Evening star., 1943-12-27
Home Rule
Continued From First Page.)


House committee which had en-
ployed the consulting Arm. Mr..
Wender added that Griffenhagen
and Associates had felt proposals
for a city manager and an elected
council were necessary" to carry
out their findings.
The federation witness also urged
that the latter portion of the Nc
Carran bill, which sets up a formal
machinery for congressional checks
or veto of acts Of the suggested
elected Commissioners (or counciD
be eliminated. He said this was not
needed since Congress would retain
its exclusive legislative control over
the National Capital.
The Federation spokesman said he
knew the District Commissioners
well, that he counts them as his
friends, and that they are men of
Iimpeccable character However, he
continued, Boards of Commissioners
must carry the responsibility for
past mishandling of problems.
To answer the short sighted"
views of those who regard the pres
ent District government as perfect, "
he referred to "the slovenly han
ding" of such problems as those in
the water registrars Office and Gal
linger Hospital, and quoted the Dis
trict tax assessor Edward A. Dent)
as having characterized former tax
collection methods as stupid"
Cites Dog Tag Shortage.
He argued that the dog tag short
age found in the tax collectors Of
flee some years ago proved the Dis
trict government was something
less than perfect" and said if the
Commissioners had not ignored
pleas by Poundmaster Frank Mark!
for modern equipment the recent
rabies incidence might have beer
avoided Ito a large extent"
Mr.. Wender recalled that The
Democratic party in 1910 adopted g
campaign plank favoring "exten.
sion Of suffrage to the people O.
the District. Offering the 1888 un.
omcial referendum vote in Washing
ton as one proof of the desire o.
Washington residents for suffrage
he pointed out that the result wa!
about II to for national represen.
tation and about seven to one fol
local suffrage There is no doubt
he argued, that the people want ar
elected local government as a ster
toward representation in Congress
Additional support was given the
home rule" plan shortly after moor
by Mrs. c. D. Lowe, who said she
represented both the District Con.
gress Of Parents and Teachers anc
the Womens City Club, and Mis-.
Eta L. Taggart, for the Washingto-
mans. the Twenty-Five Club and the
Kalorama Citizens Association.
81 Endorsed Plan.
Mrs. Lowe said that while the
board OF parent-teacher group hac
not acted on the McCarran bill, 81
Of the TO member associations Of
the Congress had Endorsed, in 1889
a resolution OF the board favorine
local suffrage. with two of the local.
| opposed. Thirty-flve of the SO local.
acting on the subjects voted for 6
second resolution favoring nationa
representation, she added
When the resolutions came before
the annual meeting Of the member.
ship Of the Parent Teacher Congress
she said, the national representation
resolution was adopted and the loca
suffrage proposal was tabled. TIL.
latter action was taken, she said. du'
to objections of one member to con
sideration OF the proposal.
Miss Taggart. native of the Dis
trict. stressed that she was an advo
cate Of national representation bu
she and her groups felt the people O
the District should be given a voicr
in their city government When sh,
stressed that only bona fide resident
should be permitted to vote, Senate
Burton asked If she didn't think tn,
! Federal interests should have repre-
sentation in the city council. Mis-
Taggart replied that the Fedora
Government receives many advan.
tages from the municipal government
She added she was definitely opposee
to having any of the councilmen ap.
pointed.