The Washington times., 1917-08-23
By DAVID LAWRENCE.

By DAVID LAWRENCE
Tuesdays editorial expressing opposition not to Ben NJ
Prince but the principle of the system under which he is to be
chosen District Commissioner brought such food of letters
approval that there doubt of the real feeling Of the
people of Washington home rule Representative citizens
who took the trouble to write furnished convincing evidence
that the body polite here is alert and ready to support
that has for its object restoration to the people
their right of enfranchsemen The significance of these
letters is that people in Washington taking deep in
erest in the question Of local Some Of the
plies reveal all too clearly the amount of tmdty which the
powerful Federal Government has wrongfuly inspired
Says one business man
81 want to be among the first to thank you for your
in your editorial Prince and the Commissioner
ship. Thank God you had the courage to go to it :"
Another letter speaks of The Times campaign in
jecng into the community 'that moral courage which will
get us the vote" Here is another:
"Close contact with the people covering twenty-five
years. enables that you have struck the keynote
which dominates them and the hope to be freed from the
conditions pictured has to the present time seemed foror
because of the absence of pubcsprited citizens ard
papers who realize the humiatng conditions under which
100000 American citizens domcled within ten square miles
compelled to exist
There in another letter plantive note that reflects
another phase of Washington feeling. 1t says:
''Your editorial in today's Times certainly hits the
spot. for one, think that of the District Of
Columbia should certainly be listened to when Commits
sioner is about to be appointed What he does after
frmaon certainly affects us-if be good profit and
bad lose 1t certainly has effect of the people
of other States Territories more patriotic people than
those of the District of Columbia cannot be found We
subscribed the Liberty loan We have offered quota Of
young to fight for that which they do not themselves
en- joy-democracy. ~
Extracts from these communications selected the
many that have reproduced merely to show the
underlying sympathy of the people here with the idea that
no group of should be imposed upon any
munity without its consent There be real govern
ment without the consent of the governed And obedience Of
the people here to the law is not to be construed consent
or sanction.
As for the courage which inspires ouspoken utterance
is interesting that in any American community the people
should have been nmdated they have been in Wash
gton The presence in Washington of the President of the
United States and the Congress is not awesprng the
power they WELD. But from whom do they derive that
population larger than the city of Washington among the
several that confer upon these the power to rule the
Union But this power is only temporarily delegated and
the people of Washington made aggressive fight for
the right vote the other American communities would
doubt deal very effectively with those members of the Senate
House who refused to record favorng the
eregn power other words rests it always has, the
people, And the residents of Wash gon need but assert
themselves to demonstrate that they much of that
sovereignty other community the United States
The most vital issue before the people of Washington
today unquesonaby is the selection of Commissioner to
succeed Major Oliver P Newman who has volunteered for
military service. For long time there has been silence
Finally it develops that the Presidential choice is to be Ben
NJ Prince city tax collector. Who urged upon the Pres
dent the selection of Mr. Prince is not known Dsappont-
prevails that Mr. Wilson did see fit ask in
public way what the people of Washington thought about
it No is arguing against the fitness untness of Mr.
Prince And The Times is not advancing the candidacy of
any other individual But if democracy consists imposing
upon the people of Washington any man, however expert
who presented without the overwhelming support of the
people, then it be honestly said that there is
democracy in this the Nations Capital COurage7 Nervei
Men have in their time given their lives for principle just
sacred And whatever the outcome of the present
troversy the Commssonershp the people of Wash
ngton should omit opportunity to impress the Federal
Government that they willing to make sacrifices for the
United States of America but will not tolerate being thus
tramped upon ignored.