Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-05-04
Municipal Voting a Privilege
From State; National Repre-
sentation American Right.
RENDER POTTAGE DUE;
RESTORE BIRTHRIGHT
Pottage Is Nations Century Old
Pledge of Capital Development;
Birthright Is National
Representation.
BY THEODORE W. MOVES.

The only intense local enemies
OF the half-and-half provision are
those who look upon it as the pur-
chase price in pottage of the Dis
trict's political birthright. Repre-
sentatives Johnson and Prouty
and some OF the most radical and
strongest of the local suffragists
construe the act Of 1873 as in es-
sence such a transaction. The
privilege Of voting in municipal
elections for all or part of the city
officials is viewed by them as an
American birthright. The price
OF the birthright, the mess OF pot
tage for which it was sold, is in
their opinion the national contri-
button toward capital upbullding
under the half-and-half pro
vision Of the organic act.
Mr.. Johnson has expressed on
the floor Of the House his right
eous indignation over this trans
action and has vented his with
ering scorn upon Washington as
a greedy, shameless, modern
Esau, and upon the Washing
tonians who prefer gold to
liberty and who put the dollar
above the man" by defending the
half-and- half provision against his
assaults.
But the voting privilege in
municipal elections is, as we have
seen in a preceding letter, not an
American birthright at all, but a
privilege to the municipality by
grace Of the state, and privilege
so abused in the United States as
to cause the municipal govern
ment OF large cities to depart far
more widely from the principle
which couples representation and
taxation than municipal govern
ment in Washington under the
half-and-half plan.
The real American right sur
rendered by the community is
that OF representation as Ameri-
cans in Congress and the cleo
toral college. This surrender,
either temporary or permanent,
was made at the birth OF the city,
and the mess OF pottage was the
pledge by the nation OF capital
maintenance and development
and the peculiar privileges sup
posed to be enjoyed by the capital
community against which protest
in the early days was made by
many, including Patrick Henry.
The promised mess Of pottage
was withheld for three-fourths OF
a century. 1t has been one-halt
rendered and received since 1873.
The Johnson proposition is now
to withdraw this half portion Of
pottage, but not to restore the
birthright. With a flourish OF
trumpets he makes pretense Of re-
storing this birthright by pro-
claiming his willingness that the
District shall enjoy "self-govern-
ment" in municipal affairs and a
voteless delegate in Congress.
Since Congress is, under the John
son proposal. to retain its consti-
tutional exclusive power of legis-
lation in respect to the District,
and since Washington is to have
no effective constitutional repre-
sentation in Congress under it,
the practical effect OF the John
sonian readjustment is to bunco
Washington out of both birth
right and pottage.
The Washingtonian IS cheated
out OF the gold which pays a
Just national debt and also out OF
his political liberty"
That MIR. johnson Is In error as to
the date of the alleged transfer Of
| birthright for pOttnEes and that he is
wrong as to what constitutes the
American birthriRht thus bnrtered. and
as to the mOnOpOlistlc enjoyment by
the community of any mess of pOttage
| whatsOever is demonstrated by the evil
dence of all local history.
Summarizing. the legislation of 1879
was not the sale by Washington of It's
birthright for n mess of pOttaRes ID
The transaction involved sale of
anything by the District. The latter
had no part Whatsoever In the deal.
II was not consulted mt any stage. 1t
was not asked II IT assented or object
ed: it's assent WINS neither requested
nor given. go The half-and-half pro-
vision was not pOttage paid for the
surrender of any right as confederation
In 1878. 1t was the long delayed and
only partial fuIfilment Of . national
obligation of capital maintenance and
upbuildinR. incurred for q valuable
confederation three-fOurths of a CEN
| tury earlier at the very foundation Of
| the city. t3) The privilege of which
ff,n1tin,,a5 ~ E;ftL