Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-07-15
A Sham Issue.


eralist there has been practically only one
American opinion on the question of the
wisdom of a single executive head in rep
resentative government. But this abstract
question is not the real issue in recsn'
propositions of change in the form or the
District government.
The Presidents special commissioner
for the inspection, enlightenment and up
lift of darkest Washington has pro-
posed not only a single executive head
for the municipal government, but also
that the statute which requires local resi-
dence of three years for civilian Commits
sioners shall be abrogated. with the re-
suit that the President may select from
anywhere IN the United States his repre-
sentative to govern in his stead his ma
tional city. The tendency of this propo-
sition is to reduce the municipal govern
ment to a mere federal bureau. to elimi-
nate from it the last vestige of local rep
resentation and participation, and to re-
move 1t entirely from the influence OF
local public sentiment.
On the other hand. there are many men
who will echo the cry for one-man
local executive solely with the purpose OF
destroying a non-elective municipal gov
shall be chosen by popular vote. And
there are District legislators in Congress
who would not grant to Westinghouse
the privileges Of full-fedsed American
citizenship but who encourage the propo-
sition of unlimited suffrage in municipal
affairs in order to secure pretext for
Withdrawing from the national obligation
to share with the local taxpayers in the
cost of the work of National capital build
ing and development.
Each Of these bitterly and irreconcilably
hostile sets of advocates of a change in
the District government threatens one Of
the two conspicuous merits Of the present
form Of government, which are: O Quasi
home rule by local Commissioners. more
or less subject to the influence of local
public sentiment, and 60 the national obli-
CATION to share the cost of National cap
ital development.
One strong group of men. encouraged or
inspired from the White House, seeks, I'M
der pretext of sustaining the principle of
a single executive. to kill home rule by
local Commissioners and to make the mu-
nicipality a sort OF federal sat-apy, a mere
White House appendix.
Another strong group under the same
pretext Of a single executive head seeks
10 destroy the appointive commissonership
government and to establish the other
extreme of municipal government in the
selection of which the federal government
has no participation whatever. And this
group derives encouragement from those
congressman who are eager to abrogate
the partnership arrangement of 1878 and
who would grant bogus and delusive
{v,1o -
District representation in the Senate,
House ard electoral college. and who
would cancel in consideration of these
sham concessions the national financial
obligation toward the National capital.
There is third group Of Adullamite ad-
vocates OF change. Every one who is
disappointed grievously in some act or
omission of the Commissioners or some
individual Commissioner. and every one
with reasonable grievance or an un-
reasonable grudge or spite against the
Commissioners. is apt to favor the project
because it seems to promise at least a
new deal in Commissioners.
But not one of these groups apparently
supports the one-man executive principle
solely on its merits. The federal bureau
despotism advocates do not want single
executive head elected by popular suf-
frage and the municipal suffragists do not
want a one-man executive, appointed ar
bitrarily BY the President. from Oshkosh
or Kalamazoo as the mere exponent OF
the Presidents municipal and sociological
whims. who will use Washington as the
apothecary's cat among municipalities
upon which every dubious compound may
first be experimentally tested. The man
with a grievance against the Commission
ers does not want q single executive II
by any chance the all-powerful one man
is to be the present Commissioner against
whom his grievance Is primarily directed.
OF course. every one recognizes that
a July discussion of legislative changes
in the form Of District government Is
wasted energy. a premature and futile
beating of the air. Every one also
recognizes that In this clash of radi-
cally contradictory theories Of District
government no legislation whatever
will be secured on the subject at the
coming short session OF Congress The
practical effect of the agitation will be
to discredit the present Commissioners
and to hamper their efforts to secure
appropriations and legislation which
are much needed by the capital. If any
special interest has reason to look for
ward with apprehension to the posi-
bilities during the next session Of Con-
gress of reformatory or restrictive
legislation affecting 1t. which the Com
missioners are under obligations to pro-
mote, 1t could conceive Of no more in
genious and effective plan of blocking
operations against it than by vigor-
ously promoting a series Of lively time
consuming scraps in the District COM
mittees and on District days next ses-
sion between the federal bureaucrats
and the local suffragites over proposed
changes in the form of District govern
menG. The few hours OF the short ses-
sion to be devoted to District legisla-
tion will evidently not permit both the
heated. though futile. discussion Of q
change In the District government and
also practical legislation in the public
interest, as. for instance. in favor OF
cheaper and better gas.
When G.. b. Shaw observes what W. j
Bryan did with single epigram he mus,
be tempted to go into politics.
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