Evening star., 1944-06-11
Senate HEARINGS
On SIums End
On Race Issue
Program Injured
By Mrs. Roosevelt,
Wender Declares
BY DON s. WARREN.

Wender Declares
BY DON s. WARREN.
Nearly six months of hearings be-
fore the Burton Subcommittee of
the Senate on Washington slum
problems ended yesterday with tes-
timony centering on race questions
and including 4 declaration that
Mrs. Roosevelt's argument against
segregation was a kiss Of death"
to public housing plans.
The name of the Presidents wife
was brought into the hearings by
Harry S. Wender, president OF the
Federation of Citizens Associations.
He declared her public statements
that there should be no segregation
as to race in public housing had
been the sole" reason why various
groups had opposed continuation of
rehousing work by the National
Capital Housing Authority.
Senator Burton has asked that
any briefs yet to come from con-
tending factions be filed within
week. He said he hoped a solu-
ton to the issues would be found,
but that it remains to be seen
whether final action would be taken
by Congress at this session.
Walsh Groups Ready to Act.
Chairman Bilbo of the Senate
District Committee has named a
new subcommittee, headed by Sem
ator Walsh, Democrat, of New Jer-
sey to consider the several bills
dealing with the future course of
the slum redevelopment work. The
voluminous transcript of the Bur-
ton Subcommittee hearings is to be
turned over to the Walsh group and
Senator Burton said his group would
make a report to the full District
Committee.
Hearings on the same subject are
to be resumed Tuesday before the
McGehee subcommittee of the House
District Committee. Senator Walsh
has indicated his group will not
begin consideration of the competing
bills until the House group has fin
ished with witnesses.
After giving an hours review of
the history OF the slum housing
problem and actions on 1t by the
Federation Of Citizens Associations.
Mr.. Wender told the Burton SUBJ
committee yesterday the NCHA was
victim Of its own friends
Mrs. Roosevelt Hurt Program.
s He said he was not criticizing Mrs.
Roosevelt for her non-segregation
views, which he said he felt sure
she made with "an the best inten-
tions In the world" and not with the
intention Of influencing anybody.
When Mrs. Roosevelt made the
statement that public housing must
be on a nonsegregation basis, people
in the communities here who believe
in segregation Immediately con-
demned all public housing" he said.
The federation, he said, has three
times taken action on the. subject,
maintaining its stand for approval
by Congress of the Tydings "free
enterprise" bill and calling for abo-
lition of the NCHA.
Bringing UP the question Of lack
of suffrage In the District, Mr..
Wender said, District residents do
not look upon any Federal agency or
appointee as their representatives.
We look upon the NCHA as a Fed
eral agency and sthe citizens object
to the fact they have no representa-
tive on it."
Divergent Views Presented.
Divergent viewpoints were pre-
sented by A. D. Calvert, president
of the Lincoln Park Citizens Asso-
citation, and Mrs. Geneva K. Valen-
tine, speaking for the Federation
OF Parent Teacher Associations
(colored).
After describing number of
Negro slum areas and saying there
was a need for the continued opera
ton of the NCHA, Mrs. Valentine
said:
Restrictive covenants against
Negroes living in even the most
ordinary neighborhood have made
it most difficult for foresighted,
courageous families to house their
loved ones When they have the
nerve and determination to 20 into
a changing neighborhood, purchas-
ing home at cost far above its
actual value. spending several
thousand dollars to improve its
physical appearance, they have
sometimes been humiliated, threat
ened and, in one case, had the ex-
perience of being bombed, to say
nothing of the times they have
been forced to vacate and go back
to overcrowded, undesirable sur
roundings."
Mr.. Calvert, who attacked the
Washington Housing Association as
consisting of society" men and
women who like to see their names
in the papers," protested that the
buying of homes in white neighbor-
hoods by colored people threatened
loss Of millions of dollars" of value
to Lincoln Park homeowners. Mr..
Calvert said he and others had
been working for many years to
improve conditions of the colored
people in their own neighborhoods.
Mr.. Calvert advocated providing
large areas for colored development
OF their own, equal with those of
the white communities in all pub
lie facilities, including schools and
parks.
When he had finished, Mrs. VAL
entine protested against what she
said was "colored ghetto" plan.
but Senator Burton said she, like
Mr. Calvert, had spoken on the con-
troversial issues and that he did
not want personal arguments and
replies.
Among other witnesses were
Pierre Ghent, architect and con-
sultant, who declared there was
room in the rehousing field for both
public and private builders, and
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