Evening star., 1936-01-12

The Nation -iDtde Jackson day
dinners last Wednesday and the
interest aroused By President
Roosepelt's references in his speech
here to the struggles OF Jackson to
maintatn democracy recall the
triendliness shown by jackson to
the District OF Columbia. his at
tempts to induce Congress to Diue
greater consideration to the prob
lens OF the Capital and his re-
peated urging that its citizens be
granted equitable political rights.
Jdckson's Efforts for the District
are related in the follotOing extract
from "The Presidents and the Ma
tional Capital" by Theodore w.
Noyes, read before the Columbia
Historical Society on March II.
1916:
ANDREW JACKSON.
jackson showed strong personal in
terest in Washington, in the material
improvement of the city, in the con-
struction of a bridge across the Po-
tomac, in securing justice for it from
the Nation in its financial concerns,
in recommending codification of its
obsolete or obsolescent overlapping
and contradictory laws and in urging
the extension of equitable political
rights consistent with the Constitu-
ton. He alluded to these topics re-
peatedly in his messages. In his sec
ond annual message. December 6, 1880,
he says: Your attention is respect
fully invited to the situation Of the
District of Columbia Placed by the
Constitution under the exclusive juris-
diction and control of Congress, this
District is certainly entitled to a
much greater share Of its considera-
ton than it has yet received. There
is want of uniformity in its laws,
particularly in those of penal char
acter, which increases the expense
Of their administration and subjects
the people to all the inconvenience
which result from the operation of
different codes in so small a territory.
On different sides of the Potomac the
same offenSe is punishable in unequal
degrees, and the peculiarities of many
Of the early laws of Maryland and
Virginia remain in force, notwith-
standing their repugnance in some
cases to the improvements which have
superseded them in those States"
jackson was thus the first of the Pres
ldents to call attention to the lack of
uniformity in the Capitals laws and,
in fact. to suggest their codification.
He made further reference to this sub
ject in his third annual message, De-
cember 6, 1881. (TheSe early recon-
mendations suggest what has been at
tempted and in comparatively recent
years in part accomplished in codiica-
ton OF the District laws through the
cooperation Of the Board of Trade.
the Bar Association and the local
judges. and eliminating in congress
sional enactment.)
Urged Representation.
jackson was also the first of the
Presidents to urge specifically repre-
sentation Of the District in Congress
by an elected delegate, an experiment
made later under the territorial form
or government of the 70s. He refers
to this subject in his messages of 1880.
1881 and 1885. 1830-"Besides a rem
edy for these evils which is loudly
called for. it is respectfully submitted
whether a provision authorizing the
election Of a delegate to represent the
wants Of the citizens of this District
on the floor Of Congress is not due
to them and to the character of our
government. No portion of our citizens
should be without practical enjoy
ment of the principles of freedom. and