Evening star., 1952-04-10
Farley on D. {.
Disturbs
.TwoCity Heads
RivoI Reorganization
Proposals Argued
Before Truman


An air of gloom hung today over
the Offices of the two District
Commissioners who are fighting
for a city government reorgan-
ization predicated on retaining
the Commissioner framework.
The atmosphere stems from the
of Brig. Gen. Bernard
L. Robinson, Engineer Commis-
sioner, and Commissioner F. Jo-
seph Donohue and Federal Budget
Bureau officials with President
Truman at the White House yes
terday.
The President heard the Com
miosioners' arguments for their
plan, and the Federal bureaus
case for it's own plan, which Wis
ualizes a city manager-council
form of reorganization.
At the close of the 50-minute
consultation Mr.. Truman direct
ed both parties to make joint
study and report back to him.
He repeatedly declared he still
has an "open mind" on the SUBJ
ject.
Robinson Sees TOsS-Up."
But both Commissioners got the
impression that the Budget Bu-
reau blueprint has gained the in
side track in the few days of it's
existence. The Commissioners
plan came out last November.
Gen. Robinson said. for ex-
ample, that whereas he felt con-
fident a few weeks ago over the
chances of his plan, he now con-
siders it a "toss-up" between his
and the Budget Bureau proposals.
Commissioner Donohue is now
talking in terms of beating down
the bureau plan, rather than
pushing forward the Commis-
sioners'.
He said today that if there is
enough public opposition to the
manager-co form he will try
to get a special audience with
President Truman for presenta-
ton of the opposition case.
Details Not Known.
Mr.. Donohue said he feels that
the one sure point he and the
general made with the President
yesterday was that the Commits
sioners' plan has had a full public
hearing and that public sugges-
tions and criticisms have been
invited and received.
The same cannot be said of the
Budget Bureau blueprints. Mr..
IDonohue said he pointed out to
the President. The Commissioner
added that he, much less the pub
lie. still in the dark about the de-
tail of the Federal plan.
I'm not sure the Budget bu-
reau knows what all the details
are yet" he said.
! So far as the Commissioner
knows, the Federal plan calls for
city manager and nine-mem-
ber council, riding herd over 10
departments. Mr.. Donohue said
he also understands the Budget
Bureau plan, if adopted, would be
"frozen"-subject to no changes
whatever-for 18 months.
Expects Some Plan.
eve would be getting pig in
a poke if this plan were adopted"
he added.
The Budget Bureaus plan calls
for number of departments, one
of them to include the Metropoli-
tan Police Department, under
city manager
A bureau official said there is
now no proposal in the reorganiza-
ton plan there to create a police
board which would supervise the
Metropolitan Police along with the
Park and Capitol police forces.
Asked about the likelihood of
the Districts getting no reorgani-
zation at all, in view of the short
time left for this congressional
session, Mr.. Donohue said he has
no doubt at all that the President
intends to submit a plan to Con-
gress by May /.
Frederick j. Lawton, director Of
the Budget, indicated, meanwhile.
that he intends to give the public
some opportunity to get look at
the agency's proposal when it is
finished How and when Mr.. Law
ton did not say.