Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-06-27

y
the reorganization OF the District OF
Columbia was be-
D. C. Government fore Congress.
Nd Various plans had
Bill Is Passed. been proposed
looking To an investigation and the
nronosaI of a method of municipal ad-
ministration The House on the l9tn
Of June 1876. passed hill 70 that 81
feet The star Of the next day printed
the report Of the proceedings, ~. i"i-
lows:
The committee tuf the wnolet then
look I'D the bill providing Tor a JOINT
committee to frame permanent FORM
of government for the District OF 20
lumbia Mr.. BuCkner moved 10 alleiiu
bv striking out a joint COMMITTEE 10
consist of three members oi the
House and three members of the Sen
ate and provide that the commission
shall consist of six citizens. three or
whom shall he nonresidentS and three
residents of the District OF Columbia,
three to he appoint ed by the Speaker
of the House and three 10y the FreSl-
dent of the Senate. Adopted.
Mr. Willard tAlichisanl offered an
amendment providing that the com,
mission shall provide for the r1eht OF
suffrage in the District of Columbia
under proper regulations. lie duNo-
Gated his amendment because he be-
lieved many of the evils In TINS DIS
trict grew out of the fact that the peo-
ple were not permitted to control their
own affairs. lie thought that the peo-
nile here should control their own al
fairs and be made TO realize that their
interests should rest upon sell gov
ernment lie thought the right or
self. government should not be de-
MED to the people here in this centen-
! NAL year.
mir. uoar Massachusetts, called
attention to the fact that under the
Constitution all Legislative power over
the District was conferred upon CON
gress.
"Mr. Lawrence (Ohio) said that in
all the States there were legislative
assemblies which made laws for the
States, and yet certain powers were
delegated TO cities and towns when
enabled them to exercise police and
other powers. and that should he done
here. The people of the District
should be permitted to control their
own affairs by their votes.
| MIR. Hoar argued that there was
/ no authority to confer this power on
/ the District. The people of the Dis
trict were irresponsible, and when they
! came here they were aware that they
were deprived of certain rights be-
| cause the eXigencieS Of the Govern
| ment required it. If the District is
! too large for Federal purposes let 1t
| be coded back to Maryland. as a por-
| ton had been coded back to Virginia.
/ But do not do that which the ConStl-
| tuition forbids. He believed that the
| only way to govern the District prop
4 int 1tsS on n
take charge of the different branches,
who should be responsible for their
acts to the. President. Under any
other system there would be the same
| frauds and scandals which have here
! tofore characterized the government
! here.
| 1.-The amendment of Mr.. Willard
was rejected. The committee then
| arose and the bills were reported to
| the House. When the bill in relation
| to the DISTRICT government was taken
| up Mr.. Garfield said he desired to give
! his views on the question of delega-
!, tory powers to the people of the Dis
trict of Columbia. The Constitution
declared explicitly that Congress
should exercise exclusive legislation
| over the District of Columbia and
| hence it could not delegate it's powers
| to any body of men. The old Cont
mental Congress was driven from pill
lar to post because 1t has no exclusive
| Jurisdiction. and hence when the ia
theirs determined upon r. permanent
Government they decided that they
would have fee simple In all the
! lands of the Federal city. This was
the only city in the world where the
! Government had an absolute fee sim
pie in the streets themselves. Con.
gress could today build building
from the Capitol to tne' Treasury and
fill up Pennsylvania avenue and no
one could gainsay its authority to do
| so. He had voted for the bill a year
or two ago which delegated authority