Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-03-05
CIashing Views
End Hearings
On Home Rule
Civic Groups Divided
In Attitudes Toward
kefuuver-T aft Plan
By Don S. Warren

Spokesman for different Wash
ington citizens groups today pre-
sented clashing views to the Sen
ate District Committee as tt
whether Congress should pass Oh
reject the Kefauver- Taft bill fol
an elected city government.
After hearing . long list Of
witnesses, District Committee
Chairman Nicely announced the
hearings were ended. He said
some time would be allowed fol
printing and studying the tran
script and that any interested
witness who did not appear could
file a statement for the record.
About a dozen witnesses who
had been listed to testify against
the bill today did not answer the
call OF their names. and there
was some uncertainty as to
whether they had been notified
A demonstration that civic
groups are divided over the bill
came in testimony by Gordon M
Atherholt, speaking for the North
west Council of Citizens Associa-
tons and for the Palisades Citi-
Zens' Association.
Wouldn't Be "Real" Home Rule.
He told the committee only ont
of the 10 member groups of the
Northwest Council had Endorsed
the measure, and that the council
generally regarded the bill as ONT
that would fail to give the District
real home rule.
Mr.. Atherholt insisted that hi
would be for true home rule" anc
suggested that real suffrage coulc
be extended quickest if Congress
would provide that all of the Dis.
trict except the downtown area be
receded to Maryland.
His attacks on the bill provoked
a lengthy colloquy with District
Committee Chairman Nicely, who
challenged him to prepare, or have
prepared, a bill that Mr.. Ather-
holt and other citizens would con-
slider for real home rule"
Senator Nicely promised he
would introduce such a measure
'by request" if it could be sub.
mitted within 10 days. Mr.. Ather.
holt said that would be impossible
that the drafting of the Kefauvel
bill required two'or three years.
Asks 3-Months Time.
Mr.. Atherholt said it would re-
Quire about three months for him
to- prepare a substitute bill, but
Senator Nicely indicated that was
too long to wait.
Mr.. Atherholt challenged some
features of the Kefauver-Taft bill
as unconstitutional: said it would
be distinctly bad" to allow per-
sons to vote here who retained
voting rights in their home States;
said this would be particularly
bad when it involved questions OF
the District going into debt, and
concluded:
1--WE regard this measure as a
very, very bad bill. 1t is not one
giving the District good govern
ment, and within five years after
its enactment you would find the
District going back to some other
form of government"
The position taken by Mr.
Atherholt later was challenged by
Giles E. Dawson, a delegate to the
Northwest Council from the Con.
necticut Avenue Citizens Associa
ton. He contended that the Coun-
Gil had taken no action on the
bill on or after January 3, anc
that Mr.. Atherholt had not beer
given authority to speak for the
Council.
Calls Objections Insubstantial.
Alexander B. Halves, chairman
of suffrage committee of the
Federation of Citizens Associa.
tons, discussed criticisms made
of the pending bill. but declared
it would be major calamity il
these insubstantial objections
prevented home rule legislation.
Contending that Washington
should be given the vote now
he said:
Many who argue against the
bill seem to have a basic distrust
of elected officials and elective
processes.
Perhaps these people have
lived so long in disfranchised
community that they do not
appreciate the basic common
sense of the voter, and the pro-
lection against governmental!
abuse which is assured through
the polls"
1--WE feel that taxation without
representation is just as much
tyranny today as it was at the
Boston Tea Party. We feel that
the city will be better governed
the people who live here better
citizens, and our children will
have far greater appreciation OF
their heritage if Washington citi-
Zens can vote"
Recorder of Deeds Testifies.
The Rev. DR.. Marshall L. Shep-
ard, recorder of deeds, testified for
the bill, but against the section
which would abolish the deeds
Office as a separate entity and
place it under the city law de-
partment.
Senator Nicely interrupted him
to say 81 think I am against that
provision, too"
Senator Nicely then said he had
been told by some opponents of
the bill that one of their reasons
was that if the bill were passed
the 80 per cent of the District
population which is colored
would dominate city elections. He
said he didn't think that would be
so.> but that if it were. it would
be due to the laziness and the