Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-03-13
QUOTATIONS GARBLED
COMMISSIONER MACFARLANI
AND DISTRICT SUFFRAGE.
Those Who Used Abstraction We're
Careful Not to Use the
Whole Passage.

Commissioner Macfarland has had to an
swer a number of inquiries as to his posi-
ton with respect to proposed changes In the
existing form of government In the District
of Columbia because of certain quotations
from his addresses made by petitioners who
asked the President Wednesday to recon-
mend to Congress the establishment of a
suffrage form Of government in the District
Of Columbia.
Commissioner mcfarland desires 1t UNI
derstood that he has not changed his opin-
ion respecting the present form of govern
ment. He said today that he regretted that
the quotations from his addresses In the
petition referred to were in each case only
half of a statement
For example, one quotation Is only part
Of a sentence in the address delivered by
Commissioner Mcfarland on District of Co.
lumba day, September 3, 1901, at the Pan
American exposition. 1t is distracted in
this shape from the following passage,
which correctly represents Commissioner
Macfarland's opinion.
What he Did Say.
''Twepty-three years of experience has
proved that this is the ideal form of gov
eminent for the District Of Columbia. This
Is attested by the fact that there is no
probability that it will be materially
changed at any time in the future.
The fact that it is exception to all
other governments in the United States in
that it provides for taxation without repre-
sentation. and is autocratic In form, grieves
some good people in the District who care
more for sentiment than for substance, and
grteves others who would like to take adj
vantage Of the untoward conditions which
the restoration of the suffrage would inevi-
tably produce.
But the people of the District of Column
bia generally believe that they have the best
II any serious attempt were made to change
1t it would be Overwhelmingly defeated.
They know that the absence Of partisan
politics In the District of Columbia has
mace lts government purely a matter Of
business, and that it has been carried on
with absolute honesty, with conspicuous
EMERGENCY and economy, and in accordance
WIZ It's omc1al motto, Justitia omnibus. +"
Anotner statement in the petition, which
particularly interested Commissioner Mac
farland, was the following:
Inc organic law Of our republic has not
only made you the President over eighty
mllilons or people, but has laid upon you
the additional burden Of being the chief
executive of the District Of Columbia"
MI mcfarland called attention today to
the fact that the only reference to the fed
erai District in the Constitution of the
United States is the paragraph granting
congress power Ito exercise exclusive leg
lsiation in all cases Whatsoever over it.
The President of the United States is not
mentioned In the Constitution in connection
with the federal District
Congress, which has no executive or ju-
dlcial functions in the government of the
District OF Columbia, has constituted here
an executive government and a judiciary.
Beyond providing that he SHALL with the
Senate, appoint the Commissioners, whom
Attorney General Griggs, in his opinion to
the President on April 26, 1898, terms 1.-The
1iy1Cr Nd
he holds, under decisions of the Supreme
Court of the United States, are not officers
OF the United States government but, with
their subordinates, are officers Of the mu-
niclpal corporation known as the District
of Columbia, so that, the opinion states. the
President cannot extend the provisions of
the civil service act to the District offices,
Congress has not imposed executive duties
upon the President Of the United States in
the administration of the government of
the District Of Columbia