Evening star., 1938-04-28
Old Territory Argument
Revived hv r COrresnondent

To the Editor Of The Star:
In view OF the District suffrage poll
set for next Saturday, April 80, the
subject of this letter would seem to be
of pressing interest.
I have read that the District House Of
Delegates was composed of A members of
whom 20 were colored find that the act
of June 20, 1874 18 Stat. 1l6, which
abolished the so-called territorial form of
government authorized by the act of Feb
ruary 21, 1871, was the bill H. r. $500. In
making the committees report to the
House on this bill Representative Wilson
OF Indiana said, in part, II only referred
to these matters for the purpose of
showing the House that the law has
been no restraint upon these gentlemen
who have been running the government
OF the District of Columbia for the last
three years. The expenses have, by the
manner in which the government has
been administered been most inordi-
nate" The clerk of the House read from
the committees report that the total
burden tof debit upon the property Of
the District of Columbia was $20916,-
OO8O7, and that this did not include
the sums required to carry on the ordi-
nary functions of government after
July l, 1874.
Mr.. Wilson said further: 1.-THE Dis
trict is in sense utterly bankrupt I
regret to say it. but they have no means
WhereWith to carry on the government
any longer. Their treasury is utterly
exhausted. They have no money with
which to meet their current expenses,
much less to pay their debts. The en-
ployes of the District have been unpaid,
many of them for II months past"
Cong. Rec. June II. 1874, PIP. 51l9-2O:
43rd Cong, Ist Sess.
1t is remarkable how many local resi-
dents do not know that the District
ever had the right of suffrage The
comparatively few who do know the
dismal failure of this experiment argue
that things now are different, that a
better class of citizens are among us
and that they could be trusted to act
differently.
The census of 1890 showed the popu-
lation Of the District to consist of
354,8ol white and 132068 colored per-
sons. or approximately 73 per cent white
and 27 per cent colored
With a view to comparing criminal
conditions now with those when the
District had the right of suffrage, 1
S"1ANN oV tAiC OllCC AVpdI IlIlcul. L
found that the statistics of arrests for
the l870s were not available, but was
told that for the last few years at
least, Notwithstanding the q per cent
colored population, there have been more
arrests OF colored persons for the more
serious offenses, such as crimes of vio-
lence, than of white persons for such Of
lenses. In view of the generally good
rpnlltatinn of ha oo1l
person. 1 cannot help believing that the
colored population in the 1870s was less
given to crime than the colored popua-
ton now is
Another important consideration is
that as adult women may now vote.
the colored voting strength would be
relatively double what is was in the
l87Os. OF course, this is equally true of
the white population. but the colored
population would undoubtedly show
much larger proportion actually voting
than would the white population It
is also to be considered that the number
OF colored Government EMPLOYEES who
vote in the States is negligible COM
pared with the number of white Govern
ment employees who vote out of the Dis
trict 1t is practically certain that the
ratio OF white voters in the District
to the white adult population would be
much less than the ratio of colored voters
in the District to the colored adult
population of the District. and that
the colored population would at least
hold the balance of power
IL is also highly probable that with
District representation in Congress. that
BODY would be no more willing to in
crease its contribution to the Districts
expenses than it is now.
After extensive reading and careful
consideration of the question from manv
angles. my conclusion is that it would
be safer to urge an extension of the
powers OF the District Commissioners
and the placing of the District employees
on strictly civil service basis than to
urge the granting of the right of suf-
frage. HENRY A. HAYWARD.
(See EDITORIAL The Lesson Does Not Fit -,