Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-05-27
D. {. Home Rule
Compromise
Hits New Block
Case Plans to Ask
For Codificution of
City Heads Powers
By Don S. Worren

BY Don ). Worren
A compromise on the Kefauver-
Taft Washington home rule bill
now blocked in the Senate Dis
trict Committee-last night faced
a new roadblock.
Senator Case, Republican, OF
South Dakota, top minority party
member of the committee, said he
would demand codification of all
the powers and ordinances of the
city heads as preliminary to
any home rule" legislation.
A full survey of the powers of
the commissioners and of all the
regulations they have issued
since 1878, it is estimated, would
require months of expert study.
Senator Case has been attacking
the Kefauver-Taft bill on numer-.
Gus grounds and offering his own
much more limited city suffrage
bill as a substitute. And since the
Kefauver-Taft bill has been sty-
mied by a 6-to-6 vote in the
District Committee there has been
talk of some kind of a compro-
mise.
Based on Restaurant Ruling.
There may still be conferences
on compromise plans.
Senator Case based his new de-
mand on the Municipal Court Of
Appeals decision in the Thompson
Restaurant race segregation case.
This turned on a lost" law
adopted in 1873 by the Districts
now-long- gone District Legisla-
tive Assembly.
I'm view of the pointed evidence
in the Thompson case decision"
said Senator Case, that we may
have a trackless domain of I'M
specified powers and unknown
laws, shall suggest legislation
to provide for a study of District
government powers and to au-
thorize codification of District
organizations and regulations.
This is one necessary step. it
seems to me, for intelligent and
ineligible home rule"
Instead of an elected council
manager form of government pro-
posed in the Taft bill.
the Case measure would set up
election machinery but would keep
the appointed Board of Com
missioners while adding an elected
city council of limited powers and
an elected but non-voting District
delegate in the House.
| Charter Should Be Specific.
| But the city appellate court
ruling on the Thompson Restau-
rant case brought from Senator
Case a declaration that any new
District charter should be very
specific" in its delegation of
powers, both as a guide to the
government. to District residents
and the courts"
He added: THE fact that three
judges could look at the same lost
law and interpret it three differ
ent ways makes clear that any
bill which transfers the whole
vague maze of municipal powers
to a city council and compounds
the confusion by giving the coun-
Gil broad new authority called
Legislative would cloud the consti-
tutionality of the whole pro-
cedure."
The Kefauver-Taft bill would
confer on it's proposed city coun-
Gil all the powers the Commits
sioners now hold without speci-
flying them and in addition
would give the council powers to
propose legislation which would
become law if not vetoed by the
House, Senate or the President.
Powers Not Listed.
I'm any home rule BILL" Sem
ator Case said. there ought to
be a definite assignment Of
] powers"
He said his new administrative
assistant, Robert Albrook, a
former newspaperman from Souta
Dakota, had been confronted with
1.-THE almost incredible situation"
that it apparently is impossible to
get a full listing of what powers
the Commissioners now have.
Mr.. Albrook found not only that,
there is no consistent codification
of District ordinances.
Mr.. Albrook has found that
many regulations are being pro-
mulgated that are not being
printed or even filed in any per.
manent FORM" said Senator Case
Apparently we are losing
more local laws every day-almost
as fast as they are passed. in some
no coc -