Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-06-22
DC. Territory
Bill Goes 70 \
Senate Floor
Conflicting Views
Voiced by Leaders
On Home Rule
THE SUNDAY STAR Ais
Washington, d. G. s.
SUNDAY. JUNE ~, 1888
BY GRACE BASSETT
star star Writer

star stan Writer
Responding 10 community
sentiment. Senate lawmakers
have reported 10 the floor q
bill recognizing the District
as a territory.
Yet. Washington today Is Q
community torn by perhaps the
sharpest conflicts in It's history
over how It's future should be
shaped by home rule.
A survey OF civic leaders re-
veals these divergent views on
the legislation pending on the
Senate floor:
o Forget this bill. Spiraling
city service costs and declining
levels Of individual income de-
mand a bigger Federal share
OF responsibility for maintain
ing the Capital City. And Fed
eral aid will be endangered by
local governmental control.
These are businessmen, NOM
eyed people, and politically. for
the most part. Republicans.
speaking.
. Pass this bill. 1t has an UNI
precedented chance Of passage
because President Eisenhower
will fight for it in the House.
additionally reluctant TO grant
local suffrage. This plea comes
from home rule champions. led
by Robert E. Mclaughlin.
chairman Of the Board Of
Commissioners. and an Eisen-
hover appointee.
. Debate this bill. Talk on the
Senate floor will enliven the
home rule movement. Defeat
will at least clear Senate call
endars for a big push next
session for a constitutional
amendment TO let Washing
tonians vote for President and
Vice President. The sWashing-
ton Board of Trade wants the
amendment.
Q Fight this bill. Its "half-a-
loaf" of home rule. The Dis
trict must keep after q gov
eminent with an elected mayor
and city council, never waver.
ing, until 1t is won. This senti-
ment is voiced by strong
though few proponents OF .
purely elective government.
Mostly. they're Democrats
whose spokesman on Capitol
Hill is Senator Morse, Demo-
crat of Oregon.
Urgency and FutiIity
All four positions have been
shaped by a sense of urgency
about Senate action and q
sense Of futility about House
action.
Senate Majority Leader
johnson, Democrat Of Texas,
has a little time to mop up a
lot of legislation. Whether he'll
allow debate on District home
rule is a question.
But he pledged Senate Dis
trict Committee Chairman
Bible, Democrat Of Nevada,
when Senator Bible agreed to
head the local unit, that the
Senate would tend to local busi-
ness this session.
Senator Bible has promised
Washingtonians, in turn, to
urge Senator johnson to save
floor time for this bill, unques-
tionsbly the most important
single piece of District legisla-
ton pending.
No Clear Indication
In the House, the conservHs.
tive core of Southern Demo-
Gratis on the District Committee
has given no clear indication
they'll even entertain the ADJ
ministration bill.
Commute Chairman McMil-
Ian said he'd query members on
their pleasure II and when the
Senate acts. The expenditure
by Mr.. Mcmillan and his STAFF
clerk. william Mcleod, Of
$2,289 in counterpart funds TO
compare Capital City govern
ments in Europe and South
America with the District has
not fastened House action.
A key man there is Repre-
Abernethy, Democrat
of Mississippi, who heads the
subcommittee handling home
rule. He announced early in
the session House hearings
would precede Senate consid-
Grafton of suffrage this year.
Despairing Of House hear
ingS this month, Senator Clark,
Senate Subcommittee Chair
man, pushed the administra-
ton bill onto the floor. with
a private explanation:
Il won't strangle this baby
without letting it yell"
Attuned like Senator Clark
to political compromise, Phil
lip Brown, attorney and Dis
trict Home Rule Committee
Chairman, hopes
the Senate might amend the
Administration bill to suit even
Senate Morse.
Blasts the Bill
Senator Morse has blasted
the bill for heaping too much
power in the Executive.
The President would appoint