Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-10-04
messenger Boy" Power of
Committee Heads Will
Be Tested.
BATTLE MAY EFFECT
PRESIDENTS NAMING
Dr.. Havenner Is Yet Unopposed
for Association Presidency
in November.

The Winter activity of the Fedora
ton of Citizens Associations starts OH
tonight with its opening meeting at
8 O'Clock in the board room OF the Dis
trict Building. A parliamentary battle
Is on the program at the very outset,
when the new status OF commlttee
Craftsmanship, approved at a meeting OF
the Executive Committee two weeks
ago, will be tested out.
Meeting Was Called.
The so-called messenger boy" status
evolved from the appearance OF VIII
liam NICK. Clayton, chairman OF the
federations Public Utilities Committee,
at the public hearing on the change
in rates proposed by the washington
Gas Light Co. Mr.. Clayton called
meeting of his committee before the
hearing took place and the committee
voted in favor of the proposed rates
except for those applied to small con-
sumers. In the course of the public
hearing, Mr. Clayton made motions 10
dismiss the company's petition and TO
start valuation proceedings on the COM
pany's property. Both were denied.
The Executive Committee was sum-
moned to consider whether these mo-
lions were in excess OF the authority
conferred on Mr.. Clayton by his COM
a "keynote" speech by Thomas E.
Lodge, in which he laid down the doc
trine that once a committee had acted
on any subject, the duties of its chair
man was limited to those OF a mes
senger boy. Mr.. Clayton, he said,
should have taken his committees reso-
luton to the Public Utilities Commits
sion, placed it before them ana
departed The Executive Committee
approved these views and repuolateoi
the motions as in excess Of Mr.. Clay
tons authority. There was no recorded
opposition to Mr.. Lodges views.
Chairmen Offended.
The result of this, it is said, has been
that some committee chairmen, who
have not limited themselves to mes
senger boy functions in the past, have
taken offepse, and intend to try to up
set the action of the Executive Com
nittee when it is reported tonight as
under the constitution it must be.
The resulting battle, federation poll
ticians say, will also have its repercus-
sions in the presidential election TO De
held the first Saturday in November.
DR.. George G. Havenner, Anacostla, is
a candidate to succeed himself for
third term. No president has ever
served three successive terms in the
past. it Is pointed out, and DR.. Haven
iler's apparent approval of the Executive
Committees action viii be coupled with
the third term" argument IN an effort
to defeat him.
No Opposition Yet.
Thus far no opposition candidate has
appeared, although the gossip is to the
effect that a dark horse is being
carefully groomed. The only opposi-
ton that is known about comes from
some delegates who approached Charles
!. Stengle, Petworth, and asked him to
run. Mr.. Stengle, a former Repre-
sentative from the Brooklyn district.
who has served three terms on the
citizens Advisory Council, is under
stood to have replied that. while he
would have no objection to accepting
the honor If it were thrust upon him,
he would make no efforts in his own
behalf. Stengle and Havenner are po-
litical friends, and it is not thought
that Stengle would run if he thought
that he would take votes away from
Hayenner.
There has been some talk of running
Harry N. Stull of Stanton Park in OPP
position to Havenner, although this
proposition is understood not to have
developed beyond the stage of little
preliminary discussion.