Evening star., 1934-10-07


proposed reorganization OF the Dis
trict government.
~ ADICAL reorganization of the
- District government is op-
posed by Claude w. Owen,
Il \ prominent business man and
former president of the Wash
ington Board of Trade. He strongly
favors national representation for the
District and a continuation of the
present commission form of govern
ment.
Our governmental situation is the
most anomalous and contradictory to
be found anywhere. 1t is beyond un-
derstanding that Government
founded upon the principle of no tax
alton without representation should
maintain at its very heart a COM
munity of half a million people where
that principle is ignored" Mr.. Owen
said.
Vote Is Basic Right.
He believes the granting of voting
representation to the residents of the
District in the Senate and House of
Representatives and the vote for Presi-
dent are basic rights of every Amer
ican citizen which should be recog-
nized in any reorganization plans no
matter how simple or elaborate. The
District citizens, he thinks, are justly
entitled to recognition as American
citizens and can expect no improve
ment in their government until they
are so recognized. National represen-
tation he does not regard as a cure
all, but many of our difficulties and
many of the objections to our gov
ernment may be attributed TO the
absence Of these vital and funda-
mental rights.
Il favor the commission form of local
government as at present set up-two
civilian Commissioners appointed by
the President and the Engineer Com
missioner detailed from the Corps of
Engineers of the Army, the president
OF the board being civilian. I be-
lieve the three-year residential re-
quirement for the civilian Commits
sioners should be rigidly adhered to
and it would be better if this was ex-
tended to five years or longer Our
civilian Commissioners should be
bona fide Washingtonians. 1t is ex-
tremely difficult for a stranger to
come in and within few years know
enough of local conditions to eff
ciently run our government" said Mr.
Owen.
Our experience with the military
Engineer Commissioners has been so
satisfactory that I am strong for con-
tinuing this practice. We have had
fine men detailed for this work who
have been of exceptional high quality
and engineering ability and in addi-
tion they have been free from politics.
Some Of our people favor the appoint
ment of all three Commissioners from
civil life, but do not, as I feel that
past experience las demonstrated the
value of the present system"
Opposes Election or Recall.
"I am not in favor of selecting the
Commissioners by election or their
withdrawal by election. Public SER
wants, in my opinion, can better serve
the community if they can feel that
no group could get together and re-
move them from Office through a re-
call. Both the election and the recall,
am inclined to believe, might have
a tendency consciously or uncon-
sciously to cause the Commissioners
to favor an influential group against
an uninf1uential group"
Mr.. Owen believes the powers of the
Commissioners should be greatly en-
10 hi -
administer the government of the Dis
trict of Columbia rather than being
merely the rubber stamps" of Con-
gress. This broadening of powers, he
thinks, should completely relieve the
Commissioners of the necessity of
making appointments of non-residents
to pay political debts of members of
Congress and other political officials.
jobs under the District government
should be filled from the community
which puts up the bulk of the money
for running the District.
There is real need for reorganiza-
tion of the practice of preparation of
the District budget and the expendi-
lures Of District funds. District ex-
penditures are under more rigid super
vision by the Federal Government
than they ought to be. The Commits
sioners should have greater latitude
in making up the budget and also in
the spending of the funds in the way
the people of the District want them
spent. 1t is our money, except for the
small contribution of the United
States Government, and I favor the
Commissioners sending the budget di-
rect to Congress and completely re-
lieving the Bureau of the Budget of its
present control" said Mr.. owen.
Contribution" a Misnomer.
IT do not like the term 'contribu-
tion,'" said Mr.. Owen, "as applied to
that portion which the Congress votes
to us each year for the District budg-
ct. I consider it very definitely an
obligation on the part of the Gov-
ernment to bear its just share of
something which is as much its own
as any other thing for which Its