Evening star., 1951-07-25
Nicely Hits Plea
For Hearings on
Home Rule Plan
Sees Trade Bourd
Request as Move
To Delay Action
By Don S. Worren

By Don S. Warren
Chairman Neely of the Senate
District Committee today fatty
rejected the request of the Board
Of Trade for hearings on the
newly revised Washington home
rule plan.
The request, said the fiery legis-
lator, is "just plain nonsense and
hooey."
"The Board of Trade. he de-
clared, was given every oppor-
tunity last year and again this
year to testify at our hearings
and their spokesmen did testify
"The sole purpose of this re-
quest for more hearings is to de-
lay action. So Tar as I am
concerned. the answer is emphat-
ically no"
Vote League IndOrses Plan.
In another action, the District
League Of Women Voters today
indorsed the revised plan. The
league praised the compromise as
better sin many respects" than
the earlier Kefauver-Taft pro-
posal, but did object to the new
bills elimination of a council
appointed city manager in favor
of mayor named by the Presi-
dent.
Suffrage advocates on the COM
mittee alt going ahead with plans
for action next Wednesday. The
compromise measure al
ready has been approved by the
Home Rule Subcommittee, con-
Isisting Of Democratic Senator
Kefauver of Tennessee, Repubn-
can Senator Case of South Da.
kota and Senator Nicely.
CO-SpOns0r List Grows.
Meanwhile, the number of Sen.
ators asking to be co-sponsors oi
the new city suffrage plan con.
tinued TO grow slowly. New addi.
tions We're Republican Senator
Duff of Pennsylvania and Demo-
cratic Senators O'Conor of Mary.
land and Humphrey of Minnesota
All of these previously had sup.
ported the Kefauver-Taft bill, re-
Gently blocked by a tie vote in the
District Committee.
Four other Senators earlier haC
indorsed the new Kefauver-Neely.
Case plan bringing the total to 10
The new plan. not yet intro
duced as bill and still in the
form of a committee print, calls
for an all-elected council of Is
along with an elected five-mem-
ber school board. It also would
provide for a President-appointed
mayor, instead of a council
named city manager, suggested
in the earlier Kefauver bill.
One Of the chief changes, how
ever. would be that the council
could adopt both taxing and
spending acts without reference
to Congress.
Congress, Of course, could step
in to override any council act
Ordinance Right Favored.
Endorsement of the League OF
Women Voters came in a letter to
Chairman Nicely from Mrs. Lloyd
Luther, league president.
She said the league particularly
favors the right of the council tC
adopt ordinances without report
ing all actions to Congress. The
group, she said, also favors provi-
sions for tighter qualifications OF
electors, lowering of compensation
for council members, open meet
ings for the council and tighter
residence requirements for men,
bers Of the council and Board OF
Education.
Suggesting a return to the
Kefauver-Taft provision for two
President-appointed councilmen
the league letter also said that
with a mayor appointed by the
President. responsibility would be
divided.
Insist ON Voice in Congress.
The directors of the trade body
yesterday voted unanimously
against the new plan, saying it
would create "intolerable con-
f1icts" between the District and
the Government. There can be
no real Self-government here,
they declared, without voting rep
resentation in Congress, lacking
in both the present plan and the
Kefauver bill.
This statement drew a philippe
last night from poetry-quoting
Senator Neely.
Judging from the boards ac-
tion." he said. 'if its members
had been here during the Revolu-
tionary War, they would have
fought with CORVALLIS and against
the immortal Washington.
Predicts Eventual Victory.
"It is too bad that, so far as the
democratic rights Of suffrage and
Self-government are concerned,
the Bourbons of the Board OF
Trade, like the reactionary cour-
tiers who surrounded Louis XVIII
of France. have forgotten nothing
and learned nothing"
He Softened this only by saw