Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-12-23
D. c. Legislation
Continued From First Page.)

set up a charter commission tt
draft plan for a local self rule
and that if and when this is dont
the charter plan be submitted Il
residents of the District for theil
approval in a referendum.
Once this is done, and if Congress
approves the plan, the District Com
mittees of the House and Senate
would be dissolved. presuming the
charter plan adopted grants full
self-rule to the District. The La
Toilette onroney Committee has
received wide support of proposals
that Congress, in its own interests
should cease attempting to legislate
in detail for the operations of a city
of the size to which Washington
has grown. There were Capitol Hill
reports yesterday that many mem.
bers of the Congress Streamline'
Committee agree with this genera
objective.
No Bill Specified.
Since the group is not a '1egisla.
tive" committee of Congress, how.
ever, the tentative report does moi
go so far as to specify either the
Sumners-Capper national represen.
tation proposal or the McCarrar
District "home rule" bill, it is said.
During discussion of means BY
which Congress might relieve itself
of some of its burdens, Chairman
La Toilette has declared: 1T i.
widely believed that Congress mus
divest itself of less essential dutie.
like private claims and acting as 6
common council for the District Of
Columbia, which divert it's atten-
ton from national policy making
and which it ought not to have tt
consider"
Chairman La Toilette also has
declared:
Congress should pass a mode
city government statute for the
District and quit doing a poor ano
Understanding job as common
council"
Would Relieve Congress.
Representative Kefauver, Demo
crat, of Tennessee told the COM
mittee, in part: "A system of self
government for the District should
be effected. Most of the District
bills handled by Congress should be
acted upon by the government Of
the District. If Congress wanted
to keep check on the ordinances
passed by the District board OF
council, it could be provided by 6
provisional order system, whereby
the ordinances or laws passed BY
the District board or council woule
be sent to Congress to become oper.
ative after certain time, unless
acted upon adversely by Congress.
This is similar to the philosoph,
suggested by the McCarran HON
rule" bill, calling for council
manager form of government, who's
decisions would be subject to con
gressional check or veto. This BIZ
now is bottled up in a subcommit
tee of the Senate District Commit
tee headed by Senator O'Danie
Democrat of Texas
The hearings also have brough
out that members of Congress as
signed to District affairs have ha
to take time out from consideration
of national policies to listen to argu
ments as to whether Congress shout
pass bill to permit Washington
charitable institutions to use oleo
margarine instead of butter. Thi
came up in report on the dali
business devolving on Representative
Dirksen, Republican of Illinois, VIII
has continued to serve on the Dis
trict Committee despite other de
mands on his time.
Fiscal Questions to Come Up.
The hearings also quote forme
Senator Burton, Republican,
Ohio, now an associate justice {
the United States Supreme Cour
as testifying that it was a matte
of self-preservation" for Congre,
to establish a system of local sell
government, such as the city mar
ager plan. The McCarran bill