Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-04-18
Citizens Plead
or Retention Of
Commissioners

CounciI-Monoeer Plan
Not in Interests of City
Or U. S., Truman Told
The Citizens Advisory Commit
tee on Public Works yesterday
wrote President Truman that a
council-manager form of govern
ment for the District is mot in the
best interests of the city"
The special 24-member advisory
group. which consists of leading
civic and businessmen. added that
the Federal Government, too,
would suffer if the Commissioner
type rule were abolished here.
Labor Also Backs Plan.
At the same time, the Executive
Committee of the Washington
Central Labor Union announced
its support of the Commissioners
reorganization plan.
The Federal Budget Bureau has
recommended to the President
that city government be operated
by a five-to-nine member APP
pointed council, which would APP
point city manager to admin
lister its policies.
The letter from the public
works advisory body also had this
to say:
1--WE are also of the opinion
that it is vitality important that
the control and supervision Of
our public works continue under
the Office of the Engineer Com
missioner as now constituted.
1--WE therefore urge you, who
have done so much for this city.
to again help us by selecting
plan providing for improvement
in but not abolition of the COM
mission form of government"
VOUC was oudIlAlUuSs
According to Frank Coleman,
secretary of the Central Labor
Union, the executive board voted
unanimously in support of the
Commissioners reorganization
plan.
Mr.. Coleman said the board
stressed that it still wants home
rule here. Until that time comes,
however, the group made it plain
that it favors the Commissioners
plan as opposed to the Budget
Bureaus blueprint.
The Citizens Emergency Com
mittee on Reorganization has for
mally requested an audience with
President Truman as soon as pos
sible to state it's views against the
council-manager proposal.
Group of S to See President
Five representatives of as many
participating groups will comprise
the delegation if the President
agrees to a meeting. They are:
Mrs. Alice M. Bartlett, Fedora
tion of Citizens Associations;
Thomas j. Groom, Board Of
Trade: Woolsey w. Hall, Fedora
ton of Civic Associations; Martin
Cook. veterans organizations, and
Mrs. c. D. Wright, Federation Of
Women'S Clubs.
The emergency committee Is
completing arrangements to run
a full-page protest advertisement
in all four of Washington's taily
newspapers-three next Sunday
and one on Monday.
The $4,000 cost will be borne
by at least three participating or
charlottesville Board of Trade
and the Civic and Citizens Fed
erations.
Protests Lack of Time.
From another quarter, Mrs.
Lloyd S. Luther, president of the
District League of Women Voters,
protested the lack of time al
lowed for citizens to give ade-
quate study to the reorganization
plans.
THE citizens of the District are
in the unfortunate dilemma Of
having to make up their minds
quickly on these two plans with
out time for mature reflection"
Mrs. Luther declared on behalf
of the league.
Mrs. Luther added that it is
imperative that everyone be given
the opportunity to voice their
views before Congress, if and
when plan is submitted to the
lawmakers by the President.
The Federation of Civic Asso-
Citations announced that it will
meet tonight at pm. in the
Union Wesley A. M. E. Zion
Church, TWenty-third and L
streets NV, so member associa-
tons can ratify the Federation
executive committees action OPP
posing the Budget Bureau plan.
This meeting originally was set
for Francis Junior High School.