Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-09-13
PRESIDENT READY
TO NAME ANOTHER
D. C. COMMISSIONER
CONTINUED from First Page.)

Continued from First Page)
prominently identified with local and
national matters. Assurance Is given
that the appointment will be q popu-
lar one generally. and that the Sem
ate will act favorably upon the NOM
ination unless it assumes political
appointment until after the 4th Of
March.
No Important Matters Wait.
No important matters requiring
the action of the city heads are ex-
pected to come up between the de-
parture of Commissioner Brownlow
on Wednesday and the arrival of
Commissioner Boardman on Septem-
Der "a, 1t was stated at the District
building today.
Mr. Brownlow and Auditor Daniel
J. Donovan expressed the belief this
morning that the operation of the
various departments of the city gov
eminent would not be hampered
pending the return of Miss Board
man.
Wednesday will be midmonth pay
day for District employees. and the
next pay roll will not have to be
drawn out until the last few days
of September. when Miss Boardman
will be here.
The only papers which might be
held up by the presence Of one Com
missioner. Mr.. Browniow said, are
commitments of patients to st. Eliza
beth's Hospital. II the President does
week these patients could be kept at
the Washington Asylum Hospital I'M
til there are two Commissioners pres
ent to approve their removal to st.
Elizabeth's.
Appointment of Miss Boardman to be
one of the Commissioners Of the Dis
trict has been received with salts
faction by the woman employees Of the
District building.
They sent Miss Boardman the fol-
lowing telegram today:
We. the women of the Municipal
building. send our hearty greetings
upon your appointment as Commits
sioner. We congratulate ourselves,
and feel that your coming to us is an
honor to the city and victory for
women everywhere who work for the
worlds. improvement"
Cite Organic Lawn.
Prominent local attorneys called
attention today to the fact that the
law incorporating the present form
of government for the District makes
no reference to woman for Com.
missioner.
On the contrary. they say, para
graph Z, section 2. of the organic act
OF 1873. specifically uses the mascu-
line pronoun in referring to the two
civilian Commissioners. This para
graph of the law follows:
And said Commissioners appointed
from civil life shall each receive for
his services compensation at the
rate of $4,000 per annum, and SHALL
before entering upon the duties Of
the office. each give bond in the sum
of $4,000. with surety as is required
by existing law"
There is no intention, so far as can
be learned. to contest Miss Board
mans appointment. however.
1t was pointed out that as far back
as 1878 women were not taking an
active part in public life and the
trainers OF the law probably did not
give a thought to the change in con-
ditions which has thrown women
prominently into political affairs.
Former Commissioner Henry b. F.
Mcfarland said that. in his opinion,
there was no question as to the
legality of appointing a woman Conn
missioner.
Referring to the section of the or
ganic act in which the pronoun "his"
Is used in describing each OF the
civilian Commissioners. Mr. Macfar-
land said:
Il think that in this. as in other
cases, the masculine pronoun is in
tended to embrace women Also"
Mr.. Macfarland's Statement.
ne!eIIins TO the question of the
eligibility of a woman for Commits
sioner. Mr.. Macfarland made the fol-
lowing statement:
y am sure woman is eligible
Man embraces woman. The Question
has never been brought to the Conf
OF Appeals of the District of CO
iumbia, but the Code of Law FOR
the District of Columbia, paraSranh
.. contains this clause: Words I'M.
porting the masculine gender .hail
be held to include all genders. ex.
cept where such conception would he
ABSURD or unreasonable
In my judgment this would ba N.
rule OF construction that wonId he
applied by our court to the ouestinn
as to the commissionship IL n should
ever be raised. ~ shou"
Onoer that clause in the coda ,he
Fresloent has appointed a number of
woman notary publics for the Iis.
trict OF columbia, although the mas
culine personal pronoun ia msad
throughout chapter seventeen NJ she
code. which provides for the annoint.
ment OF notary publics.
Otner analogous cases can no
found. Unless appointments are re-.
stricted by statutes to male citi,ens
women are considered eligible