Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-01-01
BILL WIDENING Dc.
HEADS POWERFUL TO
CONGRESS MONDAY
ChaIrmen viii Introduce
Measure in Both Houses at
Session Reopening.
PASSAGE WILL EXPEDITE
OTHER CITY LEGISLATION
Proposal Expected to Promote Bet
ter Feeling on Hill by Reliev-
ing Small Details.

ter Feeling on Hill by Reliev-
ing Small Details
Nha many consider the most i'm
portant single piece of lcrislatiou-
| for thc National Capital confront
Ing the present session OF Congress
! viii be introduced IN the House and
Senate on Monday ny the respective
chairman Of the District committee
! III each body. Representative Fred
y. Zihlman of Maryland and Senatur
Arthur Capper Of Kansas. This i
bin TO eXt-nd the powers Of the
| District Commissioners to include
/ municipal general powers, which are
specifically defined.
! The passage OF this measure WHY
( expedite action on such matters ~
: widening, closing and naming ~
: streets, appointment of municipal off
I GERS ana boards, establishing license
{ ices ami regulations for trades and
! professions, control over street ven
! dorS. making arrangements jCf
inauguraIS and 0ther crreluonials. ire
protection, fiN assessments for water
! and sewer mains. sidewalks and roa4
] surfacine.
VIII Act as Spur.
! L; i even more important on Capi-
! tol FnI because il viii expedite Tho
/ passage OF important measures To-.
the Capital City and Will promote Z,
| better feeling toward the DiStricr
! generally. in Congress
| Most OF the time II the District CON
! mittee III both houses for some years
! has been taken ~ with consideration
IT -
/ such matters as tire generally within
/ the administrative power of municipal
! authorities. such az widening q street.
| regulation uf some trade or voCa ton.
! Then, when the committee reported
I favOrably on these small measures ana
! brought them up in the House. they
| seemed trivial To- some members, VIII"
! took the occasion 10 indulge IN dehat.
! on al sorts Of subjects. with the r.
! suit that. in the House especially.
District day had come into disre
pute. The membership generally be
/ came TeXed ana tretful over a NUN
! ber of comparatively inc" nsequentiai
| measures that ought never IL hay
been brought tc their attention whe:1
important national Inatters were
awaiting consideration. but which naC
to De disposed mf III order that tn
municipality 81 the City of Washing
ton might continue 10 function.
sees t.afIN IaS>aSe.
It i confidently expected that the
bill I" he introduced Monday by Sena
tor C4pper and Mr. Zihlman which
was drafted hy the District Commits
sioners and rewritten after inter
| changes with the Citizens Advisory
/ Council, will he passed promptly IL
| both House and Senate in placticaily
the same form in which it j. present
ed, and that when this becomes law
! Congress, and especially The HuGst..
! viii give more sympathetic attention
| to the majoT legislative projects al
fccting tn" District az ColuruhiI
AT the last session Of Congress 9
special committee Of the District ~
Columbia Cummirte tee was delegated IA
draft such "a hill and they called upon
the commissioners Tor suggestions
ON account of the Investigation and
consideration involved in such "a meas
ure. II Was not prepared Tor iurroau,
tI"n in The last Congress.
senator Capper, the present chair
man Of the Senate District committee.
wrote to the Commissioners on De
cemher l9. again suggesting that such
d plll be prepared for introduction RI
him
Subcommittee Named.
At the first meeting Of the Hsuse
a
special subcommittee was appointed to
IconSider just such legislation. with the
SPECIFIC purpose of clearing away all
lmInor measures III this one bill So
that the committee ana the House
might be free to consider carefully the
imajor legislation FOR the District un.
IVexed by many trivial matters
\ general sentiment was expressed
at that organization meeting that such
la measure would benefit the District
Through prompt administrative action
ION all these minor matters, through
restoration of confidence in the Dis
trict committee and District day to
| better standing. With II of the ~
imemberS of the committee present no
note of opposition to such measure
was voiced and strong sentiment was
expressed in favor of it.
individually, practically every mem
Der of the House District committee
has expressed his conviction that the
passage of this bin to enlarge the au-
thority Of the District Commissioners
is needed and will be of great benefit
to the City Of Washington.
Senate Committee Favorable.
Sentiment among members Of the
Senate District committee was favor.
able today to the general purpose of
the bill Indications are the commit.
! tee will lose no time in giving it con
' sideration after it is referred
The first section of the Commission
ers' bill would transfer to them the
power of appointing the recorder of
deeds, members of the Board Of
Charities and members of the Board
of Education.
In this connection there is pend
ing in the House a separate bill pro
viding for the election of the school
board by the people, and Senator Cap
; per has stated he is preparing a sim.
! liar measure for Introduction in the
r | Senate.
? Senator Capper said today. however.
that, although he is drafting bill for
+ the election of the school board, he
} viii introduce the Commissioners bill
> to give them the appointing power
just as they submitted il to him
| This will place two proposed meth
! ods of selecting the school board be
, fore the committee for decision when
{ it is passing on the question of in
creasing the powers of the Comrnis-
sioners. Senator upper has not made
: known the details Of his Board of Ed
, ucation bill. but he said it would differ
in some respects from the Gasque bill!
in the House. Members of the School
board are now selected by the justices