Evening star., 1924-01-30
SENATORS PROPOSE
MORE POWERS FOR
D. c. GOVERNMENT
House Committee to Fight for
InvioIate District Day
on the Floor.
FAVORABLE REPORT FOR
14TH STREET EXTENSION
Move Launched to Replace Chair
Bridge With More Med
ern Structure.

Two important movements for bel
terment of the District were launch
ed today at separate meetings of the
Senate and House District commitSes
l. The Senate committee heard q
proposal that greater authority be
granted the Commissioners that they
may handle street improvements and
other strictly local matters, and Sen
ator Ball was appointed chairman o.
sub committee consisting of Sen
ators Capper of Kansas and King cf
Utah to consider the proposal anG
draft bill granting such autho1it,
to the Commissioners
2. The House committee decided
upon determined effort to preven.
the regular District days in the Housc
being set aside and used for othcr
business. a resolution by Representa-
tive F!orian Lampert of Wisconsin.
republican, and seconded by Repre-
sentative William G. Hammer o.
North Carolina, democrat, instructed
representative Frederick y. Zihlman
of Maryland, republican, acting
chairman. TO go before the House
rules committee with the unanimous
backing of the District committee in
support of his amendment to the
rules which would make a two
thirds vote necessary to vacate any
regular District day in the House.
Representative Oscar Keller, repub
lican, of Minnesota, a member of the
progressive. group, announced that
the progressive group already has
indorsed the proposed amendment re-
quiring a two-thirds vote to set aside
District day"
Commissioners' Views Sought.
The Senate subcommittee will call
upon the Commissioners and the
corporation counsel for their views
The movement may result, it is said
in greater measure of local self
government through the Commission
ers.
Chairman Ball. Senator Jones Of
Washington and Senator King ex-
pressed the opinion that many mat
ters now brought before Congress
could better be handled by the Dis
trict government. At the same time
they said such a course would re
1fever Congress from many small DE
tails.
Chairman Ball said that where
matters of policy were concerned.
Congress should be consulted, bgt
where the matters were purely ad-
ministrative they should be handled
by the Commissioners.
Jones Suggested Move.
The proposal to enlarge the pow
ers of the Commissioners were sub
mitted TO the committee by Senator
Ball. particularly with reference to
changes in the streets. Senator
King urged that the scope Of the
proposal be widened and the sug-
gestion of the subcommittee to draft
a bill dealing with the matter came
from Senator Jones.
THE District Commissioners should
be men of the highest character and
ability and should be bona fide residents
of the District Their salaries should
be increased so as to be commensurate
with the duties which they must per-
form" said Senator Jones.
Senator Edwards of New Jersey also
expressed the opinion that the Commits
sioners should be permitted to deal with
many local matters which now are
presented to Congress.
The District committee today author
lied favorable report on Senator Balls
bill to extend and widen 14th street
through the Walter Reed Hospital area
The bill also provides for the vaca-
ton of certain streets and alleys
within the area which will give the
hospital additional gronud.
Senator Ball explained that all the
Continued on Page ., Column 80