Evening star., 1949-07-03
Home Rule Bill
Action Unlikely
Al This Session
Only Eight Witnesses
Listed for House
Hearing Tuesday
By Don S. Worren

ule Issue became simmer thdn
ever yesterday as arrangements
were completed for Thursdays
hearing.
At that time. according to the
announced plans, only eight wit
nesses are to be heard during the
tWo-hour session. A half hundred
citizen witnesses have asked to be
heard and 43 of these have filled
out formal applications.
AS yet. no date has been set for
further hearings and old hands
around the Capitol are doubling
whether the hearings will be fin
ished before this session ends.
They add, however, this will de-
pend on how soon Congress rushes
the session to a conclusion after
the two bodies move Tuesday into
temporary, cramped quarters, be-
cause OF the reconstruction of the
House and Senate chamber roofs.
Bills Could Be Revived.
Should the home rule plan, al
ready. passed by the Senate, fail
to come up for decisive action by
the House this session, the bills
will not die but will carry over to
the second session next January.
One official told reporters yester-
day he thought the plan for an
elected and reorganized city gov
ernment here would be sent to
the House by the District Commit
tee-if 1t is able to clear it's first
House hurdle, the Judiciary Sub
committee of the District Commit
tee.
Many observers also hold the
view that the House will pass a
reasonable measure for limited
home rule for Washington if and
when 1t .can be called up for
action. Presently. however," one
OF the veterans said, "the issue is
in the hands of the subcommittee
and there can't be much legisla-
tive action until it comes up from
the subcommittee"
Another comment was that
members of the subcommittee
cannot be criticised for exploring
the questions involved in the
home rule proposals since the
ultimate decision will be of basic
Importance to the District.
Long Hearings in Past Congress.
1t was recalled also that leaders
OF the District Committee them
selves have said there was no
need or desire to repeat the
months of hearings held in the
past Congress by the Auchincloss
Home Rule Subcommittee.
In fact. the Judiciary Subcom-
mlttee has cited the Congressional
Reorganization Act provisions to
tighten up on loose" or hit-and-
miss witness testimony.
All persons who want to testify
have been asked to file formal
applications. Those who comply
are to be notified as to when they
will be heard. The response SO
far has been rather full. Forty
three cards have been received
and filed, out of the 50-odd orig
inal witness requests.
Acting at the general request Of
subcommittee officials, William N.
Mcleod, clerk of the District
Committee, has notified all pros
pective witnesses that the Legis-
lative Reorganization Act of 1946
carry the following:
Each such standing committee
shall, as far as practicable, require
all witnesses appearing before it
to file in advance written state
ments of their proposed testimony.
and to limit their oral presenta-
tions to brief summaries of their
argument. The staff of each
committee will prepare digests of
such statements for the use of
committee members"
Two Copies Requested.
To this he added:
While it is not the desire Of
this committee to cause you undue
hardship or expense, it will be ap-
preciated if you will file two writ
ten copies Of your statement some
time prior to the hearing.
I'm the event you are unable to
comply with this request, if you
will communicate with the clerk
of this committee by telephone, I
am sure that something can be
worked out to your satisfaction.
Mr.. Mcleod explained further,
to reporters, that in view of all
the testimony taken last year and
this year on home rule, the SUBJ
committee now did not want to
waste time hearing persons "who
had nothing intelligent to offer"
either for or against the bills.
I'VE don't want to hear any
crackpots, for instance" he said.
And, you know. crackpots do
come to Washington and want to
testify. And we don't want to
waste time on loose takers. We
do want to hear people who have
something intelligent to offer"
Views of Editors Sought.
For the Thursday session, Of
ficials announced, the subcommit-
tee wants to hear the views Of
editorial spokesmen for the four
Washington daily newspapers.
Others to be heard that day are
Representative Marca tonic,
of New York;
Rufus S. Lusk, president of the
Washington Taxpayers Associa-
ton: C. Melvin Sharpe, president
of the Board of Education, and
Paul Matthews, president of the
Junior Chamber of Commerce. A
spokesman for the Washington
Board of Trade is to be heard
later.
Mr.. Marcantonio's bill Is similar
in many respects to that passed
by the Senate and the stream
lined bill of Representative Auch-
incIoss. Repllblican. of New Jersey.