Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-09-07
Missouri Representative Would
Stop Naming Outsiders
for District Jobs.
he TRIES TO AMEND BILL
DURING DEBATE IN HOUSE
Citizens May Ask Position for En-
ploye With 35 Years Faithful
Service to His Credit.

method. by which an old employe of the
excise board of the District of Columbia
was ousted to make a place for political
henchman of the democratic party, fell
from the lips of Representative Dyer of
Missouri. in the House of Representa-
tives yesterday afternoon, during me dis
cussion Of the general deficiency oppro-
priation bill.
Mr.. Dyer introduced an amendment to
the bill which met with the approval of
republicans. but which was outvoted by
the democratic majority, which had de-
clared only twenty-four hours previously
that 1t desired to make clean sweep of
republican employees to make places for
democrats. The amendment was to pre-
vent any appointments to places under
the District government of men who are
not residents of the District.
Criticism Not Intended.
afte roffering the amendment, Mr.. Dyer
said:
The amendment / have offered is In no
sense intended as criticism upon the
present administration or any of it's Of
ficials. For some time past the custom
has grown up in the city of Washington
of appointing men to office here to admin
never have claimed to be residents of this
city.
Now this provision in the bill has
reference to the excise board. 1t is
a new law, put upon the Statute books
in the last session of the Sixty-sec-
ond Congress. The money that comes
for the support of this board Is de-
rived entirely from revenue collected
from the citizens of Washington. 1t
seems to me. not only in this mat
ter, but in other matters where people
of Washington contribute all the
money which goes to pay these Of
this is-that citizens should be ap-
pointed to administer these offices.
i cannot see any excuse for bringing
people here from other states and
appointing them to places for the
pure administration of local affairs.
This is a city of several hundred
thousand inhabitants and is large
enough to have people competent to
exercise the functions that pertain
to the administration of local mat
ters.
District Citizens Deprived.
There has been q great deal of criti-
cism not only Of this administration, but
of the administration in the past, In re-
gard to this matter. i make no criticism
of the present administration, any more
than / do of past administrations of the
government in this country, in depriving
the citizens Of Washington of an OPP
portunity to administer their own local
affairs. / hope the time will come Mr..
Chairman, when the people of WASH
ington will not be deprived of every OPP
portunity to exercise the functions and
duties of citizens as other citizens Of the
United States do in the way Of making
laws under which they must live, as
well as the execution of them after they
have been made. There is no place in
this country, not even in Porto Rico, the
Philippines or Hawaii. wherein the peO
pie are deprived of these functions as
much as the people Of Washington are
deprived of an opportunity to take part
in, the enactment of laws under which
they must live and under which they
pay taxes.
The criticism seemed to get beneath
the ordinarily placid feelings of Rep
resentative Eugene Kinkead of Jersey
City, from whose district comes Ed
ward j. Hart, the clerk to the excise
| board. who steps into the place which
ty-five years Mr.. kinkead made the
statement that the members of the
board are bona fide residents of the
District, but that it seemed necessary
TO go to New Jersey to get a really
bright man for the clerkship
u have never seen the gentleman
from Missouri he added come to
the front to combat any appointments
1I men from his state" said Mr. Kin
kead. Mr.. Dyer made several efforts
TO reply but Mr.. kinkead refused to
yield
Mr. Dyer,s amendment. which was
rejected was the only break in the
items Of appropriation for the DIS
drict ,i OF Columbia contained in the bill
Inc committse on the whole passed
me ehtire District section In a jiffy
!t contains $4,000 and provides for
me excise board, and various miscel-
!aneous deficiencies in the courts the
BOARD or children's guardians militia.
street extension work. etc
"Ungrateful and Un-American.
incensed over what they term the "un-
grateful and un-American" treatment NJ
Roger Williams, clerk of the former ex-
= e. va!u. Sa. VINO was let out of office
"iteI IaitnIuily serving the District gov
ernment for thirty-fye wears savsra,
prominent citizens of Washington la
Heht discussed the case with n y,;a,,- -
.nara ppeaiIis 10 tne municipal authorities to
make room for Mr.. Williams I'm some
"'her branch of the District service
"hlie realizing that the Commissioners
nav nothing 70 do with excise na1ters
was pointed out by a number of ner
Sohs that they could well afford To show
,her appreciation of honesty and efs.
,.ehcy IN public officials by rewar5in !,
hr. Williams with an appointment to
some position under their Jurisdiction. II
VIII call upon the District heads tomor
70" and submit this suggestion for their
consideration ~
iiham +. Guide, former president
" the Chamber of Commerce, ex
pressed himself i'm no Uncertain terms
it hlsht as to the injustice he be-
"eIed mad been done Mr. Williams
the new administration expects
h.. s.aniisn a model government
mere said Mr.. GUIDE, 1T will fail in
me attempt unless il recognizes
,nefit m't SUCH as that possessed by Mr.
nms- iliams- The letting out of that of
certainly contains no element
eI encouragement to government of
hcials and employees who would dis
shafse their duties faithfully and eff
nciehtly- Outside of the Injustice of
me case, as far as Mr.. Williams per-
sonaiiy is concerned, the District
suffers, for conditions have indeed be-
come deplorable when District iohs
are onered to residents of other
Inc Federation of Citizens Asso-
clations may hear officially of the
iiiiams case through its president.
-. A. Edwards. Mr. Edwards last
night said that he believes merit in
puphc officials should be recognized
and that he is unalterably opposed
10 the principle of filling local gov