Evening star., 1953-12-27
BY John w. Thompson

alton of many tensions of pre-
viouS years stimulated by the
birthpains of a new political
Z regime.
The inaugural pagean
s scarcely had passed from the
scene when the new Repub-
lican administration moved
into two sensitive local Situa-
tions.
On the social front, Presi-
dent Eisenhower promised in
his State-of- the Union message
to Congress to use the full
power of his Office to eliminate
racial segregation here.
On the political side, he in
dorsed in the same message
some form of Capital home
rule.
There had been campaign
promises limiting such action.
1t became clearly apparent the
President meant to keep those
promises.
The Segregation Issue
On the segregation issue, the
administration got a big boost
last summer from the Supreme
Court. The justices breathed
life into a near-forgotten city
ordinance of 1873 forbidding
local restaurant operators from
refusing to serve orderly COL
ored citizens. They also heard
new arguments on segregation
in the schools on suits involv-
ing both the District and Vir-
ginia.
In the District, at White
House suggestion. the Com
miSSionerS put an anti -discrim
tnation clause in city contracts
similar to one that has been in
Federal contracts since 1941.
Under pressure from the same
source and after much re-
writing they also issued an
order designed to eliminate all
discrimination in all city de-
partments except the Fire
Department and the penal in
stitutions. They hoped to
bring these two in line when
1t can be done with minimum
upheaval.
Meanwhile colored citizens
continued quietly to move into
reSid en- tia / neighborhoods,
movie houses and theaters
that previously had excluded
them. Across the Potomac,
the Southern city of Alexan-
dria disclosed it may hire its
first colored policeman.
Home-RuIe Issue
Things were quieter in the
home-rule arena. A modified
version of the Case bill of 1852
backed by a third of the
Senate-is on the calendar
awaiting action. But, as usual,
it never got out of committee
in the House before Congress
recessed for the summer.
Local advocates. more tightly
organized than ever, opened
an Office and continued laying
groundwork preparatory to re-
newing the battle in the next
session. Only the other day
District legislative committee
leaders were called to the
White House, where the Presi-
dent urged again that they
make good on his campaign
promise to give the Capital
City a measure of autonomy.
Economically. probably the
greatest single impact on the
area of the political change
over developed from the
G. o. P. determination to cut
the Federal payroll.
10000 Lose Jobs
During the year some 10000
employees here lost their jobs.
Because of the so-called
pumping" system "a dis
missed senior employe bumps
a Junior employe who in turn
bumps a still more Junior en-
ploye out of his job-probably
four times the 10000 were
compelled to wonder about
their security.
Area merchants felt the
pinch of the withdrawal of
purchasing power. Inventory
piled up on their shelves.
Homes went on the market.
After a few weeks of near
panic things began to thaw
out under the influence Of
soothing statements from the
administration.
But some fear still remains.
Only the other day District
Court Judge Richmond Keech
ruled that the President has
the power to remove a Govern
ment employe from civil sefv-
ice protection to an unpro-
tected job and then dismiss
him. And top G. o. P. officials
kept pressure on the Civil
Service Commission to have
more jobs transferred from
civil service to the POLITICAL
appointment category-sched-
ule C.
Also contributing to the
general reStlessness in the area
was the death of rent control.
One by one the nearby coun-
ties gave up controls. The last
died in the District June 80.
Immediately many landlords
jumped their rents and many
tenants began the move to
cheaper quarters. Downtown,
white families continued to
move to the suburbs and were
replaced by lower income COL
ored families.