Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-02
Crosby Issue Discussed at
Length by Citizens Against
Appointment.
GENERAL PERSONALLY
APPROVED BY GROUP
Hoover Commended Finally for
Efforts to Get Best Men
for District.

Amid the widest confusion the Fed
Grafton of Citizens Associations for two
and half hours last night argued the
question Of the appointment of Mai.
Gen. Herbert 3. Crosby as District
Commissioner, an appointm mt which
President Hoover will make as soon as
Gen. Crosby retires from the Army
The fight was bitter. In the end the
federation contented itself with a reso-
luton commencing the President for
his efforts to secure the best persons
available as Commissioners Of the Dis
trict of Columbia.
BY itself, the resolution evades the
issue discussed all eVening-whether
Gen. Crosby's status as q retired Army
ofiicer will make him ineligible as a CT
villain Commissioner. Taken together
with an elaborate report from a spe-
clal committee which preceded the
resolution, however, 1t is apparent that
the federation Is in favor of the Crosby
appointment and believes 1t viii BE-
legal.
Bill Pointed Out.
The committee report, after instance
ing long list of Army officers who had
distinguished civil careers after re-
tirement, said: col. ]. Franklin Bell
former Engineer Commissioner of the
District, although an Army officer.
displayed such excellent attachments
and distinct interest in our civil vel.
rare that We dare say that had he been
nominated by the President. instead of
Gen. Crosby his confirmation would
have been approved by those men who
now seek to inject the technical uues-
ton Of former military service. Or
gantzed citizenry is looking for service
1t pays for just that, and expects the
President to select those who will rem
der 1t satisfactorily, regardless of
whether his appointees are formerly
military officers or from the ranks of
private citizenship" This statement
was greeted with applause.
In another place the report said:
THE proposition has also been urged
that the last vestige of local civil
rights in the District Of Columbia will
be removed II Gen. Crosby shall be APP
pointed and confirmed. This objection
is more fanciful than real, because of
the fact that since 1878 there has been
no local self government in the District
of Columbia"
AS soon as the committee report had
been read by Hugh M Framton of
Cathedral Heights the night began. 1t
was conceded by all hands that Gen.
Crosby personally is all that could be
desired, and that the President was
prompted by the best of motives in an
nouncing that he would appoint him.
This narrowed the issue down to the
question whether the President had
been properly advised that the appoint
ment of a retired Army officer would
not be in conflict with the Districts
organic act, which calls for one Com
missioner from the Engineer Corps Of
the Army and two from civil life."
Interpretation Of Clause.
The position Of the special committee
reporting on the matter, which had
been brought before 1t by resolutions
of five member associations, was that
the words civil life" were used in the
act in section 19 as descriptive phrase
to distinguish the two commissioners
from the one who must be appointed
from the Corps of Engineers, and does
not mean that the commissioners from
civil life shall be in all respects civilians.
This was supported by william A.
Roberts OF Conduit road, the first
speaker. who said that IL there were
the slightest hypocrisy in the statement
that the commissioners from civil life
need not be civilians, he would not sup
port the report.
He was followed by Maj. Clayton E.
Emig. Dupont Circle, and Henry K.
Bush Brown, Arts Club, stanchly sup
Continued on Page 4, Column ~