practically
| unchanged for period Of nearly seventy
| years
| A discussion followed the reading of the
paper.
An Interesting Feature.
| An interesting feature Of the meeting was
| the exhibition by several members of prints
| and maps and other objects Of historical
| value. DR.. ]. Dudley Morgan showed q
| photograph Of the old mansion house Of
| Duddington, and, In addition, read a couple
| Of letters from L'Enfant, which are in his
| collection, and which related to this house,
| which was cause Of controversy between
| l. Enfant and the city commissioners.
| An old-time photograph of the houses that
| were at the southeast corner Of 18th and F
| streets, the present site Of the Ebbitt
| House. was shown by Mr.. John B. Larner,
/ and much information OF value In regard to
| the locality during that period was given.
Some account was given by Mr.. Allen G.
| Clark of the houses in this city Of Chief
| Justice Marshall. One OF these places was
| the row of dwellings on the north side of
Pennsylvania avenue between Goth and 21st
| streets, formerly known as Gadsby.
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