Evening star., 1909-05-09

by the unwavering faith of all America"
Time and time again Justice Stafford
was interrupted by applause. and his last
sentence was drowned in a great outburst
Queters jumped to their feet. waved their
napkins in the air and looked at the
President of the. United States. The
cheering made inaudible the introduc-
tion by Chairman Edison: and as he rose
to speak the band played Hail to the
Chief"
The President said:
MIR. Chairman and the solid men of
Washington (applause). l wish to thank
you from the bottom Of my heart for the
courtesy that you have extended to me
this evening in this magnificent banquet
and in your coming here to take part in
this occasion. l am proud of ii, il 1t
he the case, and l must believe Ii from
the assurances given tonight that this is
the first time that President OF the
United States has ever had the pleasure
of meeting on such an occasion and under
such circumstances, the business men OF
Washington. tApplause.)
Il hope for close intimacy; / hope that
We may come together and We may dis
cuss these things, because certainly We
need it. Applause) l take the utmost
ton. Applause.) 1t thrills my heart every
day to look out of the back windows of
the White House-for the short time l
have been there-and whenever l get
llle 10 see tHlS D0dutlIul city
in which we are permitted to live-these
avenues and streets constructed on a
magnificent plan. looking forward for
centuries; these trees planted with great
foresight to make every part OF Wash
ington a park; these vistas into which
always creeps unbidden that beautiful
shaft that marks the memory of the
founder of this city. Great applause)
IT have not been here very long in the
city Of Washington as some men count 1t
Lam 1,A~ 1x~txr
and 1892. four years from 1904 to 1908
but that is little bit longer than JUS
tice Stafford. Continued applause.)
have been a taxpayer; I have invested
have not seen a dollar come out of It;
have sent my children to the public
schools; l have hung to straps In street
cars, going both ways to the Capitol;
have hathed In the Potomac mud-in a
bathtub: / have lunched at Harvey's on
those steamed oysters. and I have been
fan with my friend Sunny jim at
the base ball park. and have had love
and cultivated it with him for tailenders..
And therefore claim that l have been
through experiences that ought to give
me some of the local atmosphere and
some of the local feeling Of Washington.
And yet, with all that, gentlemen, as I
look about here into these smiling faces.
these somewhat rotund forms that give
evidence of prosperity daughter). it is
little difficult for me to realize that it was
about these caitfffs and these slaves that
Mr.. Justice Stafford spoke.
Declares Himself "Nationalist."
I'm spite of that experience with re-
spect to Washington, 1 am a nationalist.
s(Applause). This city is the home of the
government of a nation, and when men
who are just as much imbued with
the principles of civic liberty as any
who have come after Washington, at the
head infn the Constitution ha
visions with reference to the government
of the District of Columbia they knew
what they were doing, and spoke for
coming possible eighty millions Of people
who should insist that the home of the
government of that eighty mnilons of
people should be governed by the rep
resentatives of that eighty millions of
people (Applause), and tnat IL there were
in that eighty millions of people men who
desired to come and share in the grand
eur of that capital. and live in a city
of magnificent beauty as this was. and
enjoy all the privileges. then they come
with their eyes open as to the character
of the government that they were to
have, and they must know that they
must depend, not upon the principles
ordinarily governing in popular govern
ment, but that they must trust in order
to secure their liberty-to get their guar
antees, they must trust to the represent
atives of eighty millions of people. select
ed under that Constitution. (Applause)
Now l want to say, with reference
to this discussion. that IL this meeting
or subsequent meetings are to be de-
voted to securing an amendment to the
Constitution by which you are going to
disturb the principle of two senator's
from every state, and you are going to
abolish the provision that was put in
there ex-industria by George Washing
ton, you will not get ahead In the mat
ter of better government in Washington
by such meetings. 1 do not want to
seem to be abrupt. but l believe it is
possible by such meetings as this to
executive to the necessity of consult
ing the people of Washington, to let
them act as Americans act when they
don't have the right of suffrage-let
them act by the right of petition. And
are they not exercising that right all the
time? (Applause).
Isn't it possible to determine on the
part Of the committees Of the House and
the Senate what the attitude of the
Washington citizens is? Why the govern
ment that we have today in Washington
everybody admits is a good government.
Has 1t not been brought about through
the aid of those very committees in the
House and the Senate. who you say know
their knowledge. or lack of knowledge.
ridiculous by showing it? We are all
imperfect. We cannot expect perfect
government. but what we ought to do is
to pursue practical methods. and not,
submit with Difference to Justice Staf-
ford. make it seem as If the people of
Washington were suffering some great
and tremendous load and sorrow, when
as a matter of fact they are the envy of
the citizens of other cities?
What Washington Intended.
'Washington intended this to be a fed
eral city, and it Is federal city, and it
tingles down to the feet of every man,
whether he comes from Washington city
or Los Angeles or Texas, when he comes
and walks these city streets and starts
to feel that this is my city; / own part
of this capital tapplause), and l envy
spend their time here. l quite admit that
there are defects In the system of gov
rnment by which Congress is bound to
look after the government of the District
of Columbia. 1t could not be otherwise
under such a system, but / submit TO the
judgment Of history that the r.,sults vim
dicate the foresight of the fathers
the District. applause and cheersD
am opposed, and not because I yield to
any one in my support and belief In the
principles of self-government, but prin-
ciples are applicable generally, and then,
unless sou make exceptions to the ap-
plication Of those principles. you will
find that they will carry you to very
illogical and absurd results. This was
taken out of the application of the prin-
ciple of self-government in the very Con-
stitution that was intended to put that
in force in every other part of the coun-
try, and 1t was done because it was in
tended to have the representatives OF all
the people in the country control this one
city, and to prevent It's being controlled