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Show I NEGROES IN THE DISTRICT. j ITiey Want the Suffrage Restored ITecang They Charge Discrimination. At the next session of congress a mon j Iter petition 'will be presented by Repro- ' eentative Murray of South Carolina, the only colore man in either house, pray ing for the restoration of the rights cf political suffrage in the District of Columbia. Co-lumbia. It -will be signed by a majori-J majori-J ty of the negroes of the District, headed by Frederick Douglass and ex-Senator i Bruce. This move groves out of the refusal re-fusal of the commissioners of the Dia- I 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 j person of Daniel A. Murray, an assistant assist-ant in the congressional library and a member of the board of trada Frederick Douglass especially interested himself in behalf of Mr. Murray, but the board re- fused to oint him. The colored peo ple maJr Etubborn fight for the assess-orship, assess-orship, cia now that that has been de-. de-. aied them no offices are left, and they ' I propose to memorialize congress for the A restoration f the right of suffrage in ; f the Distric -. j When I'--riff rage was in vogue in j the Distric, tl.e negroes were an impor- I tant fact in the government, and a i part of . o pf ronage was accorded them. T' : v a negro assistant dis- j Strict atto'-jv;, f- . registrar and a city i marshal, ru.1 el'ter lucrative offices were filled T- jm. But with abolition of the rigb-' :' cnlir "ge they have been cut off one 1 y cie ' atil the assessorship was the ciziy pi..oe filled by a negra Now even tt at has been taken away. Frederick Do agists says that the gov-ernment gov-ernment of the District is an oligarchy, and it is a wonder to him that the peo- pie have tolerat3d it as long as they I have. Under its present form of gov- i ernment he thinks it impossible for the 85,000 colored people to get any civil or political recognition. He says tha trend is now against the negro, but that a reaction will speedily set in. The sentiments of Mr. Douglass aro Indorsed by other prominent colored citizens cf the District who say that if j they are not successful in their move they will at least let the world know I they feel keenly the discrimination on I ncoount of oolor in the government of I the District The pastors of all the lo i cal churches are in favor xt the move- I ment, and the petitions will be placed at the several churches from Sunday to I Sunday for signatures. W&shingtca f Cor. New York Sun. |