Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-07-06
The Missing Amendment

An intelligent critic of the home
rule bill chosen by the Senate District
Committee for report to the Senate is
the man who introduced it, Senator
Morse.
Appearing before the home rule
subcommittee last May, the Senator was
most critical of the administration
backed, territorial form of home rule
shelved by the committee. But he also
found defects in his own bill. He thought
1t would be wiser not to report any home
rule bill and to adopt, instead, his reSo-
luton setting up charter commission.
Senator Morse argued that the charter
commission, through public hearings ''in
a setting removed from the political
hurly-burly of the Congress" would be
more capable of putting together the
sort of bill the people of Washington
might want. And it would have the time
and opportunity to answer, in writing a
home rule bill, many questions left
unanswered in the drafts of pending
legislation.
We do not believe that home rule,
as defined in the Morse or any other
such bill, is the right way to change
WaShington'S voteless status. We believe
this legislation would be highly prejudi-
cial to the interests of this city, and that
to represent home rule as meaning rep
reSentative self-government is a sham
and fraud. The great danger we face
in this voteleSS community is that the
Senate, and perhaps the House, will ap-
prove such measure, with the thought
Of making political capital out of ap-
pearing to remedy the evil of taxa
ton neutrality-suspicious. while doing
nothing of the sort.
Senator Morse, in teStifying before
the Senate District subcommittee on
home rule, was critical of his own bill,
as well as the other one, because they
failed to get down to brass tackS con-
Scerning the Federal payment. Both bills
left this highly important matter "diS-
creetly vague" Instead of being specific,
both bills contain 'brave and hopeful
words" about the Federal payment
which really mean nothing. AS Senator
Morse said, UNLESS there is modification
in this particular area, an area which
is vital to the continued health and
growth of this city, fear there will be
unleashed annually a struggle over
funds which will not be to the best in
tereStS of the city. &. ="
Senator Morse proposed an amend
ment to provide Federal payment of
an amount equal to 40 per cent of the
budget adopted (by the city govern
ment) for each fiscal year." In the event
Congress did not appropriate the money,
the new city government would be en-
powered to borrow the cash from the
Treasury. 1t is highly significant how
ever, that while several Morse amend
mentS seem to have been written into
the patchedup home rule bill to be
brought before the Senate, this import
ant fiscal amendment was discarded.
Senator Bible has told The Star he has
no plans to consider the amendment, or
to bring it up. If the Senate should pass
the Morse bill as it is now, the people of
this city would have every cause to be
alarmed.
Local citizens should not depend on
what.w believe some of the Senators
are depending Discontinued inaction
in the HouSe-aS safeguard against
enactment of this version of "home
rule" They should insist on adequate
amendment of the Morse bill, particu-
larly in its financial provisions, as test
of good faith by the Senate, regardless
of what the House does.