Evening star., 1914-01-29
RIGHT OF PETITION
MAY Be RESTORED
District Employees Likely Will
Be Allowed to Appeal
to Congress.
SUCH ACTION BARRED
FOR SEVERAL YEARS
House Committee Hears Arguments
on Two Insurance Bills
Now Pending.

Judging from the attitude of the House
District committee. which met in regular
weekly session this morning, the right of
petition to Congress is going to be re-
stored to the employees of the District of
Columbia, including fremen and police
men.
The subject was brought to the atten-
ton of the committee by Representative
German of Illinois. who read to the COM
mittee general orders 3c3. Of the former
board of Commissioners. signed by Secre-
tary William Tindall, and framed to pre-
vent any employe or department chief
from appealing to a congressman. a con
sressional committee or to Congress 1t
self without the approval of the Commits
sioners, and also making 1t an offense
against the District building discipline for
employees and heads to respond to in
quiries from the Capitol without taking
the matter up through the Commissioners
This order was promulgated In 1910. when
congressional committees found them
selves burdened for a time with individual
calls from District employees. princir ly
school teachers.
Assails the Order.
is this ukase still in effect?" asked
Representative TEngle of Florida who
also characterized the order as IAN trade
modelled after the orders of the Persian
shah.''
II understand it is responded Mr. Cor
man, who continued:
Policemen and firemen do not have
the opportunity to appeal to Congress
They are subject to dismissal il any OF
e.. ,rr1tf too hnyI
the express consent of the Commission.
ers. and therefore the practice. OF en-
ploying attorneys has Town up
The order was distinctly not favored by
the members of the committee who d1s-
cussed it, There was some intention OF
framing a bill to prevent further orders
of the kind. and also nullifying order NO
1923, but the committee eventually author
lied the Crosser subcommittee to consult
the present board of Commissioners with
a view to taking the shackles from Dis
trict employees and restoring them the
right of personal petition.
Insurance Bills Taken Up.
The committee listened to arguments by
Chairman johnson and Representative
Prouty over the question of whether the
Prouty insurance bill or the Johnson bill
covering insurance companies and all
to the House No conclusion was reached,
the matter being left to further consider
alton at the next meeting. Judge Prouty
explained that his bill grew out of his
opinions relating to the insurance bust
ness in the District of Columbia. as OBJ
tanned by him from the recent insurance
investigation. 1t provides for stricter
surveillance of the cap!ta!izing schemes
of new companies and the expansion o1
present companies ~or&ahzed upoer. the
laws Of the District of Columbia
The johnson bill. very much IN hhe
with the administration views on inter
locking directorates. provides for leglsia-
ton prohibiting this feature OF banking
and finance in the District or Coiumpla'
covers banks, trust companies ana lnsur-
ance companies, and in general is a
broader bill than the Prouty measure.
johnson Makes Charge.
Representative johnson told the COM
mittee that there is considerable inter-
locking in the big financial institutions in
the District of Columbia
The discussion on these bills took up
the major portion of the meeting. KEEP
resentative Johnson informed Representa-
tive O'Leary chairman of the labor SUBJ
committee. that there Is great pressure
being brought in favor OF an eight-hour
bill for women, and that subcommittee
will meet tomorrow to consider several
bills before it.