Evening star., 1949-07-14
Trade Board Calls Home Rule Bill Gamble.
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1uON HOOI ~ y
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Judiciary subcommittee, would
bring the hearings to an end. or
thereafter would act on
the issues.
IL witnesses Listed for Today.
Only II of so prospective wit
nesses were listed for today. 1t
appeared unlikely the rest could
be heard at another session to-
morrow. Even if this were pos
sible. pressure of other business
was expected to delay possible
action by the subcommittee.
Mr.. Cohaday, the first witness,
attacked many features of the
Kefauver bill, passed May 81 by
the Senate. using the sharpest
words ever employed by the trade
body in opposing local suffrage.
He attacked many features of
the plan, striking at the dual vot-
ing proposal, bond issue author
ity. permission for nondomiciles
to vote or be elected to the coun-
Gil and presidential appointment
of the Board of Elections. among
others.
His views were backed up by a
poll of the Board of Trade which
showed that heavy percentages of
the voting members opposed the
Senate home rule bill.
Elected School Board Opposed.
The poll also showed strong op-
position to an elected Board of
Education and rejected local suf-
frage unless it was accompanied
by representation in Congress.
Data supplied by Mr.. Colladay
and the trade body showed that
of its 1857 members, replies were
from 1887 on questionnaires sent
out July 5.
This amounts to a return of
about 80 per cent of the total
membership. Mr.. Colladay said
this approximated the extent of
returns in other Board of Trade
polls on important issues, and,
according to experience. was am
ply large" to correctly reflect
membership views"
A breakdown of the poll results
indicated that the trade body re-
ceived 2.348 answers to question
on whether the Senate-passed
Kefauver bill should be adopted.
Replies Are Analysed.
OF this total return, 1.547 re-
plies came from members living in
the District and of this number
81 per cent voted no." the report
showed. OF 801 members living in
Maryland or Virginia. IT per cent
voted also against the plan.
Another question was whether
local suffrage without national
representation was desirable. On
this issue, the trade body poll
produced 2,280 replies. On this,
the report showed 900 per cent
of 1906 District members voted
mo" and 894 per cent of TIA
Maryland and Virginia trade
body members voted like oppo-
sition.
Mr.. Colladay said the District
suffrage planks in the 1948 plat
form of both the Democratic and
Republican Party conventions
were of great satisfaction" to
Washington. But he found these
planks did not apply to the Ke-
fauver bill.
The Democrats pledge was:
I'VE favor the extension of the
right of suffrage to the people of
the District of Columbia"
The Republicans said: I'VE
favor government for resi-
dents of the Nations Capital"
These expressions. Mr.. Colladay
said. were interpreted by the
Board of Trade las declarations
that the citizens Of the District
should have representation in the
Senate and House, presidential
electors in the Electoral College
and, if participation in our gov
ernment was granted, then our
citizenry should assume the rights
and responsibilities of the fran
chise in the, election of a local
government, but not otherwise"
Opposition Is Challenged.
Mr.. Colladay, hitting at a
partly elected partly appointed"
District Council. as provided in
the Senate bill. contended that
these provisions assured neither
"self government" nor the right
of suffrage" in any real sense.
I'VE challenge any one," Mr..
Colladay said. Ito find any sub
stantial group in the established
business and professional fields in
the Nations Capital who will say
that this change is not pure
gamble, and who will not say
that it is likely to produce a
less desirable municipal govern
ment than the one Washington
has had since 1873"
He said the legislative proposal
plan. specifying congressional
veto power, and a presidential
veto of city legislation. did not
constitute self government"
! And, on the plan to permit the
President to appoint two men,
bers of an otherwise elected coun-
| MY FL