Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current, 1947-04-26
PEORIA ILLINOIS BARS PAUL robson
Fight in Change Of
Office Of Recorder
OF Deeds

| washington, apr. NNNFAJ
A bipartisan fight along racial lin
es is expected to develop against
the bill introduced last Thursday
by Representative Walt Koran, Re-
publican, of Washington, to place
the office of Recorded of Deeds
of the District of Columbia under
the control of the District Com
missioners.
The commissioners, heads of the
local municipal government, have
been seeking for a long number of
years to gain control of the Re
corder's office, but each time a
gill to effect such control has been
defeated.
The commissioners are vulner-
able because of their record in the
matter of appointments to office.
Only in a few office under their
jurisdiction are colored workers
employed in any capacity other
than as messengers and in Gus
todial jobs.
Exceptions to this lily-white pat
tern of employment in municipal
jobs may be found in the segre-
gated school system, to which Of
ficers and teachers are appointed
by the Board of Education. In
point of numbers the Police De-
partment ranks second, and the
swell in the appointment of col
ored men as policemen was due
chiefly to the late Colonel Edward
J. Kelly, who was superintendent
of police.
/ Moreover, the Recorders office
is one of the few offices to which
colored men are appointed by the
President and confirmed by the
Senate. 1t is regarded as a polit-
ical job. The argument will prob
ably be made to the Republican
controlled Congress that in view of
the possibilities and probabilities
of it's winning the 194S Presiden-
| tial election, the office should be
allowed to retain its political stat
us to reward a faithful Republican.
AS chairman of the House ap-
preparations subcommittee on the
District of Columbia, Mr.. Koran
ordered an investigation of the Re-
corder's office. Upon completion
of the investigation, he recon-
mended that control of the office
be transferred to the District Com
missioners. To carry out his re-
commentator he introduced his
bill last Tuesday.
The bill provides that upon it's
becoming law the Recorders Of
flee shall be under the direction
of the District Commissioners, who
would be given authority to ap-
point the recorder, deputy re-
corder, second deputy recorded,
and all employees under them.
! The commissioners also would
be authorized to prescribe regula-
tons for the recording of deeds
and other equipment as they deem
necessary for the expeditions re-
cording of deeds and other instru-
ments.
Receipts collected by the record
er of deeds would be collected by
the collector of taxes of the Dis
trict of Columbia and deposited in
the Treasury of the United States
to the credit of the District of
Columbia.
| All receipts and disbursements
Of the office would be audited by
the District auditor instead of the
General Accounting office, as now
is the practice.
The bill would divorce from the
| Recorders office the automobil
| liens section and transfer its func-
tons to the Director of Vehicles
and Traffic of the District of Col
umbia.
| Perry w. Howard, Republican
national committeeman for Missis-
sippi, has already filed with Repre-
sentative Everett M. Dirksen, OF
| ILL.,, chairman of the House Com
mittee on the District of Columbia
to which the Koran bill was re-
| ferred, a protest against transfer
of the Recorders office to the
control of the District Commits
sioners.
i If plans now being considered
j materialize, leading colored Re-
e publicans and Democrats throug