The Washington times., 1909-05-09

affairs Not that their word is accept
ed as final. If Il were, some Difficult
ties would be escaped. But in the end
sheir report must run the gauntlet of
The whole House. or Senate Here
ignorance Of District affairs has often
shown itself so egregious and glaring
II could exotic nothing but laughter
II tears were not often more fitting
recognition of the folly.
No Representative.
And when that occurs there is no rep
resentative of the District to meet the
ignorant unfOunded claim. -vhree hun
dred and fifty thousand people are voice
less in that hall. The committees can
not meet the emergency. 90 expect it
would be to expect more than mortal
men can do. Who are the members of
the committee2. Are they Senators and
Representatives. set part for this work
and free to devote themselves entirely
70 such business? By no means. They
have their own constituencies TO serve,
and they have besides their share of re-
sponslbility for the general legislation,
like all their felloW-members. They are
appointed they do the best they can,
and If they give sufficient time to our
affairs TO understand our problems they
run the risk of losing their seats entire
~ by being thought ct home to have ne
elected their own States or districts. L
an credibly informed that the risk has
turned into a certainty in more in
stances than one. But. more than that,
the membership of House and Senate
changes and the membership OF the
committees changes. too. Hardly has a
member become reasonably acquainted
with our subject than ne is called away,
another takes his place and the whole
process OF education must be begun
again
That is the radical and inourabls de-
feet OF the present system. Keep your
three Commissioners If you will, or sub
stitLse for them a single head: improve
the machinery OF municipal adminiStra-
ton all you can until 1t runs with tne
not touched the trouble. What is need
ed is two men IN the House and one
man in the Senatorial live men with
blood in their arteries and brains in
their heads; men who have lived long
in the District Of Columbia and belong
to her; men who know her needs and
her capacity, who know the history and
condition of her institutions, her cnarl-
ties her prisons, the views and aspira-
tiOns of her people; men who are proud
of their connection with her ana proud
that to her soil has been committed the
ark of civil and religious liberty. What
we need is members of these bodies
with the prestige that belongs to mem
bers-nOt figureheads. not lobbyists, not
and two members of the House. able
enlightened informed. fit to represent
the will and Judgment of $4,000 citizens
gathered within these bounds.
But tina. require ASH amendment Of
the Constitution. So it does. An amend
ment in strict accord with the principles
OF the Constitution. made necessary by
the changed conditions of a hundred
ana twenty years. made unavoidable
and inevitable by the changes that will
take plarS in the fifty or one hundred
years TO cCme.
In the FutuEe.
do yon imagine that when a million
or fifteen hundred thousand shall be
swarming IN our borders they will be
the only people in this broad domain TO
have no hand in the government of this
magnificent republic, no word in the
election of its President, TO tongue in
the National Assembly? When a mil
lion men are here, when they ask why