Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-05-10
The Reynolds Plan.

The REYNOLDS report spreads itself out
thinly over so extensive an area of discus
sion and recommendation, that only It's
most striking features attract pubic at
tention and comment. The recommends
tion of a change In the District govern
ment is of such nature as almost 10 ap
sorb public interest, and to obscure ana
minimize the other propositions some vi
them good, which the report contains
Mr.. REYNOLDS proposes instead OF the
Commissioners 1.-TWO OF whom Hius' uo
three-year bonafide residents OF the us
trict. and the third an army engineer OF
fcer) governor, not necessarily Dis
trict resident, by suggestion the promo'eu
mayor of some outside city. Ihis HUI
resident governor is to appoint seven OF
more high-salaried heads of departments
He will naturally select the men upon
whom he has learned to rely as mayor III
the performance of the corresponding
municipal functions in the city from "nicn
he came. These seven nonresident ieuten-
ants, together with the NONRESIDENT so'-
ernor. are to constitute municipal coun-
Gil, the Districts legislature lor INC e""''
ment of ordinances.
The vital feature OF the proposed ne"
government Is its deprivation Of the people
established and protected by law, In their
local government The national govern
ment appoints and confirms the local gov
eminent: but the law says that the nation
must select Its appointees from men resi-
dent for three years within the District or
Columbia and claiming residence nowhere
else. This safeguard of indirect and ap-
proximate home rule 1t Is proposed 10
abolish: to the end that a nonresident
executive and nonresident munic-
fpal council may dictate municipal con-
ditions in the District of Columbia
Many of the people of Washington are rest
less and disturbed. disconnected with In
ADEQUATE participation in their government,
reaching out for enlarged American rights
This proposition to rob them of the meager
privilege of participation now enjoyed under
the law and to turn over their municipal
government executive and Legislative. TO
imported non-residents Is as a slap In the
face to their aspirations Asking Tor preao
they are offered a stone
II. however. the residence qualifications
were the same in the case OF the governor
and his council, as in the case OF the
civilian Commissioners, 1t Is to be doubted
whether there would be much local en-
thusiasm for the project. That an execu-
tive, pure and simple, should IN the ideal
government be one man and not several
men is an abstract proposition beyond
argument and has been in America since
the beginnings of the republic and the dis
cussions of the Federalist- But locally 1t Is
a condition and not theory which con-
fronts U.S. Even those Washingtonians who
have no doubts on the academic question
may we'll and do hesitate to open up the
matter of local government In order to
press their Individual views on this point.
A. reopening of the subject Is full OF
dangers.
The single executive may turn out to be
a nonresident as suggested by Mr.. Rey-
nolds; the unlimited local suffrage PROPOSE
ton in the election Of the single executive
IS sure to be pressed: and the suffrage prop
osition brings instantly into aggressive
activity the congressional menace of the
withdrawal Of the nation from financial
participation in the national capital part
nership In every discussion of the rela-
lions of the District to the nation, and Of
their legislative readtustment, the common
citizen of Washington finds himself before
the end so badgered and bedeviled. 50
harassed and unjustly Inundated as to sug-
gest strongly the pathetic little figure Of the
Common People in one Of Oppers cartoons
The present form of local government, In
spite Of a few conceded defects both theo-
retical and actual. is honest. clean and ef-
fective, protecting the national government
and the local taxpayer, responding both to
national opinion. as represented in the ex-
ecutive which appointed it and the Congress
which legislates for 1t, and to the opinion
of the people of Washington from whom
the civil Commissioners are selected. Let
well enough alone.