Evening star., 1912-06-27
SUFFRAGE IS ASKED
Vote for District One of Pro-
posed Democratic PIanks.
PROVISION Is SWEEPING
Would Permit the Election of All
Local Officials.
PLAN FACES HARD SAILING
Former Representative Dockery of
Missouri Quickly Takes
Shot at Scheme.

! BALTIMORE. June 27.-The democratic
| national convention, through the platform
committee, has been asked to pledge the
party to the granting of suffrage in the
District of Columbia including self-eoy-
ernment and a delegate in Congress
The request was laid before the plat
form committee. in the shape Of a plank
| TO be Incorporated in the 1912 democratic
| campaign creed. by B. G. Brown. member
| Of the platform committee elected by the
Newman faction while it was on the
temporary roll Of the convention. The
waving of the wand whereby the Costello
delegation is substituted for the Newman
delegation in the convention will not
change its status, at most will change
only its verbiage.
Jonn b. ColpOys, who takes Mr. Brown S
pace on the platform committee, declares
ne Will continue the fight for the plank.
Suffrage for the District Is one thing on
which these opposing delegates are united
Home Rule Principle.
Democratic platforms have declared for
nome rule in the District but that is
| not to be confounded with suffrage The
| nome rule doctrine, which Speaker Clark
| has indorsed SO vigorously to his ever
| lasting credit in the way of votes in the
! primaries which elected the delegates for
the national convention, is the doctrine
declaring that local Offices in the Dis
| trict of Columbia government should be
| filed by local men. The suffrage plank
now proposed goes much further and
contemplates home rule to the extent
OF eiecting local officials.
But the proposed plank is not to have
clear sailing. Adverse winds blew into
Its sails the minute it put out into the
sea of the platform committees deliber-
atiOns
Former Representative A. NJ Dockery
OF Missouri the show me- states MEM
Der on the platform committee, took
shot at the plank as soon as Mr.. Brown
proposed 1t in the committee.
Lauds Present System.
1.-The District of Columbia has fine
form Of government" he declared
There was a change from the old suf-
frage system back in 1874, and the new
form of government has worked we'll
The taxes are low. as the federal gov
ernment pays half the expense of the
District government.
That remark about the tax rate aroused
Mr.. Brown.
u have paid some taxes on property
in your state of Missouri" he said, turn
ing to Mr.. Dockery. land the taxes were
less than in the District. The taxes in
Washington are higher than in other
cities of its size except in a few cases.
Mr.. Dockery then suggested that one
Of the reasons for the change of govern
ment back in 1874 was due to the negro
question. Mr. Brown replied that the
southern states have dealt with the negro
problem and he thought the District also
could do 1t.
When the subcommittee Of the platform
committee took up the work of preparing
the platform for the convention, the
tariff, trust, and labor planks were early
given attention and the District suffrage
plank was put near the bottom Of the
pile Of proposed planks to be considered.
j. B. s.