Evening star., 1927-04-28
Relations of Federation
And Advisory Council
no the Editor of Tha star::

Mr.. McKelway, in his very able and
altogether impartial article in The
Star of last Sunday on the Advisory
Council, leaves the impression that /
not only favor abolishing the council,
but that my proposed amendment to
have the effect of accomplishing its
abolishment by restrictions which
have the appearance of enlarging the
councils power.
/ do favor abolishing the council
as at present constituted. But in its
stead / would create an executive
committee composed of delegates from
the Federation of Citizens Associa-
tions. Having on several occasions
introduced amendments to that effect,
each of which failed to get a ma
jority vote in the federation, / then
at the first opportunity introduced the
proposed amendment mentioned in
Mr. McKelway's article.
This amendment would not restrict
the activities of the council. 1t would
however, define it's power explicitly
and, at the same time, bring the coun-
Gil under the control of the Federation
of Citizens Associations, where it was
intended to be.
If the council is to be an independ.
ent body and is to "legislate" for the
various citizens associations compos-
ing the Federation of Citizens Asso-
Citations, then the federation may as
well be abolished.
An analogous condition would be to
have a President of the United States
elected by the people as at present
and another President of the United
States elected by Congress-each to
have the same powers and to perform
the same duties. One can easily
imagine the friction and Implications
and jealousies and rival ambitions
that such piece of political ma
chinery would hatch.
If the council is a better 'spokes-
man" for the citizenship of the Dis
trict than the federation, then l am
perfectly willing to abolish the fed
Grafton. IT is inevitable that both
cannot survive. The issue is clear
cut. Only a novice in the art of
politics would be sufficiently optimis-
tic to engage his fancy with the idea
that municipal politics Is in any way
different from national politics. Hence
the citizenship of the District may
reasonably expect to experience an
internecine political war that may de-
stroy all the prestige gained by the
citizens associations and, perhaps, de-
stroy both the federation and the
council.
1t was my hope and is still my de-
sire to save the good works of both
the federation and the council that
suggested to me the need of abolish
ing the council and to create an exec
IS,E
to the federation, and, as a second
best, so to amend the councils con.
stitution as to bring it completely
under the control of the federation.
For two years the federation and
the council have been pickering"
the schism getting wider and wider,
and what was at first only a little
discomfort is now developed into de-
clared i'll feelings between the two
bodies, which have split into several
factions in each body.
Under the stress of our civilization,
limited by the weakness of good men
and the overweaning ambitions of
other men, the ideal government is
hardly practical Furthermore. no
man nor any group of men have
ever relinquished power once secured.
On the contrary. history tells US that
always we seek to gather more power
to the man or group. Hence we can
not expect that either the federation
or the council will without a struggle
relinquish any original power either
has.
Again. and 1t is q factor that both
the federation and the council seem
to have lost sight of. the so-called
trade and professional groups, who
heretofore have been the real power
in the District in shaping local legis-
lation. are not inclined to relinquish
such power and honors as they have
heretofore had-and still retain, for
that matter, and will more than
likely continue to hold should the
federation and council be so foolish as
to edify the public with any more of
this 'knock-down-and-drag-out."
The first suggestion of Col. Bell,
Engineer Commissioner, that the vari-
Gus groups of citizenship-trade, civic,
professional and labor--organize a
body to advise with the Commission
ers on matters affecting the District,
was eminently practical and fair to
the entire citizenship and groups.
But, unfortunately, as 1 see it any
way. the plan went awry and was
lost in the limbo of petty politics.
Whatever the outcome may be be-
tween the federation and the council
their solution of their own difficulties
will not be satisfactory TO those in-
terests whose millions of dollars are
tied up in real estate, stocks, bonds,
good will, professional activities, etc,
and who have a right to be heard by
Congress and the Commissioners equal
to that of any other group of citizens.
1t would be the better strategy, the
better craftsmanship. on the part of
the civic groups which constitute the
federation, and for the federation as
well, to recognize that the civic
groups, which constitute one body of
interests. and the other groups, which
constitute another body of interests,
are usually in opposition, not apposi.
tion. And recognizing this condition
suggests that the federation and coun-
Gil should not attempt to dictate the
local government policy, but to CO.
operate with the various other groups.
Unless the civic groups do this the
probability is that the other groups
will completely ignore the civic
groups in the management of the city
government.
However, no matter what consid-
GRAFTON the federation and the council
give the various other groups. it is
and indubitable fact that the fedora
ton and the council cannot both sur
vive; one or the other must be abol-
ished or each have distinctive powers.
GROVER w. AYERS.