Evening star., 1951-07-18
Senate PASSAGE
Seen for New
|Hon1e-RuIe Bill
| Plans Advocates
| Not So Sure of
| Action in House
By Don S. Worren

Senate advocates of Washington
home rule today are predicting
Senate approval for a compromise
elected city government plan, now
being pushed by a bipartisan SEN
ate District Committee group.
The prospects are bright" said
Senator Kefauver, Democrat. Of
Tennessee. Senator Case, Repuh-
lican, of South Dakota, who
brought about development Of the
new local suffrage plan, said he
believes it meets many Of the OBJ
jections raised against the earlier
Senate bill, now blocked in the
District Committee.
But what the House District
Committee would do II the Senate
passed the new bill was question
raised by several Senators. They
recalled that the House committee
already has buried two different
District home rule measures.
Kefauver Hopeful.
Even on this, Senator Kefauver
was inclined to be hopeful. With
some work by House advocates,
Senator Kefauver said, II think
we can make better progress
there"
The Home Rule subcommittee
of the Senate District Committee
yesterday unanimously voted to
back the compromise plan, drafted
by Committee Counsel Gerhard p.
van Arkel and Robert Albrook.
aide to Senator Case.
It is broader than the Kefauver-
Taft-Neeiy bill and would author
ize an all-elected city council to
legislate on tax as well as budget
matters without direct reference
to Congress.
Congress, of course, would re-
| tain its Constitutional overriding
authority and could step In to
repeal or modify any act of the
council.
| Another feature would be
President-appointed Mayor, in
stead of a council-named city
manager.
Neely Would "Go Along"
The substitute plan was ac-
cepted yesterday by Senator's
Nicely, Kefauver and Case with
varying degrees of enthusiasm.
Committee Chairman Neely said
he preferred the earlier bill
tpassed in 1949 by the Senate)
but he said he will ''go along" be-
cause Senator Kefauver had ac-
lcepted the compromise.
j Senator Kefauver said he thinks
the committee staff has done .
| good job in its revision work.
i Il have some personal prefer
Iences." Senator Kefauver added,
"but on the whole it is a very
satisfactory bill. In some ways
lit is an improvement.
He referred to the substitute as
"the bill of Senator Case" but
the South Dakota Senator said
II didn't write it." There might
be some credit for getting out an
approved bill, Senator Case said.
"but am much more interested
in having home rule bill sue
ceed than am in any personal
credit"
There will be no hearings on
the substitute plan. Subcommittee
members agreed there have been
full hearings on the earlier bills
and that the substitute measure
grew out of those sessions. The
matter has been sufficiently COW
cred, the compromise sponsors
agreed.
Citizens Could Comment.
Citizen groups will have the
opportunity to submit comments
on the new plan. But in contrast
to some earlier suggestions, the
new plan is not to be mailed out
to every witness of the earlier
home rule hearings.
Full District committee action
is to be delayed for a week or 10
days. Committee prints of the
tnew plan are to be circulated
among the entire Senate member
ship to determine how many want
to co-sponsor the substitute plan.
Responses will determine
whether the new plan is to be in
troduced as a new bill or merely
offered as substitute for the
pending measure.
One Republican Senator said
yesterday he has some doubts
about the constitutionality Of
Congress delegating to District
council the power to levy taxes
without reference to Congress.
Another Senator said he is
Withholding his views until he can
find out what chances there might
be for favorable House action.
Senate Passage Predicted.
On the surface, it appeared that
home rule advocates will muster
enough votes in the Senate Dis
trict Committee to send the bill
to the Senate for action. And
the advocates seemed sure that.
when the Senate finds time to de-
bate the issue, an elected city
government bill will be passed.
Senator Butler, Republican, Of
Maryland. one of the District
Committee members who has
blocked the Kefauver-Taft-Ne -Neely.
bill. said he is inclined to support
the substitute plan.
Senator Kefauver said he be-
lieves the new plan for an elected
but non-voting District delegate
lin the House is an improvement.
Senator Nicely always has been
outspoken against the delegate
provision, insisting that the Dis
trict should be granted voting rep
resentation in Congress.
Senator Case had fought the
|so-called "dual voting" provisions
of the earlier home rule bills. per.