'Dead Duck'

It took an almost incredible conjunction of forces--an active resident, a willing Speaker, and the most liberal congress in history--to bring the Home Rule bill to the floor of the House. Now it has been side-tracked; Rep. Albert feels that it is "a dead duck for this session" and Washington residents can only guess how long it will be before they come as close to self government again.

True, the substitute bill passed by the House called for a city referendum and the drafting of a charter. What this amounts to, however, is a delaying action. A Senate-House conference will be held, probably net year. If the features of the House bill are retained and the measure is passed, a referendum (thoroughly unnecessary since Washington voted 6-to-1 for home rule on last year's Presidential ballot) will be held. The charter might be drafted and sent back to Congress by 1967, and this is precisely the point: no one knows who will be in Congress in two years, but the history of off-year elections indicates that the House will be more conservative than this year's. the chances for home rule may not be nearly as bright. This is why the backers of the substitute measure included such stalwart friends John McMillan (D S. C.), whose District Committee has been busily pigeonholing home rule bills for decades.

222 Congressmen voted to bring the bill to the floor; 218 even broke precedent by signing the discharge petition that freed it from the District Committee. But only 174 could be found to defend it on a vote against the substitute. So it appears that the opposition of conservatives to home rule, resentment at the arm-twisting used by the Administration to bring the bill to the floor, and the promotion of Lawrence O'Brien have permitted Washington's best chance ever for self-government to slip away. It may seem inevitable now that home rule will come some day, but it seemed just as inevitable in take the bill away from the District Committee. Just when the petition was within two votes of success, 10 names were withdrawn. Things have a way of disintegrating in Washington.