Evening star., 1940-03-02
DC. Suffrage
Arguments 10
ResurrleTuesday
SeoI and Griffenhuqen
Plans Attacked
By Witnesses

The right of District citizens to
elect representative body to gov
ern the city will be argued further
when the Kennedy subcommittee Of
the House District Committee re-
sumes hearings on reorganization
legislation at 1890 am. Tuesday.
The hearings were recessed yes
terday afternoon over the week end
after long and rather stormy ses-
sion, at which the Commissioners
and their plan of reorganization
came in for pointed criticism.
Several witnesses, civic leaders,
attacked the so-called Seal plan
which the Commissioners have rec
commended to Congress, giving the
Commissioners increased legislative
and administrative powers and Gre
ating a citizens advisory council
which they would appoint.
Finch Hits Both Plans.
Wilbur S. Finch, president of the
District of Columbia Suffrage Asso-
citation, insisted Congress could give
the District back the ballot privilege
which 1t lost in 1874. He urged
the subcommittee to scrap both the
Seal and the Griffenhagen plans.
The latter would provide a city
manager, but retain the Commis-
sioners as the local legislative body.
Mr.. Finch proposed a legislative
council elected by the people and a
single executive head to be given all
administrative authority. Several
other witnesses backed this plan, or
similar ones, though they disagreed
on details.
Nichols Gives Stand.
Afterward Representative Nichols,
Democrat, of Oklahoma issued a
statement saying he would oppose
anything which might remove from
Congress control over the police,
militia and law-enforcement agen-
cies in the District. Mr.. Nichols
said:
THE District was set up originally
SO that the Federal Government
would have headquarters not sub
ject to the local law-enforcement
groups of any State. 1t was felt that
it would be better to have the Fed
eral Government and its officials
within jurisdiction not subject to
police officials or local militia who
might harass them or within the
jurisdiction of police officers who
might fail and neglect to protect the
Chief Executive or the executive
branches from harassment against
mobs and uprisings seeking to in
f1uence unduly either legislative or
executive actions.
In view of these facts, and the
continuing necessity for assuring the
Federal Government proper protec-
| ton, I shall carefully scrutinize any
proposals for reorganization of the
District of Columbia government and
shall oppose any such proposal which
would set up a police force, militia or
any other laW-enforeement agency
within the District Of Columbia not
subject to exclusive control of the
President and the Congress.
Darr to Be Heard.
! Witnesses scheduled to be heard
next week include Seton Darr. for
mer president of the District Bar
Association, and William Mondell,
vice president of the Suffrage Asso-
citation.
Representative Kennedy, Demo-
crat, of Maryland, chairman of the
reorganization subcommittee, ex-
pressed hope the hearings could be
closed by Tuesday afternoon. though
he said this depended on how many
persons still wanted to be heard. He
plans to call the group into executive
session early in the week to start
drafting bill. Any legislation
agreed on will be reported to the
District Committee for action.