Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-06

Columbia has been specifically mentioned.
In all Of them It is assumed 10 be included
under the word Territories
In the enactment of laws providing Tor
the government Of the District. Congress
has expressly declared for this Application
OF the principle Of approximate home rule
and of common fairness. According to stat
ute no Civilian Commissioner of the District
may be appointed unless he has been fer
at least three years bona fide resident OF
this community. claiming citizenship no
where else. This period may be regarded
as the legally established minimum OF ex-
elusive residence necessary for rating as
a citizen of the District
The District HAS always contended that 1t
should be treated as a state In the appoint
TIient of all the local federal officials VINO
serve here. The reasoning for such treat
nent is plain. In some respects IL Is stronger
than in the case OF the states. In the states
the federal judges. appointed by the Presi-
dent. are paid wholly by the federal gov
eminent. In this District the locai-nationai
judges are paid one-half by the government
and one-half by the District The District
has uniformly asked that at least one-half
OF the local judiciary be appointed strictly
on the home rule basis. There Is an even
Htiollbti ia lawn VI AVS@A -'NtS~
lions in this case than in the case of the
territories There is here larger and more
capable bar from which to draw for compe-
tent members of the judiciary. Thus we
have the men for the places. the broad rea-
soniug in our favor and one-half of the
actual salaries of the judges are paid by US.
The register of wills and the recorder OF
de eds correspond to purely local. elected
officials in other communities. The obvious
duty of the appointing power, acting on
American principles is to appoint to them
only men who could, If voting prevailed
here be elected. The local community pays
all the fees that sustain these offices and
has every reason to expect representation IN
filling them. There Is no possible excuse
for the federal government to regard these
positions political perquisites, yet for
years the justice of the Districts demand
for local men for these places has been
ignored.
The marshal of the District while serv-
IT,; in a federal capacity, corresponds also
to the sheriff of the county In the states.
There Is much reason why the sherln
of Washington should be a Washingtonian
as that local man should be sheriff IN
any other American community.
All of this reasoning applies to the
position OF the local postmastership.
The people of the District do not 1t Is
true pay the postmaster's salary directly,
save so far as their contributions in fed
eral taxes and in stamp purchases flow into
the general federal fund. But neither do
the people OF any other American city.
And it so happens that In the District the
heaviest user of the office pays nothing in
stamp purchase and cancellation for its
I,tn NF th.a
ranking privilege The Washington post
Office is more than self-supporting and the
District supports it. The national govern
ment thus using the local office for moth
ing exercises full control. while the other
partner, paying all, has voice in the Sc
lection of the postmaster.
In former times the Washington postmas-
ter was almost invariably bona fide cit
izen OF the District. Not until after the
war of the sixties did this place fall into the
category of political plums to be bestowed
upon partisans from the states imported
here for the purpose of enjoying the ma
tional patronage at the expense of the peo-
pie of Washington. or being already here
in government office while retaining their
legal residence elsewhere, promoted to this
position regardless of the wishes of the peo-
pie of the community.
Whether the District Is regarded as a
state territory, or as a peculiarly
constituted federal area, it Is an organized
community of over a quarter-million Ameri-
cans and 1t demands as close an approxima-
ton to the enjoyment of the basic Ameri-
can principle of self-rule as Its relations to
the republic and the national exigencies will
permit: and in the absence of a voting sys-
tenn for the direct ascertainment of the
wishes of the people 1t urges that it is at
least entitled to be consulted about and to
be considered In the selection of its local
and federal officials, approximating as far
as possible the law or the custom in these
respects in other American communities.