Evening star., 1951-08-10
Senator's Hear Views
On Home Rule; Taft,
Donohue Back Bill
Continued From First Page }

Continued From First Page.)
constitutional provision giving
Congress final legislative control
over the National Capital.
He said he thought the plan
for an elected city government
would be "a more satisfactory
method of dealing with local af-
fairs" here than the present one,
wherein congressional committees
and Congress pass on all District
legislation. Congress. he added,
"is not interested" in matters of
local legislation and is a national
legislature which in no way rep
resents District residents.
No Issue on Representation,
Apparently anticipating the ar
gument that there can be no
real home rule here without Dis
trict representation in Congress,
MIR. Taft said ''I can't see what
this bill has to do with represen-
tatlon in Congress and District
vote in the election of the Presi-
dent" He said these were sep
arate questions.
Mr.. Taft said he would prefer
to have the President appoint
two of the members of the pro-
posed city council to be the rep
resentatives of the Federal in
terests in the District, rather than
to have the President appoint a
mayor. as provided in the re-
viSed bill.
He said he thought the city
manager plan Gas included in the
earlier Senate bilD was better
than the proposal for a mayor.
But he added that these personal
preferences "do not remove my
support of the bill"
Senator Taft declared you can't
have liberty in a country as big
as the United States without
local self government" He said
he thought this was so because
as far as the individual citizens S
interest was concerned, probably
four-flfthS of it was on the local
level and IF he doesn't have it
there he doesn't have it,"
Mr.. Taft stressed, however, that
because of the special situation
in the National Capital, there
must be some current Federal
representation, though not
dominating influence, in the city
government.
Cites Power of Congress.
He also pointed out that under
its constitutional prerogatives
Congress could overrule acts of
the city council, but said he
thought this would not occur
unless something serious arises"
Answering a criticism made re-
Gently by several members of the
District Committee, Senator Taft
said he was not concerned over
the possibility that Congress
might repudiate a bond issue
floated by the city council. Con-
gresS he said, couldn't escape it's
responsibility" and couldn't repu-
diate bond issue that originated
from authority Congress had
granted to the council
Commissioner Donohue told the
committee he had been in Office
for about five months and that
scarcely a day passes but what I
find new proof that an elected
city government would give better,
more efficient and economical
service"
Asks Constitutional Amendment.
He said he would prefer to have
the bill shaped as a territorial
government with a governor in
stead of a mayor and a legislature
instead of a council. But he did
not insist on such changes, saying
that he finds sentiment is grow
ing every day" for enactment of
the pending bill.
Mr.. Colladay included in his
statement of opposition to the bill
challenge to advocates of home
rule to work for passage of con-
stitutional amendment to give the
District national voting and repre-
sentation.
Unless such a plan is added to
the bill-the elected city govern
F11nF1 70 hn nFnafiyrn
when the constitutional amend
ment became law-the trade body
said, the city suffrage proposal
should be abandoned.
Chairman Neely of the Senate
District Committee, an advocate
of city elections here, is the author
of District representation plan
pending before the Senate Judi
ciary Committee.
The Board of Trade, Mr.. Cola
day said, has been urging hearings
on this constitutional amendment.
No hearings as yet have been
scheduled. Mr.. Colladay urged
District committeeman to join in
seeking favorable action.
The trade body, in its formal
statement, withheld any detailed
analysis of the provisions of the
new home rule bill. 1t said it did
so because before today's hearings
the full District Committee already
had ordered a favorable report on
the compromise plan.