Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-19
Provides for Five-Member
Board of Commissioners
Named by President.
BODY WOULD HAVE FULL
POWER IN CITY AFFAIRS
Ill New Duties and Powers Set
Forth, and Further Data Prom
ised to Explain Them.

The much discussed home rule" bill
for the District of Columbia was in
troduced In the House late yesterday
by Representative Frank r. Reid, Re
publican, of Illinois, a member of the
House District committee and of the
special Gibson subcommittee of seven
attic study of the municipal admin
istration.
1t provides for an enlarged Board
of Commissioners, consisting of five
members, one at large to be chairman
and the others representing the geo.
graphical sections of the city--all to
he appointed by the President without
any requirement of confirmation by
the Senate.
1t is his thought that in this way
the governing body will be more rep
resentative.
The Reid bill provides, also, specifl-
cally for giving these commissioners
full power TO administer the munich
pal affairs, subject to the approval of
Congress, and gives them III duties
and powers in addition to those they
now have.
Reid Explains Bill.
Mr.. Reid issued a statement in ex-
PLANTATION of his bill as follows:
AFTER years study of the con-
ditions in the District Of Columbia as
a member of the House District COM
mtttee, 1 have introduced a bill to
give home rule to the District. The
bill has been vary carefully drafted
after an exhaustive study, comparison
ard analysis of the hone.rule statutes
Of the various States and after con-
sultation with the District officials and
representatives of the citizens or
ganizations.
THE bill is not offered with any idea
that 1t Is a cure.all for District ills,
but as . contribution to the effort that
is being made by the House District
committee to solve some Of the prob
lens that are peculiar to this city ow-
ing to the unusual status which it oc-
cupies as Federal city and the seat
of the National Government. It is
hoped that the bill will be helpful to
the committee and serve as a basis
for further study and investigation.
Two Chief Complaints.
There have been presented two
principal complaints against the pres.
ent system of municipal control-the
first. by the District, that it Is not
allowed to govern its own internal
affairs, but is under the complete
domination OF Congress and has to go
To Congress to secure authority for
the slightest municipal act; the Sec
end, by Congress, that it is burdened
with the consideration of a myriad
Of details concerning the District.
which take away the time and atten-
ton that should be given to national
legislation. In other words, Congress
is acting as a city council for a terri.
tory with which the members are not
especially familiar and in which their
interest, in the first instance, does not
lie, their responsibility and concern
being, as 1t should be, primarily with
their constituencies.
THE bill which has been introduced
Is intended to answer these com
plants. first by enlarging the Board
cf Commissioners to fiVe and making
them more truly representative of
the city, and second by granting to
them full power to administer the
municipal affairs of the city, subject
to approval of Congress, but without
requiring authority of Congress for
each act of administration.
Based on Illinois Statute.
"The bill contains three sections
and is largely based upon the home
rule statute of Illinois, wherein the
Legislature of that State has given to
each city broad, general power to con-
troll it's own affairs. Section 1 of the
bill states that it shall be known as
the home rule act for the District of
Columbia
Section 2 provides that the Presi-
dent shall appoint five Commissioners,
one each from the Northwest, North
east, Southwest and Southeast and
one to be appointed from the city at
large. The greatest proportion of the
population of Washington. of course,
Continued on Page 4, Column g.