Evening star., 1952-04-13
Buying a Pig in a Poke

There is general agreement over the need
TO reorganlze the District Government There
is minimum of disagreement over the general
pattern to be followed in regrouping its 70
agencies, about 46 of which are boards or COM
missions more or less independent of the Board
of Commissioners
There is little dispute between the Com
miSsioners and the Budget Bureau over what
agencies should go where in new lineup. The
real dispute is over the form of government
itself; whether the commission form of gov
ernment created by the Organic Act of 1878 is
to be abolished, lock, stock and BARREL in favor
OF an appointed city council of five or nine
members with decorative functionary known
as Mayor and city manager empowered to
appoint the heads of all departments, supervise
and direct all their activities and run the city.
The Budget Bureaus argument for this
theory of new government is printed in todays
paper. One immediate effect upon the reader
OF this statement is to dispe any notion that
the Budget Bureau is engaged in purely
objective study OF various reorganization schemes
or is attempting to obtain agreement on the
best features of them all. The Budget Bureau
definitely is in favor of its own plan. It has
turned thumbs down on the Commissioners
plan, which would retain the commission form
and proceed to realign agencies
In The Stars opinion, the Budget Bureaus
presentation of its own pet plan reflects no
comprehensive understanding of Washington
and its unique status as the seat of National
Government. The bureau is not so much con-
cerned with reorganization as with complete
and drastic change in local government. It
would do away with the Commissioners, includ-
ing the Engineer Commissioner and begin all
over again with a form of local government
that has not been tried successfully in any city
OF the size, or compleXity, of Washington
Aside from the theories of this scheme there
are practical considerations which argue against
1t. An important one is timing. If this plan is
the reorganization proposal to be submitted to
Congress by the President, it must lie before
Congress for go days. That means that it must
be sent to Congress so soon that no real oppor-
tunity will be given the people of Washington to
become acquainted with its details and its i'm
plications. Should it not be disapproved in
Congress, it would become effective at the end
of go days following it's submission. The confu-
sion thus invited, in this hot election year,
should be evident to anybody.
The Commissioners would 60 out. The
President would appoint a council of five or nine
members, at salaries of three to five thousand
dollars. The appointments would be subject to
Senate confirmation But the Senate may not
be here much beyond the middle of June. This
raises the possibility of recess appointments of
the council members by a President who has
already said he will not be here much longer.
That would be bad beginning of a dubious
experiment. For this council of five or nine is
to select the miracle man who is to be the city
manager and launch him on his troubled course.
Even the legality of the business is subject
to some doubt The Budget Bureau has not
overlooked this possibility. It has received an
20. K" from the Justice Department. Corpora
tion Counsel Vernon West is not so sure. And
he suggests, against the background of his in
innate knowledge of Washington, immediate and
extensive litigation to test the Budget Bureau
theory. This would add to the confusion-with
Congress, our real governing body, out of town.
If the Budget Bureau is determined to press
for its own reorganization scheme, it should
delay the presentation. For the relatively short
time remaining before Congress quits does not
permit serious study and general understand
ing of so far-reaching a proposal We know
what sort of local government we have now. 1t
be improved, without abolishing it. But
basically it has been form of local government
adapted to the conditions existing in Washing
ton, and it has been successful for 70 years.
Why discard it, in favor of pig in poke?