Evening star., 1949-02-18
Home Rule Bill
Plan Considered
Kefouver, Colleagues
To Confer on Issue;
Hearings Recessed
bv Don s. Warren
BY Don S. Worren

zation of the city government II
the home rule bill is a major de.
cision awaiting action by the Sen.
ate Home Rule Subcommittee, it!
chairman. Senator Kefauver. Dem
ocrat, of Tennessee, said today.
1t is taken for granted that tht
subcommittee will report a home
rule bill for Washington. All three
members of the group have indi'
Gated they believe Washington
should have a democratically
elected city government.
Hearings have been recessed
after yesterdays all-day genera
discussion of the issue. Chair.
man Kefauver is expected to con-
fer in the next few days with hi!
colleagues. Senators Nicely. Demo
crat, of West Virginia and Mar
garet Chase Smith, Republican. o1
Maine as to the form the bill will
take.
viii Compare Bills.
In preparation for the subcom-
mittees decision. Chairman Ke-
fauver has called on DR.. George B
Galloway. professional staff mem
ber of the Legislative Reference
Service of the Library of Congress
to make an analysis of the differ
ences among the Auchincloss bill
of last year. it's somewhat revised
and shortened version Of this Con-
gress and the bills submitted by
the Democratic Central Committee
of the District and the Washing
ton Home Rule Committee.
Most of the score OF witnesses
who testified in yesterdays pre-
liminary hearings before the Ke-
fauver group spoke in favor of 6
local elected city government, ir
one form or another. But there
was wide disagreement among wit.
nesses over details.
Benjamin Sigal, member Of the
Democratic Central Committed
and president of the Washington
Chapter of Americans for Demo.
cratic Action. contended the suf'
frage issue is tied irrevocably tt
the question of reorganizing the
Washington inefficient form Of
government and that it would bt
a mere waste of time to leave this
for later action. either by the pro-
posed elected city council or even.
tualy by Congress itself.
Others Give Views.
The views of the Democratic
Central Committee were outlined
by J. C. Turner. vice chairman OF
the Central Labor Union; James
William Bryan. veteran news
paperman. and Harold v. Boisvert
professor Of law.
Approval OF the plan for an
elected city council, with an ap-
pointed city manager. was voiced
for the Junior Board Of Commerce
by Paul Matthews. vice president
The organization, however. quail.
flied it's support for local home
rule. by insisting that approval OF
representation in Congress for the
District should be granted as q
prerequisite to home rule, at the
same time.
The Junior Board asked that
the Board of Education be con-
tinued in it's present form. with
members appointed by the District
Court judges.
DR.. Clark Foreman. chairman
of the Progressive Party of the
District. protested that District
residents now have no more de-
mocracy than the animals ir
the Zoo" He recommended q
liberalization of pending bills tc
include proportional representa-
ton in the City Council election
to assure minority representation
and inclusion of provisions for in
itiative, recall and referendum
But he insisted that, to make the
charter bill subject to a plebiscite
would be unnecessary.
Take Similar Stands.
Similar stands were taken by
Mrs. Gertrude Evans. speaking
for the Washington Industrial
Union Council, CIO, and Mrs
Charlotte Sillers of the Wom-
ems Auxiliary. United Public
Workers of America. CIO.
Several union witnesses, includ-
ing Mrs. Evans. urged provisions
eliminating racial segregation In
Washington school, recreation and
health facilities.
Edgar G. Brown. for the National
Negro Council, contended suffrage
bills have been pigeon-holed in
the past largely because of the
"bugaboo" that If the large num-
ber Of Negroes in Washington were
allowed to vote they would in
terfere with the rights of others
He assured the committee that
colored voters do not vote en- bloc
and would vote pretty much like
citizens all over the country.
Jerome B. Mckee, for the Dis
trict Department of the American
Legion, spoke against home rule
He raised many objections. includ-
ing the argument that an elected
council would be in no position tc
protect the city's water supply In
the case Of another war in which
bacterial and atomic warfare might
be waged.
Opposition to home rule for
Washington also was registered by
G. E. Kameron. for the Federation
of Businessmen's Associations.
100 to Get 4th Degree
OF Knights Of Columbus
More than 100 candidates will
receive the fourth degree of the
Kpiohtc of ro11,p,bI,S II, coremn-