Evening star., 1939-06-26
Facts in Correction.
Intent of the Founders,

Intent of the Founders.
m The intent of the founding
fathers in framing the constitutional
provision giving Congress the power
to exercise exclusive legislation over
the seat of the Government of the
United States was not to avoid put
ting it into politics. 1t was, however,
to prevent the existence of a dual
sovereignty in the Capital City. The
founders believed that the para
mount interest of the National Capt.
tai required that the Nation be su-
preme at the seat of its Government,
to the exclusion of any State or local
sovereignty. This national interest
Is the sole reason for excepting the
District of Columbia from the other
wise universal rule of self govern
ment. 1t follows naturally that the
people of the District should have
such participation in their Govern
ment, both national and local, as
does not conflict with the national
interest. (See Senate report No. 5O7,
Sixty-seventh Congress, second ses-
sion, District Committee on S. j.
Res. 1881
Neither Territory Nor State.
t2) The plan described by David
Lawrence. mentioned in this editorial,
would not make the District of Co
lumbia Territory nor would it
make it State. 1t would give the
District some of the voting repre-
SentatiOn that is denied the Terri
tory. There is no intention to 90
back to the so-called territorial gov
ernment of 1871 to 1874. The Dis
trict people now ask for privileges
that the Territory does not have;
that is, voting representation in
Congress and in the Electoral Col
lege. They do not seek in their
proposals for national representa-
ton to wrest from the Nation
and Congress control of the District
but they ask for fractional partici-
patton, like other Americans, in the
national legislature which exercises
this control.
The Territorial Government
set up in 1871 consisted of LegisIa-
ture of two branches, the lower house
elected and the upper house ap-
pointed by the President and con-
firmed by the Senate. The Cover
nor was appointed by the President
and confirmed by the Senate. The
people elected a voteless delegate in
the House of Representatives. A
Board of Public Works, appointed
by the President and confirmed by
the Senate, possessed and exercised
broad powers which put Washing
ton on the upgrade toward becom-
ing beautiful city but incurred
heavy Indebtedness and saddIed
local property owners with heavy
taxes.
This Government was controlled
completely by President Grant and
the Congress. Thus the Nation was
responsible for any faults that it
developed and not the people of
Washington. There is, however, no
foundation of fact for the state
ment that it was "plundered into
bankruptcy by ring of specula-
tors"
Bankrupt Through Nations Neglect.
The National Capital was in a
state of practical bankruptcy even
before the creation of the territorial
government. The local municipal
government had struggled along for
years attempting to build up, in
dependent of any substantial Nation-
al financial aid, a Capital City which
had been laid out by the Nation on
a grand scale. tSee report of the
Southard Committee in 1885.
1t was the purpose of the terri
torial government to get the Nation
to carry out its financial promises in
regard to the maintenance and
upbuilding offta great Capital. The
temporary commission Government
established in 1874 led to the perma-
nent Commission Government es-
tablished in 1878, in which the
Nation practically confessed its
neglect of obligations in the past,
made amends by partial guarantee
of the accumulated debt and agreed
to participate i'm definite substantial
amount in the expense of the future
upbuilding of the Capital.
Thorough Congressional investi-
cations of the conduct of the Ter
ritOrial form of government dis.
closed no corrupt plundering, bank
rupting the city. They did find, how
ever, that there had been extrava-
CANT expenditures because of the
undertaking of the accomplishment
of reclamation and improvement of
the city on an extensive scale in
too short time.
The statement that in 1874 that
plan was abolished and the govern
ment of the District by Congress was
restored is inaccurate for the reason
that. Congress retained its power of
ultimate control throughout the ex-
istence of the territorial govern
ment. Indeed the District court of
highest jurisdiction in a decision
which has never been Over-ruled
held that Congress had no power to
delegate its power of exclusive legis-
lation and vOided an act of the local
legislature. Wan Ryswick v. Roach,
MacA. & NJ, IL d. c., III.
Entitled to Representation.
90 The complaint against taxa
ton without representation in Wash
ington should, if anything, have
greater weight than in regard to
any other spot in the Nation. The