Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-02-28
JUVENILE
Continued From Page Al

gust, 1858, that somebody hae
been playing politics" with thu
bill and that the Senate hae
done him a dirty trick.
BY 1861, Mr.. Davis had de.
signed an entirely different
approach to the court and II
was this version the House
turned down two days age
when it refused to wipe Out
the courts autonomy by plac-
ing it within the jurisdiction
Of Municipal Court. Instead
the House substituted the old
judgeship bill which by now
called for a three-judge bench
or two more judges.
Request Ignored
Ignored in the action was an
administration request made
last year in letters to Sena-
tor Bible, chairman of the
House District Committee.
Byron r. White, deputy at
torney general, commenting on
the two-judge bill, referred to
the eligibility provisions:
1.-THE Department believes
that it would be more desirable
for the precise qualifications OF
the juvenile court judges to be
left to the appointing power
(the President), and that the
three conditions stated in the
bill are too pointed and too
personalized to allow 'the ap-
pointive power the desirable
freedom of selection. It is to
be assumed that the President
will select qualified persons for
the juvenile court, and that the
appointments will reflect the
emphasis that the President
places upon particular qualifi-
cations. The efficacy of the
appointive power is much re-
duced if the field is narrowly
restricted by legislation. :"
Eligible for Post
Other eligibility requirements
are that the nominee must have
been a member of the D. c. bar
for a period of five years pre-
ceding his appointment and
have a broad knowledge Of So
cial problems and procedures
and IAN understanding of child
psychology"
As for Mrs. Lawson. she is
very much alive and kicking
and eligible for the bench for
the first time since 1857.
While she had mo comment
on prospects for her appoint
ment, she said she had received
telephone calls from through
out the country as soon as the
news was out that the bill had
passed.
In 1860, Mrs. Lawson worked
for President Kennedy's elec-
ton by heading up the civil
rights section of the Democratic
National Committee.
She said passage Of the bill
was a tribute to the leader
ship" of District civic organiza-
tons which banded together
and pressured Congress with re-
quests to vote down the Davis
bill and pass the substitute.
Local Support Lauded
Also crediting local citizens
with the victory was former
District Commissioner Robert
E. Mclaughlin, instrumental
in setting up an outpouring
of kilograms from 38 organi-
cations to all members of the
House, the night before the
vote was taken. Cost of the
project was about $1,400.
And" he added, 1--WE can
thank God that Col. Glenn
came to town on the same day"
District legislation is usually
handled in a nearly empty
chamber on Mondays.
In defeat, Mr.. Davis accused
the administration of bombing
members with a heavy bar
rage" of misinformation about
his bill. He said two cabinet
members, whom he did not
name, also worked for the sub
stitute, hand in hand with the
community's radical element"
which distributed fake" propa-
ganda."
Mr.. Davis said some of his
colleagues "are weaklings and
they just can't stand pressure. >