Evening star., 1934-09-30


Chairman Education Committee of Feder.
alton Of Citizens Associations and
Former Member of Citizens
Advisory Council.
w WITHOUT more specific data
\A/ concerning the proposed
wv changes I would hesitate to
approve any major changes
: in the government OF the
District Of Columbia. Various sug-
gested changes have come to my
notice, but no well-considered, definite
plan has yet been proposed. My idea
is that the most important function
of the District government Is the Gre
alton of the annual budget and the
determining of the methods to be
employed in the raising OF required
funds through taxation.
ANY change In the present form oi
government would be premature, in
my opinion, until the annual recurring
controversy is settled for all time
over the amount to be paid by the
Federal Government toward the up
keep Of the District of Columbia. Nc
government for the District would be
an improvement over the present one
which had to wrestle with Congress
over the financial obligation OF the
United States to its Capital. The pres
ent unsatisfactory and unbustness-
like uncertainty in that regard would
not be removed by any mere change
in the form of government.
Citizen Recognition Needed.
Changes In the form Of government
which do not have for their main pur-
pose the participation of the citizens
in the choice Of officials meet with my
unalterable opposition. I am one who
believes that the citizens of the Dis
trict are intelligent enough to choose
their own officials, whether they be
Commissioners, city manager, Sen
ators or members of the House of Rep
resentatives. I heartily approve Com
missioner Aliens proposed bill to per-
init neighborhoods, sections, commu-
mites or the entire District to deter
mine local sentiment by referendum
on certain controversial matters and
major questions requiring action.
favor such referendum system
whether mandatory or simply advisory
The substitution of officials by other
titles for our present officials would
be no improvement over the present
system if appointed by persons II
whose selection we have no part. Ir
any event. whether the present set
up is continued or not, 1t would be
decided improvement If the District
citizens we're permitted to recall by
their vote officials who proved by
their acts that they were not in SYM
pathy with the community desires
Surely if Congress fails to permit US
to elect our own administrative Off
GERS it should at least permit us tc
retire them by our votes If they prove
unsatisfactory. Such recall, whether
mandatory or advisory to the ap-
pointing power. would be vast i'm
provement Of the present appolntive
system.
Power Should Be Extended.
The powers Of the District Com
missioners should be extended. They
should be given power to promulgats
general regulations upon many mat
ters now required to be presented tC
Congress and there considered, in
many cases, from the angle of polit.
ical expediency. 1t is absurd that the
law requires that bills be put through
Congress to move the inferred body
Of corpse or to change the name oi
q street.
favor the continuation of the
nf ri n Ill
Trustees and the Board Of Public
Welfare. with the retention of theiI
full powers. and am opposed to abol-
ishing these boards and centralizine
their duties in the District Commits
sioners. These uncompensated board:
now consist of District residents, anc
to transfer their powers to the Com.
misSioners would not mean that these
officers would personally perform the
duties of these boards. 1t woulc
simply mean the Commissioner!
would have to delegate these dutie:
to other officials of their own selec-
tion. Is 1t not conceivable that pres
sure from Texas or elsewhere woulo
be great enough to have a either
from outside the District appointed
and then given certain duties nov
performed by one of these boards?
I always have believed that tn,
Board of Education should be electet
by the people. as done in most of tn
communities in the country. If thi
cannot be accomplished the member
of the board should be appointed b.
the Commissioners.
Recreation Considered.
II there should be a consolidation
of recreational facilities, the Board o
Education should have control. Recrea
tion generally is an adjunct of educa
tion, and practically all recreationa
activities, either for the young O
adults, center around public schoo
property. The difficult feature of any
consolidation lies in the fact tina
there are certain F'ederal-owned prop
critics that enter into recreation gen
orally. These, in my opinion, shoult
be separate and distinct. am strong
ly Of the opinion that it would be
great mistake to permit purely Distric
matters to be directed and controlled
by a department of the Federal Gov
ernment, with its constantly changing
political personnel.
So long as our laws are made ant
our expenditures controlled by Ma
tional Legislature in which the Distric
Of Columbia has neither voice, repre-
sentation nor vote, there will continu'
to be injustice to the half million
residents of the National Capital. S,
long as our privileges are restricted t.
the right Of petition, and we may no
even determine for ourselves whethe
we want liquor sold in our community
Just so long does the popular phras'
"the best-governed city in the country
continue to be only another moderl
wise crack