The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1903-10-17

By F.. w. OYSTER, WASH. d. G.
Shall "a government for the people, by
the: people, and: for the people';-the
only form Of government in harmony
with our institutions and our profess
sions Of love for the glorious principles
Of universal liberty-be e-established
in the capital Of the republic? is the
most important problem demanding
the attention and action of congress
concerning the national capital. The
question Of making Washington city
the most beautiful spot on earth
sinks into utter insignificance in COM
parison with the question of restoring
to the residents of the District of
Columbia their inalienable rights as
American citizens.
That the present form of govern
ment for the District of Columbia is
unrepublican, undemocratic, and there
fore un-American, is conceded, even
by it's most ardent and interested
defenders.
Henry B. F. mcfarland, president of
the board Of commissioners Of the Dis
trict of Columbia, in Everybody's
Magazine for August 1901, and in an
address on District Day. at the Buff
falo Exposition on September 3, 1901,
said:
I'm form the present government 1T
the District of Columbia is an absolute
autocracy, not legally responsible to
the people. 3 ;" Nor have the citizens
of the District of Columbia the legal
right to say who shall exercise the
power of a commissioner, nor how he
shall do it. nor for what object.
theoretically (and practically they
T have no voice in the selection of their
servants or of their tasks, and no
power to reward or punish them.
''The fact that it is an exception to
all other governments in the United
States in that it provides for taxation
without representation and is auto
cratic in form, grieves some good pep
pie in the district who care more for
sentiment (principle) than for sub
stance. y The government of the
District of Columbia is, therefore, ad-
mittedly the best in the United States,
because it is government by the best
citizens
Webster's definition of autocracy is,
supreme, uncontrolled, unlimited
authority;;> a despotism.'
Aristocracy he defines as govern
ment by the best citizens; privileged
Glass;
Plutocracy he defines as "a form
of government in which the supreme
power Is lodged in the hands of the
wealthy class; or Influential class Of
rich men,
Oligarchy he defines as "a form of
government in which. the supreme
power is placed in the hands of a few
persons'-three commissioners, for
instance, as in the District of Column
bia,, one of them being an officer Of
the army, the other two being appoint
ed by the president of the United
States, "by and with the advice. and
consent of the senate" the consent of
the people over whom they. exercise
p autocrattcs powers being Considerable sem
tirely unnecessary and superflous''.
The present form of government in
the District of Columbia can scarcely
be distinguished from any Of the I'M
American forms above defined.
A democratic or republican form of
government Webster defines a "a gov
eminent by the people; a form of, gov
eminent in which the supreme power
is retained and directly exercised by
the people; " a state in which the
sovereign power resides in the whole
body Of the people, and is exercised by
representatives elected by them; a
commonwealth.
Which Of these forms of government
ho n~t u IL
or beneficial or consistent in the cap
ttal of a free people? 1t would seem
that there can be but one answer to
this question from those who sincerely
believe in republican institutions
democratic-republican form: "a gov
eminent of the people, by the people,
and for the people," to the preserva-
ton of which Abraham Lincoln, in his
immortal address on the battlefield of
Gettysburg, declared that the Amer
lean people should be dedicated-that
they should highly resolve that this
nation, under God, shall have a new
birth of freedom, and that the govern
ment of the people, by the people, and
for the people shall not perish from
the earth"
And yet, notwithstanding all our
professions of belief in republican in.
stitutions, the form of government ad-
vocated by Abraham Lincoln has been
annihilated in the District of Colum-
bia, and IAN absolute autocracy, not
legally responsible to the people, fas-
tened upon the helpless people of the
national capital.
If. taxation without representation
is tyranny" as it was declared to be
by our revolutionary forefathers, then
the people of the District of Columbia:
are living under. a most tyrannical
government, for the. per capita tax
alton here is greater than in three
fourth Of the citi es Of the United
States, and the people are without any
representation whatever in the law
making body that lays this heavy bur-
den on their shoulders.
If, as Abraham Lincoln declared.
1--WE can not have free government
without elections" then there has not
been free government in the national
no fol CITY, 81.