Evening star., 1943-03-12
The ReuI Issue

In amplification rather than in
disagreement with Commissioner
Mason's interesting remarks to the
Bar Association on Tuesday evening.
1t may be said that the people Of
the District are not nearly so con-
cerned over failures by Congress to
delegate centralized authority to the
commissioners as they are over their
own lack Of any power whatever of
participation in their own Govern
ment.
commissioner Mason is disturbed
With good reason, over what seems
to him to be an increasing DISPOSE
ton by Federal agencies to assume
authority in District matters with
out reference to the Commissioners.
The long drawn out controversy, in
Volving three Federal agencies, over
the local hospital construction pro-
gram, with the Commissioners rele-
gated to the position of interested
spectators; the inability of other
Federal agencies to agree among
themselves on apportionment of
Federal grants-in-aid for local public
health; the omnipotent authority of
the Budget Bureau over the framing
of the District budget; the constant
demands on the Metropolitan Police
Department for tasks that are Fed
eral, rather than local, in character
these and many other examples
exist to emphasize Commissioner
Mason'S complaint.
But it is interesting to note that
the one legislative measure on which
the Commissioners now are CENTER
ing their attention, which would
transfer to the Commissioners all
the powers and authority now exer-
cised by the Bureau of Public We'll
fare, is not designed to cure any ills
of "Federalization" of the District.
But it would tend to decrease the
modicum of representation possessed
by citizens of the District in their
municipal government.
About the only semblance of power
given to the local citizen is his rep
resentation on local boards. In some
cases it is nominal, in others it re-
poses in the citizens the formulation
OF policy while leaving to the Com
missioners and to Congress the all
important decision regarding appro-
priations. The Board of Public We'll
fare is appointed by the Commits
sioners. 1t could not function with
out the approval of the Commission
ers. 1t is no more above reproach
than is any branch of the municipal
government. But local citizens
should not be too quick to surrender
the little power they now possess,
through effective membership on
few boards, merely to increase the
powers of the Commissioners.
1t is always to be remembered that
any effort to draw a sharp line be-
tween the authority of the National
Government and the municipal gov
ernment, or to say which functions
are purely local and which are purely
national, is doubly difficult in Wash
ington. For Washington is the Fed
eral City, under the exclusive control
Of Congress. No matter how Con-
greSs may choose to split the admin
iStrative powers it delegates, Con-
gresS remains the single source of
those powers.
AS this is the Federal City, that
exclusive control probably is wise
and undoubtedly will be retained.
And that is the reason the people
who live in Washington should pos
sess, as every other qualified citizen
of the United States possesses, a
voice in this Congress which con-
trolls his Capital. Senator Capper
believes that the best thing that
could happen would be to Civ the
people here the right to part pate
in their Government" The ;.
agrees. And the Summers leSolution,
with which Senator Capper has
linked his name by sponsoring it in
the Senate, is the correct and logical
method Of giving the people here
representation in their Government,
leaving to Congress its exclusive con-
troll over the Capital City and limit
ing the Washingtonian's participa-
ton in COngreSS-and the electoral
by Congress.