Evening star., 1935-12-18
D. c: REFERENDUM
PLAN IS PUSHED
Aliens Advisory Vote Bill
Expected to Be live Con-
gressional Issue.


ing District residents to express their
views on important local questions
from time to time promises to be a
live issue in the session of Congress
converting January 3.
Taking the lead in advocacy Of
the plan, Commissioner George z.
Allen has q referendum bill already
prepared. The Board Of Commits
sioners has not yet given formal con-
sideration to the measure, but Com
missioner Allen has made known that
he individually will seek to have
the measure introduced in House and
Senate If the board decides not to
sponsor it.
Aliens bill would not weaken the
power Of Congress over the Nations
Capital, nor would it curtail the au-
thority Of the Commissioners in carry
ing out local laws, since the first
section of the measure provides:
THE result of any such referendum
shall be advisory only and shall not
be binding upon the Commissioners
or compel them to do any act or re-
frain from doing any act. Not more
than two referenda shall be held in
any fiscal year, but any number OF
matters or questions may be submit
ted at any referendum"
Guide to Sentiment.
1t would, however, make available
to the Commissioners an effective
method of ascertaining the sentiment
and wishes of the community before
they exercise the judgment within
their province.
Commissioner Allen favors national
representation for the people of the
District in Congress, but he feels
that, pending the achievement of that
goal. the advisory referendum would
prove beneficial in giving the residents
of the District a means of expressing
| their wishes on vital local issces.
| At present the Commissioners sell
dom take action on an, important
question without first holding public
hearings to gauge the sentiment of the
community, as expressed individually
or through representatives of organi-
cations. The holding of referenda
however. would produce a more com
plete and city-wide expression of opin-
ion than Is possible at public hearings
The use of the referendum is not q
new suggestion in Washington. II
was utilized several times in the early
DAYS Of the city's history. The pres
ent proposal to seek general legisla-
tion on the subject grew out of the
unsuccessful effort the Commissioner
made in September, 1894, to take ar
advisory vote Of the residents oi
Takoma, D. c., on the question oi
whether they preferred that area tc
be wet or dry in the granting Of alco-
holic beverage licenses After the city
heads had been restrained by an order
Of the District Supreme Court from
holding that particular referendum
Commissioner Allen announced hc
would seek legislation giving the Com.
missioners specific authority to hold
referenda from time to time on any
important municipal question. Tht
subject was not pushed at the last
session, but indications are that more
serious attention will be given it thi.
Winter.
Recall PrOviso Urged Earlier.
When the referendum method o.
testing local sentiment was advocated
in earlier periods of Washington's his.
tory there was coupled with it usually
the suggestion for adoption also of tht
principles Of initiative and recall
subjects that are closely related to ths
referendum idea. The initiative woulc
imply giving the community a chance
TO express itself on the initiation Of
legislation to be submitted to Coneres.
for final action. When the referendum
principle was being discussed her,
more than 20 years ago a suggestion
also was advanced that the municipa
government could be made more re,
Sponsive to the wishes of the com.
munity, If local residents were al
lowed also to take an advisory vot,
on the recall of the Commissioners. O.
any one Of them. if, at any time, they
or any one Of them. pursued policia
contrary to the sentiment of tn,
people.
1t was not proposed that the re-
suits Of such recall vote should b,
final, but merely to give the Presiden
the appointing power-the views o
the community, just as the referen
dunn would give the Commissioners
and Congress the views of the com
munity on legislative matters.
Commissioner Allen said that. Will
he is for the principle of the initia
tive and the recall also, he has no
included these features in his refer
endum bill. He indicated he does no
believe it would be possible to secur
enactment of the three fold PROPOSE
tion Of initiative, referendum an
recall.
Eligibility Of Voters.
The Allen bill about to be put for
ward defines the qualifications o
those who would be eligible to vote u
the advisory referenda as follows:
"a person voting at any such elec
tion must be a citizen of the Unite,
States, 81 or more years Of age, AM