Show NEGROES IN THE DISTRICT They Want tho Suffrage Restored Because They Charge Discrimination At the next session of congress a monster mon-ster petition will be presented by Representative Repre-sentative Murray of South Carolina the only colore man in either house praying pray-ing for the restoration of the rights of political suffrage in the District of Columbia Co-lumbia It will be signed by a majority majori-ty of the negroes of tho District headed by Frederick Douglass and exSenator Bruce This move grows out of the refusal re-fusal of the commissioners of the District Dis-trict to appoint a colored man as one of the members of the board of assessors recently created by act of congress The colored men had an applicant in the person of Daniel A Murray an assistant assist-ant in the congressional library and a member of the board of trade Frederick Douglass especially Interested himself in behalf of Mr Murray but the board refused re-fused to appoint him The colored people peo-ple aado a stubborn fight for tho assess orship and now that that has been denied de-nied them no offices are left and they propose to memorialize congress for the restoration of the right of suffrage in the District When the suffrage was in vogue in the District the negroes were an important impor-tant factor in the government and apart a-part of the patronage was accorded them There was a negro assistant district dis-trict attorney a tax registrar and a city marshal and other lucrative offices were filled by them But with abolition of the right of suffrage they have been cut off one by one until the assessorship was the only place filled by a negro Now even that has been taken away Frederick Douglass says that tho government gov-ernment of the District is an oligarchy and it is a wonder to him that the people peo-ple have tolerated it as long as they have Under its present form of government gov-ernment he thinks it impossible for the 85000 colored people to get any civil or political recognition He says the trend is now against the negro but that a reaction will speedily set in The sentiments of Mr Douglass are Indorsed by other prominent colored citizens of the District who say that if they are not successful in their move they will at least let the world know they feel keenly the discrimination on account of color in the government of the District The pastors of all the local lo-cal churches are in favor of the movement move-ment and the petitions will be placed at the several churches from Sunday to Sunday for signatures Washington Cor New York Sun |