Evening star., 1946-04-25
Report Favoriing
D. +. Home Rule
Due Next Week
Hearings Concluded
On Bill Leading to
CounciI-Monoger Plan

A favorable report is expected
to be ordered next week by The
Home Rule" Subcommittee of the
Senate Judiciary Committee on the
McCarran bill to create a Charter
commission to draft a council man
ager plan for the District govern
ment.
Predictions to this effect were
made by sources close to the sub
committee after a public hearing
terday.
The belief was based partly on
the friendly" attitude OF all three
subcommittee members toward the
general subject of District suffrage
and the absence at the hearing of
any outSpoken opposition to the
obJectlveS of he bill sponsored by
Chairman McCarran of the Ju-
dietary Committee, who heads the
subcommittee.
Still Opeh for Views.
Action is not expected to be taken
until some time next week, since
Senator OMahoney, Democrat. of
Wyoming, a Subcommitteeman, is
out Of the city. Senator Wherry.
Republican, of Nebraska, the third
member Of the subcommittee. also
was absent. The record will be held
open as long as possible to receive
the written views of any interested
citizen, Senator McCarran said.
General approval of the charter
commission plan was expressed YES
terday by witnesses before the Nc
Carran subcommittee, but several
objected to the proposed informal
selection of trustees of the charter
group, whose names would be writ
ten into the bill.
One of them was Roscoe Jenkins,
president of the Northeast WASH
lngton Citizens Association. who
offered substitute bill proposing
a commission of Is members, nine
OF whom would be elected by the
people, with the city divided into
nine wards. The other members
would be three Senators and three
members of the House.
Specific Form Opposed.
Mr.. Jenkins also protested that
the form Of the proposed new city
government should not be specified
in the bill creating a charter COM
mission. The McCarran bill directs
the commission to outline an elected
councll-city manager plan.
= Mr.. jenkins said the charter COM
mission ought to be big enough to
formulate its own plan" His sub
stitute calls for $4,000 appropria-
ton for the work of the commission
and would specify that the elected
members of the charter commission
be residents of at least 20 years
standing.
Robert M. Browning, president of
the Civil Service Lodge of the Amer
fCan Federation of Government
Employees, said his group was
strongly" for the bill but that the
membership of the charter COM
mission should be enlarged. He
said his group should be represented
because of the great number of
Government workers living here.
Joseph w. Cheyney, 2615 Myrtle
evenue NE, speaking as an individ-
ual. said he would submit a Substi-
tute proposal which would call for
selection of charter commission
by convention. to consist of three
representative from each of Is diff
ferent sections of the city.
Veteran Support Reported.
J. G. Frain, secretary of the Dis
trict Department of the AFGE, sug-
geSted the charter commission be
enlarged from seven to nine mem
bers.
Approval of the McCarran bill
and strong Endorsement of local
self government came from Walter
kennevan, representing the District
Chapter of the American Veterans
Committee. Veterans of this World
War, he said, have special inter
est in the suffrage issue.
I'VE believe it to be our inalien-
able right to have a voice in the
selection of our city officials and how
our money is to be spent" he said
"SerVicemen from the District
fought on every battlefront of the
world. They were wounded, starved,
and beaten as prisoners, and many
of them were killed in the struggle
to preserve the American ideal of
government. Having put down our
arms, we do not propose to abandon
the ideal for which we fought"
Pat Munroe, editor of the North
east Washington Guide, said his
publication would give complete
support" to District suffrage and
the McCarran bill