Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-02
The Local Postmastership.

The Local Po5tmaSterShip.
President Roosevelt will not permit his
friends and admirers (among whom new
ertheless and Notwithstanding The Star
continues to number itself to forget what
most of them consider his blunder in the
Mrs. Morris drag -out case. Nearly every
body III Washington was convinced that
the election of Mrs. Morris from the White
House was either entirely unnecessary and
wholly indefeusble. OF, II necessary, that
il was executed with unnecessary and gross
brutality, There was general expecta-
ton. based on the popular idea of the Pres
ident. that he would disavow the act. and
in some way rehuke those responsible for
it. instead of doing 50 he hastily and with
out due consideration committed himself
to approval of their course; failed to re-
spond to the popular request for a fair in
vestlgaton when the whole affair was fresh
in memory and when eyewitnesses were
eager to be heard; and later instituted q
secret inquiry. in which the accusers and
important unofficial and disinterested eye
witnesses were not invited to participate.
al result of which the accused acquitted
themselves and vigorously sustained the
Presidents preconceved and preannounced
opinion. And now, 10 cap the climax, the
President. instead of reproying in any way
his tactless and too strenuous ''bouncer,"
rewards him with the Washington postmas-
tership at double his present salary. This
position. when prestige and compensation
are considered. would be to many men the
most desirable of the local offices. 1t pays
more salary than District Commissioner
or a Senator or Representative receives In
dignity and prestige it surpasses the reg
istership Of Wills and the recordership of
deeds. AS an awkward result of the
Barnes precedent there remain logically to
be rewarded at the expense of the District
the policemen who shared with Mr.. Barnes
the houOrs In the Morris drag-out What
shall their harvest be-a local judgeship.
commissionership or SUPPLEMENTARY of
police?
Irrespective of the peculiar humiliation to
the District involved in the present case
the practice Is all wrong of treating the
local offices the persona! perquisites of
the President, TO be disposed of at his
pleasure to political or personal fayorites.
without consultation with or consideration
of the people OF Washington This com
munity has in the eternal fitness of things
as much right to be consulted about its
local postmastershlp as Baltimore or Phila-
delphia, or New York. or Chicago about
their postmasters, 1t has as much right as
they to furnish a representative man for
the place, backed IN his candidacy by local
public sentiment The fact that the ma
tional capital Is without political represent
tation and may not be able to enforce It's
equities, If assaulted or encroached upon.
should make every just and upright Ameri-
can more sympathetically and scrupulously
cousiderate IN protecting its rights and in
tsrests.
The determinations against the District
OF Columbia as q political entity are well
known Direct taxes are collected from the
District. but no representatives are allotted
10 it though the Constitution couples tie
two things WheG the words "throuehout
The United States" are employed in the
Constitution, they have been held to in
Clude the District when uniformity of duties
Is prescribed and to exclude the District
when the time OF national elections is fixed
Tho District has been pronounced state
under a treaty with France. a construction
comforting privileges on aliens. but not
state under the Constitution whose people
can sue In the federal courts II is thus
treated as a part OF the Union of states
when burdens are 10 be imposed and not a
state or part Of the Union when privileges
are to ae conferred. Practically it IS treated.
as less than a territory. when the political
platform planks promising home lule and
local offices to the territories come to be
fulfilled Our recordership Of deeds sus-
tanned entirely by the fees OF the local com
munlty. has been converted into a political
sop 10 be thrown IA reward 70 the most
active partisan worker OF the colored race
outside OF Washington.
our district attorneyships and judgeshlps
are coming 70 be merged II not already
merged. IN the routine appointments of the
department of Justice In the selection of
whom the community is entirely negligible.
As these offices are being treated as merely
routine appointments to he fued without
sgruple 10y promotion from the Department
OF Justice. so the postmastership Is coming
10 be treated IN its relation to the Post
Oltice Department In short, al the local
offices are coming to be viewed as in the
vest pocket OF the President and his cab
met. concerning the disposal OF which the
people OF Washington have no rights which
anybody IS bound 10 respect or even to con-
slider
Cur1ously enough, as the District has IN
creased In population and wealth and re-
sources. Untu 1t surpasses IN stature the
weakest OF the sovereign states Instead OF
receiving increased national and official con-
sideratiOn IN these matters its treatment
mas grown steaoily worse. And. notwith-
standing his broad democracy and his sin
cere devotion 10 the principle of the square
deal, which have made him deservedly pop
ulAr ia every state OF the Union there are
few. II any. Of the Presidents who have
been less considerable of the people OF the
capital In these special particulars than
President Roosevelt. And IN some instances
ceasiEg to be the chief public servant OF
this group Of Americans. he has not even
been a benevolent and beneiicent despot."
There is strong feeling that in the mat