Evening star., 1940-09-01
Randolph Drops
Suffrage Bills
Won't Push Changes
In D. c. Government
This Session
BY JAMES e. CHINN.


Chairman Randolph of the House
District Committee announced last
night he has abandoned plans to
press for action at the present ses-
sion Of Congress on two pieces Of
proposed legislation designed to after
the present form of municipal gov
ernment here.
The first Is a bill TO reorganize
and modernize the municipal setup,
primarily in the interest of eff
cheney and economy. The other is a
measure intended to give the resi-
dents of the District some voice in
their own government by allowing
them to elect a municipal assembly
of 81 members to serve as policy
making body.
Both measures were sponsored by
Representative Kennedy, Democrat,
of Maryland, who will not return
to the House next year, having been
defeated in primary election in
May.
The reorganization bill, long a
storm center in the District Com
mittee, has been on the House cal.
endar several months without an
effort being made to have it called
up for consideration. The reason
is that House leaders regarded the
proposed legislation as too contro-
versial" to inject into the Nations
legislative machinery at time when
extraordinary efforts are being made
to grind out an emergency national
defense program.
No Hearings on Suffrage.
The so-called local suffrage" bill
Mr.. Kennedy introduced is still
pending before the District Commit
tee, of which he is the ranking ma
jority member. No public hearings
have yet been held on it.
"In view of the vitally important
national defense program Congress
expects to complete before adjourn
ment, it would be folly and waste
of time" Representative Randolph
said, ito seek action on either the
reorganization or local suffrage
bills"
Agitation for action on both the
reorganization and suffrage bills
before adjournment was renewed
by Representative Kennedy about
10 days ago, following refusal of the
Rules Committee to grant rule to
permit early House consideration OF
the Summers resolution providing a
constitutional amendment empow-
ering Congress to grant national
representation to the District.
Until that time, Mr.. Kennedy had
been reluctant to push his two
bills because he thought they might
jeopardize consideration of the
Summers resolution which he re-
garded as far more important. How
ever, after the Rules Committee side
tracked the Summers resolution, he
requested Chairman Randolph to
try and get action on his two bills.
House Leaders Objected.
Mr.. Randolph called on House
leaders and learned they still OBJ
jected to him calling up 'contro-
versial" District legislation of which
the reorganization bill held No. l
position. Next, he polled his own
committee and found that of IA
of the 20 members he was able to
contact. seven were opposed to hold
| ing a special meeting to consider Mr..
Kennedys local suffrage bill.
Mr.. Kennedy's reorganization
plan was based on the several times
revised recommendations of the
Chicago firm of E. o. Griffenhagen
& Associates, which made an ex-
haustive survey of the District gov
ernment for the Senate and House
District Committees.
Briefly. it called for consideration
into IL departments of the hetero-
geneous array of municipal bureaus
and agencies and the creation of a
city manager to act as the execu-
tive head Of the municipal govern
ment.