The Washington herald., 1909-05-09

before the Court OF Last Resort, the
government Of the United States. except
50 far as the protection Of It's own public
buildings and property was concerned.
took no part in the local government
Municipal Government.
% The officers Of the departments. even
the President himself. exercised no local
authority in city affairs In lSu the
Congress created here new government
expressly for municipal purposes
II had its governor and its legislature
the latter, OF course. elected by the peo-
pie Il had also a boa-d OF public works.
whose members. including the governor
as its head. were appointed BY the Presi-
dent and Senate This board laid out the
money raised in taxes. and assessed the
owners benefited by improvement
The court held that is acts were
binding or the District. and that in spite
Of its appointment by the President. II
was only a branch Of the municipal gov
sTnmeIt- Thus matters remained unrI
1874 when Congress tore down ali e had
previously done. and started new. The
governor and the board OF public works
we're abolished, and the power which they
had exercised was intrusted TO a COM
mission OF three. 10 be appointed by the
President ard Senate.
-Four years later IN 1S7S the new
arrangement was made permanent
Nevertheless. the contention was made
before the Supreme Court Of the United
States that the effect Of the new act
was 10 destroy the District Of Columbia as
municipal corporation. except IN name.
and 10 make It nothing more than a de-
partment Of the national government
The contention was ruled down.
source of Authority.
The fact that its officers were ap-
pointed by the President. said the
court. did not make the District OF
Columbia any less a municipal body
corporate. Recognizing the general }
desirableness Of local self f-governmeut, /
It held that the principle OF repre-
sentative government was legally sat
ished when the appointment Of local
officers was made By other officers who
themselves had been elected by the
people. saying: The people are the
source Of ali authority. and /
10 this authority It must come at last, /
whether Immediately OF by a circuit (
Gus process.
Whether q flaw is TO be found in /
this reasoning as applied TO the situa- 1
tion before the court, inasmuch as the /
people OF the District OF Columbia the
people to be governed, never did have /
a share IN electing the President and \
Senate, who were the appointing Of
GERS, l will not stop here to inquire: !
for my present purpose is TO point out /
k.E L1e al
recognized between the District Of Co \
lumbia, as a mere municipal corpora
ton. and the District Of Columbia as 4
a quasi state
There is only one sovereign IN thel
District OF Columbia Indeed in respect
to sovereignty. the situation is precisely
the same as II there were no other do
main affected BY the central government:
as Il al its functions were performed
here
Why, then, It may be asked, should
there be such g municipality as the Dis
trict OF Columbia at all? Why should not
the general government take direct con
troll and administer all the affairs OF the
District through its own bureaus? II
would not be so easy 20 answer that
question II two facts were other than
they are:
''First-f there were no citizens Of the
United States except those who live in
the District
''Second-If the District elected the na-
tional officers But there are $4,000 peo-
pie here, ana there are some % 0oG,0oo out
side, and al are citizens OF the United
states; and the $4,000 who live here have
some interests which they do not hold
N common with the 100000 Who live
outside.
Draws a Picture.
1T is. IN part at least. for the recog-
lition and protection OF these separate
and peculiar interests that a municipal
government exists ard Is required All
he more is it needed by reason OF the
tact that there is no suffrage Let Us
picture what might be. The streets and
public works might all be put under the
War Department. the public health under
he Surgeon General the charities made
a bureau in the Department OF Com
nerce and Labor, or perhaps OF the In
.erior. and the schools turned over TO
he Commissioner Of Education. And 50
I might go on. until the local govern
nenr was completely bureaucratic-un-
ii the rod OF national administration.
uTned serpent. had swallowed I'D ali the
title rods OF local administration and was
eft alone upon the floor
In the meantime the city. growing BIZ
caps and bounds. has doubled and trebled
Is present population, and we have here
! million people. without q word 70 say.
n theory OF fact. directly OF indirectly.
ibout the streets they walk, the water
hey drink, the light they burn, OF the
9ducation OF their childrsn-evervthiag
lone for them, and done by ozRcers IN
rhose selection they had no voice and I
rho have been selected with 10 particular