Evening star., 1948-05-25

III the DlSlllCl'
This attack was delivered by Rep
resentative Deane. Democrat, OF
North Carolina, leading Southern
champion of the measure,
Mr.. Deane told the House the
principal objection to home rule
has been "the possibility that
minorities might control the Gov
eminent of the Capital City" He
said this would be impossible under
the Auchincloss measure.
Says Trade Board Rules.
Instead of permitting minority
rule this bill is designed to eh.a-
fnate minority rule in District Gov
ernment, which has been going on
for years" Mr.. Deane said. 1T Is
the Washington Board of Trade
which now rules Washington"
Representative Davis took issue
with Mr.. Deane on thes trade board.
Its u1embers. he said are the kind
of people who are fit to say what
kind OF government the District
should have.
Polls conducted by both the trade
board and the Federation OF Busi-
ness Mems Associations showed a
majority of their memberships OPP
posing the Auchincloss bill. Mr..
Davis recalled
He said the home rule is one OF
the most complicated measures to
reach Congress in this session and
argued there is no time to give 1t
proper consideration now.
Because proponents of the bill
held the floor during most of the
debate yesterday, the opposition had
more time at its disposal today un-
der the two-hour rule. Representa-
tives Mcmillan of South Carolina
and Abernethy of Mississippi, both
Democrats, who led the opposition
fight on the rule yesterday, renewed
their attacks on the measure itself
this morning.
Mr.. Mcmillan joined the ranks of
opposition spokesmen who declared
they could not understand the 180-
page bill, and that Congress should
not pass it without time for pro-
lOnged consideration.
Public Indifference Claimed.
Mr.. Abernethy declared the only
thing proved in recent polls on home
rule here is that much of the popu-
lation is indifferent to the suffrage
problem
All the Auchincloss bill does, he
said, is to add an additional step
to the present legislative processes
of the District" 1t would neither
expedite District legislation nor re-
lieve Congress of the burden OF
ruling the Capital, he maintained.
Representative Jennings. Repub-
lican. of Tennessee, urged the House
to send the bill back to the District
Committee. Criticizing the measure
as so full of ramihctaions that he,
as lawyer of more than 40 years
experience. could not understand,
he pleaded with the House not to
be in a hurry about this thing
Reading from the Constitution,
Mr. Jennings charged that Con-
eress was directed to legislate for
the District and that members Of
the national legislature had no right
to dlvest themselves of this respon-
sibility.
He charged that the Auchincloss
bill was so complex that you might
as well try to hatch chickens out
OF scrambled eggs"
Called Unconstitutional.
Representative Hobbs, Democrat,
Of Alabama. first speaker when the
debate got under way, declared
the me-rule bill is "hopelessly
unconstitutional" He said Con-
gress cannot escape the mandate
Of the Constitution" by delegating
its authority over District affairs.
A member of the Judiciary Com
mlttee, Mr. Hobbs spoke sarcas-
ticany of the poor. abused people
here" and said that they had all
known that they would not have a
vote when they came to Washington
1T is perfectly preposterous.' he
said. ito argue seriously that there
is any injustice done any one"
Favors Dual Voting.
Mr.. Hobbs said the District "ough,
TO be ruled by those who are fit te
rule" He said he favored the bills
dual voting provisions, since they
represented IAN attempt to dilute
the danger of the District govern.
ments being run by the dregs.'
Representative Rich, Republican
OF Pennsylvania announced HI
would vote against the bill, charg'
ing that 1t was not American"
He said tiRt If the vote was sive'