Evening star., 1912-08-26
The Districts Legislature.

Congress cannot be particularly PROUD
OF it's record during the session just
drawing to painful close. when IT con-
templates it's performances as the Dis
trict's legislature. 1t has been charged
bv the Constitution with exclusive juris-
diction." 1t jealousy guards the exclu-
siveness OF that jurisdiction, granting 10
the Commissioners only slight powers OF
municipal regulation and attention to the
details Of housekeeping under the watch
fui eye Of committees. Year after year
the District calendar is filled up with
measures that represent urgent iocai
needs, bills for the establishment OF i'm
portant works, for the change of laws to
insure smoother administration. for the
correction of abuses and the accomplish
ment of reforms Year by year those
measures lie neglected on the tables OF
committees or the houses. This year the
accumulation is larger than usual. and
the arrears of legislation urgently re-
auired by the District for it's physical
and moral betterment constitute seri-
Gus indictment against Congress as a
failure in the way of a local legislature.
1t is needless now to search for the
cause or the causes of this result. Pri-
Congress does not regard its obligation
in this direction with sufficient serious
ness. 1t has fallen into the habit OF
thinking of District legislation as bore
and a burden. rather than duty which
carries with it opportunity to accomplish
results that are quickly visible and that
can be wrought into tangible epitome
OF American civilization. This Is case
Of ''everybody's business" which becomes
nobody's affair. There are no votes here
TO be won or held by enactments that
make for local betterments. There is
nothing to be gained politically by show
ing an extraordinary activity-which
might mean simply the mere matter OF
attending a meeting Of committee-in
the line of District legislation. On the
contrary, a habit seems to prevail OF
looking upon District day" as a possible
blockade to general legislation, something
guaranteed by the rules but easily set
aside in favor Of a debate on tariff
measure. or a filibuster on an appropria-
tion bill item, or long-winded speech
on nothing in particular addressed to the
voters back in Buncombe county.
This Is an unfortunate state of affairs.
As q matter Of fact the people back
home" are interested in the Districts de-
yelopment. Thousands Of them come
here annually. tens of thousands, proud
to sec what has been accomplished, in
dignant at the evidences of work left
undone. anxious to see Washington de-
velop as the most attractive and the best
governed American city. glad to know
that it is conspicuously in the eyes OF
the representatives of other countries, to
give them a concept Of American ad-
vancement and enterprise and taste. In
creasingly this spirit of appreciation OF
Washington as a national city spreads
throughout the United States, and the
legislator who thinks that his constitu-
ents care nothing for what happens tc
the District of Columbia is seriously In
error But the issues of campaign are
SO intimate in the congressional districts
personalities play such a large part, par
ty lines are drawn so sharply, that q
man who runs for reelection to Congress
is never measured according to that part
Of his Constitution-imposed duty which
requires him to legislate for the District
Some day better times may come in
this respect, when the District will be
given its need of congressional attention
not grudgingly. but cheerfully and eager.
~, when the needs of the people here viii
be studied sympathetically and not In 8
hostile spirit. when they will be recog
nia:ed as deserving of especial considera
ton because of their disfranchiscinen
and political helplessness. Then viii
Congress be doing It's duty as the consti
iutional guardian of this community.