Evening star., 1951-04-15
Care Denounces
Kefauver-Taft
Home Rule Bill
Decision Is Expected
Wednesday at D. c.
Committee Session
By Don S. Warren


Taft Washington home rule bill
was voiced yesterday by key
member of the Senate District
Committee as the day approached
when that group is to vote on
the measure.
Senator Case, Republican, of
South. Dakota, senior minority
member of the committee. de-
nounced the measure as failing to
meet the test of a truly home
rule" measure.
He is fighting for his substitute
bill which would retain the ap-
pointed Board of Commissioners,
but would add an elected council
of limited powers and an elected
but non-voting District delegate
in the House.
Decision Expected Wednesday.
Many of the important details
of reorganizing the city govern
ment and it's "self rule" he con-
tends, should be left to be worked
out by the elected representatives
of the people. rather than by
experts"
The issues presumably are
headed for decision at session
of the District Committee sched-
uled for Wednesday morning. But
there is some doubt about this
since the agreement is that the
committee will decide Wednesday
just when it will vote on the ques-
ton. 1t might be later.
Several other District issues are
awaiting Capitol Hill action.
One is to permit the District
to go on daylight saving time
April % along with other big
Eastern cities. Sometime this
week Senator Majority Leader
Mcfarland has promised to find
time to act on the House passed
bill granting this authority to the
Commissioners for the coming
Summer.
Bottle Club Ban on Agenda.
Also, the House District Com
mlttee is to meet again tomorrow
to continue its reading of the re-
vised Davis crime control bill.
Some say it is possible that the
committee soon will be ready to
vote on sending to the House a
measure calling for stiffer penal
ties and generally tougher at
tack on the criminal elements.
Among the provisions to be con-
sidered by the Davis committee
is one to place after-hours bottle
clubs under regulations of the ABC
Board. Another would direct the
Attorney General to appoint a
permanent staff of five special
investigators, to assist the United
States Attorney in investigations
of crime here.
The Pastore subcommittee of the
Senate District Committee is to
hold public hearing Thursday at
10 am. on measure proposing
pre-marriage medical tests and on
another to require employers to
pay their employees by check or
cash at least twice a month on
stated days.
Also pending before the Pastore
subcommittee, for action this
week, is the controversy over just
how the teacher leave act should
be liberalized. One of the major
issues here aside from how much
Accumulated" paid sick leave
should be permitted, is whether
teachers should be permitted to
pay for substitutes after the
maximum accumulated leave is
taken.
Vote Expected to Be Close.
Voting in the District Commit
tee Is expected to be close on the
home rule issue. Only five of the
13 members are definitely slated
to vote for the Kefauver- Taft bill
which would replace the appointed
Board of Commissioners with an
elected council.
1t, also would set up an ap-
pointed city manager as chief ad-
miniStrative officer and provides
for an elected school board.
At least three members last
night still were withholding judg-
ment.
Senator Case, in his new attack
on the Kefauver- Taft Bill, ques-
toned three of it's basic features:
1.-The proposed council of II
would include two members ap-
pointed by the President to rep
resent the Federal interests in
the National Capital. This carreis
an implication. he asid, that these
two might be the dominant"
members of the council.
2. The plan also is not really
"home rule" he added, since the
other nine members would be
elected by the city "at large"
rather than by wards. He said this
raises prospects that some Sec
tions would have no representa-
tives and, even. that one section
alone might win election of all
nine councilmen.
Sees Popularity Contest"
Therefore. he concluded, the
council election would amount to
"a sort of a city-wide popularity
contest"
8. The dual voting" provision
could give the balance of power"
in city elections and in action on
bonded debt to Government work.
ers and others living here but re-
tanning their voting rights IN the
home States. This provision would
permit such residents, otherwise
qualified as voters in District elec-
tions. to vote here although they
also retained their rights to vote
in their home State elections.
Mr.. Case said he did not know
how many dual voters" there
might be but that the number
could be large enough to have an
important effect on questions of
District debt and. consequently, on