The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1908-06-06
Would Bar District Negroes
from the Polls.
COMMITTEES ARE INCOMPETENT
Member of House District Body and
Apostle OF Universal Transfers De-
clares that Seat of Government Is
the Dog on which Congress Tries
Laws that Are New.

sims, or tennessee, MEMBER or the
House District Committee, said that the
District of Columbia is a national ex-
perimental station for the working out of
doubtful laws. which some other sections
want, II they are good laws, but do not
want until they are tested wherefore
they demand that their Representatives
In Congress have them tried out on the
people Of the District
Mr.. Sims also said that while the peo-
pie Of the District get but small nuns
Der of the laws which they needed. they
got great many that they do not need
or want
In opening his address. Mr.. Sims de-
clared that members OF the House and
Senate District Committees could get
much benefit out of attending the meet
ings of the different citizens associa-
! tions. He said, in part:
Members of Congress on tho District
Committees, in order to know better the
needs of the people of the District,
should attend the meetings of the vari-
Gus citizens associations. have got
ideas from those have attended.
Wants People TO Protest.
The associations could not do any
thing better than protest against the
extravaganza Of the government in Dis
trict affairs, and this IS so in the
case of the widening of Aibemarle street.
out here in this section"
Representative Sims spoke OF the grad
ing I'm the suburbs. ard said that he did
not see why streets We're cut through hills
which nature had given the people. In
order TO make a street straight. He
/ thought that the streets could onCircle
those hills and not cause any inconven-
fence.
! He spoke Of the difference between the
people Of the District and the people Of
the States asking Congress for something.
He said that IN the States the people de-
manded certain legislation and in the Dis
trict the people requested IT, This. he
said. was due TO the lack OF franchise
! Il believe that the majority Of Con-
gressmen have a respectful consideration
| for your requests" he added. and I
know they have a wholesome respect for
the demands Of their constituents. and
will always fear what they may say be-
fore and after legislating. Now. 20 get
this right, you should have a franchise or
/ suffrage / am willing 10 restore the
franchise 10 the District OF Columbia but
are the rest OF the members OF Con-
gress?
From the forty-slx States come forty
/ six different ideas as 10 franchise. and
these men from the States who come here
| TO Congress are afraid to deviate from
their own States ideas; they would be
afraid Of what might be said about them
at home.
No Votes for Negroes.
1T would not be TO the interest OF the
District Of Columbia 10 have straight
manhood suffrage. II you want 10 let
every white man and negro vote. I would
not initiate IL. This matter could better
be handled by yourselves and then sub
mitted 20 the District committees OF Con-
gress.
Some time your city VIII have grown
20 population Of 100000 and then what
will you do? To attend 10 your affairs
then, your little committee will not be
able TO do anything else and their con-
stituents will not stand for that These
questions involving the affairs Of the
District ought 10 be handled by the peO-
pie themselves, and Congress will he
compelled, in time. 10 adopt WAYS and
means for the local people TO handle local
affairs. Let the people formulate their /
plans, their own school laws There are
lot Of school cranks in the country. and
especially those who want certain school
laws in the District so they can see
how they will work and by that means
tell whether they want them.
THE District is n national experimental /
station for sections OF the country |
couple Of thousand miles away. and this |
is not right. Why when the President
wanted to find out what the best child !
| labor law for the country would be he
advocated, so I am informed by the press. |
model child labor law for the District !
OF Columbia.
Effective 1000 Miles Away.
This was done where they have less
use for child labor laws than anywhere |
else in the country. II was done for the
States to pattern after, after they had
seen how they worked out. Some OF the |
laws you get here are laws that have a /
moral effect upon the country 1000 miles
from here. They are simply instrument
talities"
Mr.. Sims spoke Of the bill introduced
by him to prohibit member of Congress
or Of a legislative body from voting on
any bill that deals with public corpora- |
lions or other corporations In which they
are directly or indirectly interested. or in |
which they hold stock. He said that A
moral citizen who held stock in a public |
or private corporation had no right 10
vote on question which was for or
against that corporation.
Persons have held stocks In the sur- |
face railways and then voted TO give
these corporations the privilege of getting |
large sums OF money from the govern !
ment,' he added, and other corporations |
have been dealt with in the same man
ner The bill l introduced will. I am
pretty certain, become a law and I stipu- /
lated in ii that it was to be effective on /
March /, 1909. This I did so as not to /
cause slump in the market, when /
number of the members Of Congress I'M |
load the stocks they hold in some of the /
corporations here in the District.
THE fight made on the gas company /
is commendable. but why let il stop |
there? Are not the surface railroads as |
bad? Here is the Capital Traction Com |
pany. paying practically nothing for its /
franchise or charter. and a tax on Sc
coo. Co., and President Dunlop told NE lust
short time before he died that the |
property and earnings Of the company /
were worth SlS,O000O0, and that the prop
erty could be replaced for S6,0OO.OOO."
Recalls Transfer Fight.
Mr.. Sims recalled his fight for universal !
transfers. He said that there were nine /
street-car companies in the District, main I
tanning separate administrative forces. /
but only two interchanged transfers.
During the meeting resolutions by the !
following members OF the association
were adopted: I. E. Shoemaker. L. P. /
Shoemaker. B. S. Jones, and w. B. Ire /
land The resolutions. as rule. deplored
the ill-advised action of Congress in ref J
erence 10 appropriations for the needs !
Of the District
DR.. Woodward the health officer Of the