Evening star., 1951-06-08
kefauver Assai|s
Board Of Trade
On Home Rule
Says Commissioners
Are 'Hund-in-GIove'
With Business Group
By Colt HendIey, Jr.


Senator Kefauver, Democrat, Of
Tennessee, today accused the
Washington Board of Trade Of
keeping District citizens in bond
age" by opposing home rule and
said the District Commissioners
are "handin-glove" with the
board.
The Senator attacked the trade
group as he testified before The
Senate Expenditures Committee,
which is considering proposals to
reorganize legislative procedures
of Congress.
Senator Kefauver said enact
ment Of home rule for the District
would relieve Congress of much
tedious detail and give it more
time for bigger problems. The
Kefauver-Taft home rule bill cur
rently is bottled up in the Senate
District Committee because of a
6-6 tie vote which prevented it
from being reported to the Senate
floor.
"The central source of opposi-
ton to the home rule bill is the
directorate of the Washington
Board of Trade" Senator Ke-
fauver declared. Behind the
scenes this little oligarchy has
been the invisible government Of
the District for many years."
Would Transfer Control.
He accused the Commissioners
of being "hand-in-glove" with the
Board of Trade and added:
THE opponents Of home rule
are. in effect. the lackeys of the
Board of Trade"
In his criticism Of the Commis-
sloners, Senator Kefauver made an
exception in the case of the new
Commissioner, F. Joseph Donohue.
He said Mr.. Donohue apparently
was taking a different road on
home rule and hoped he would be
different.
Senator Kefauver said he felt
the basic reason the Board Of
Trade Is opposed to home rule is
that 1T would transfer effective
control of District affairs from
their own hands to the duly elect
ed representatives of all the peo-
,,Jo IL, tho nistrint
THE Board of Trade, whose to.
tai membership amounts to less
than / per cent of the population
of the District. is dominated by
the real estate and financial in.
terests in the community, which
the tradesmen do not represent
and which have the right to be
represented in the councils of the
city" Senator Kefauver said.
washington has too long been
under bondage to the Board Of
Trade. The underlying popula-
tion prays for deliverance."
Sees Dual Strategy.
Senator Kefauver said the
Trade Board has pursued a dual
strategy in opposing home rule.
He said it has tried Ito bog
down the Kefauver-Taft bill in
a quagmire of legalistic quibbles
and double talk" 1t also has
sought to frighten the taxpayers
into believing that home rule
would result in higher taxes, a
heavy debt burden. and a reduce
ton in the Federal contribution
toward District expenses. he
added.
To the contrary, he said, the
home rule bill would result in sub
stantial local economies by con-
solidating AZ city departments
into IL. It would also raise the
Federal contribution from S12
million to at least SIT million and
set up several safeguards against
rash debt ventures"
He concluded:
"All the hackneyed and Oft
repeated arguments against home
rule for Washington have been
rebutted. The case for home rule
is cogent and convincing. If gov
ernment by the consent Of the
governed is not an empty dream.
Congress should pass the home
rule BILL