The Washington herald., 1909-05-09
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FUTURE

reference TO their opinions or their needs.
TO some Of rs that IS not q pleasing
/ spectacle
A Nations City.
Certainly We must not forget that this
I Is a national city. There is little risk OF
that But there are institutions. many
and important, which are not national n
their aim or character. They are exactly
such institutions as the same numerical
1 population would require were this not
+ the Nations Capital. That is true of the
institutions Of charity and punishment.
( We should need 70 have schools. record
I ing Offices. pOst-offlces. and courts: We
should need streets and bridges. and a
I thousand things beside, by reason Of the
/ fact that We are a city.
Institutions that answer the needs ot
I the community merely as a community.
without reference 10 the national govern
ment, should not these be treated as
: local instituo0ls2 Should they not be
administered as part ot the rna7!cipal
( government and Offered BY men tdsn-
tiled with t-e District?
Those courts OF the District which
deal not exclusively with local con-
trOversieS. but IN large measure with
disputes 60 which the nation is a party,
may perhaps be fairly made up. one
hall Of members drawn from the local
ity and one-haR from the nation az
large This seems the more appropriate
inasmuch ss those who hold these Offices
hold them during good behavior, and
when they come here come hoping 10
behave well enough 10 remain through
lie.
But many Offices relate exclusively
20 this community. at least as much so
as the Offices Of any community can be
said 10 relate 20 itself alone. and Why
should not these be flled by local cit
izens? Even II there should be 10 statute
thus restricting the selection. ought not
such course be pursued as a permanent
policy?
Demand OF Consistency.
why s5ouId the people Of the District
have their deeds recorde2 by a man from
California: Why should washington be
the only city in the land that cannot have
a postmaster appointed from among its
citizens?
If We are TO keep Up the form Of mu-
ricipal government at all. does not fair
consistency demand that we should treat
il as municipal, as existing. among other
purposes 70 care for all that Is peculiar
and local in the interests and needs Of
the community VIII il not be wisdom
u treat Il so2
Let Us not forget that there are thou
sands upon thousands here who have no
other abiding place. Their roots have
struck deep into the soil They love the
city with al the national pride we share
with them. and with that tender senti-
ment which We call the love Of home
BESIDES Is Il wise 70 treat them as aliens
in The house Of their fathers?
Others have lived here till all ties
with other places are dissolved and they
expect their children win live here when
they are gone. These people, so com
pleiely and irrevocabIy identified with
the place, constitute an element not wise
" 70 be overlooked when one is con-
sidering how local affairs may be most
prudently and Loyalty administered
Nay Be Parting.
Who knows? Perhaps we have come
already to the parting Of the ways. |
Little by little the local hold Is lost
Here a hospital is drawn under the con-
troll Of a department. There the Jail |
slips out Of the hands OF the Attorney
General Now IT is proposed that the |
schools be placed under a bureau: and /
now. that the city shall be oflcered on
the principle Of efficiency alone, by one
who can be found who Is most compe- /
tent though he never saw Washington 1
before
It would be something to assume that /
among S5e.o00 such as We find gathered |
here, not single man could be found |
capable Of conducting the business OF the /
city. But IL It should be conjectured that /
IN some far or place a commissioner |
might be found somewhat more efficient /
would that difference in efficiency make 1
Up for the sacrifice Of one more bond
sometimes II seems as it were the last
between the government and the local
ity?
The problem OF city government Is not /
altogether. venture 70 think. a matter /
OF perfecting the machinery. Men are not 1
altogether machines. They have senti- /
ments; they have hearts And II there /
had not been sentiment and heart. as well /
as brain, there would be to-day no Wash
ington-
Eo Need of Suffrage.
AS far as the municipal government is
concerned, the people OF the District 1
seem to have settled down to the ar
that there should be no suf-
frage.
They accept it-very much as Lord /
Dundreary-s brother Sam accepted his 1
en- aTTassment in being born. and espe- +
,ially II being born bald-headed You
see Sam. he wasn't consulted; and I
there he was. and It vas too late TO do
anything about It But suffrage or nc
suffrage N municipal anairs has moth |