The Washington times., 1922-01-07
CLARENDON To
PLAN FOR NEW
T0WNCHARTER
Citizens to Form Groundwork in
Case Petition Now Before Su-
preme Court Is Granted.

firmly do members Of the Clarendon
Citizens Association believe that the
Virginia supreme court will grant this
community a town charter shortly.
that plans will be formulated at the
coming meeting of the organization
next Monday night to take advantage
of the grant Immediately in case II
~ made.
The petition for a town charter Is
now before the supreme court on ap-
peal, II having been rejected by Cir
cult Judge Brent at the county court
house in Fort Myer Heights some
| time ago. The money with which to
bring the appeal was donated by the
local citizens association and other
prominent citizens not affiliated with
the organization. 1t Is expected that
decision on the charter petition will
he handed down late this month or
early in February.
Although President c. r. Taylor. of
the Citizens Association announced
'oday that charter plans would be dis
cussed, he declined to say what their
exact nature would be. declaring that
the matter must be threshed out be-
! fore the entire organization as Q
whole.
DcCisiOn Is MOI InuicdUe0.
Naturally there Is no concrete in.
dication at present AS to what the &C.
! ton Of the supreme court will be In
the matter. but prominent citizens
point out that unless the petition 10
bitterly fought by present county OF.
! ficials, the court would have no OBJ
ject In denying hundreds Of citizens
| their request.
| II the county supervisors do inject
themselves prominently into q fight
| against the petition, a most bitter po-
| litical battle at the next county cleo
ton against the nomination Of the
present office holders is predicted by
many citizens.
| Many members OF the local citi.
zens association express themselves
az being doubtful II the supervisors
will have anything to say about the
satisfaction manifest over their reign
to date, in this section OF the country
at least.
Supervisor Often Attacked.
At nearly every meeting Of the
Clarendon Citizens Association as
well as others, the supervisors as q
whole have been severely criticised
for the alleged neglect in improve
ments I'm the vicinity of Clarendon.
which bears the lions share Of the
county taxes. At the last meeting
the county rulers were censured for
their alleged failure to properly &C.
count for the receipt and disburse.
ment OF funds as required by law.
and a resolution was adopted asking
as to when an accounting might be
expected.
The criticism against Supervisor
DeLashmutt, who is supposed to
represent this section of the county
has been especially harsh. II Is this
present antagonism that leads many
citizens to believe that the super.
visors will consider they have made
enough political enemies as II is
without increasing the list by active
ly opposing Clarendon's petition to
become n separate town.
Supervisors Would Lose Influence.
| II is pointed out that the natural
enmity OF the supervisors lies in the
fact that after Clarendon is given
town charter, that IL will doubtless
seek to increase It's boundaries to
include population OF 5000. where
upon il would apply for a city char
ter. which. II granted. would make
1t immune from practically all county
levies and taxes, thus depicting the
funds at the disposal Of the super.
sors by many thousands OF dollars.
Naturally. II this came to pass, the
supervisors lose a great amount of
their present political prestige.
President Taylor also declared to-
day that another prominent matter
which would come up for discussion
would be the contemplated $500, 900
bond issue for the erection Of schools
in the Washington and jefferson
districts, which is being propagated
by he school bureau Of the Arlington
county chamber Of commerce.
Many citizens claim that the school
bureau Is attempting to lam the
project through on the petition plan,
whereas others assert the matter
should be submitted to the people at
large as n referendum proposition. At
the last meeting of the citizens as.
ISOLATION a definite stand was taken
against the petition plan by a unani.
nous vote.
To Discuss Association.
It is also planned to discuss at
length plans for the construction Of an
association hall, on the property re.
Gently acquired from the Washing.
ton and Virginia railway by the Clar.
endon Trust Company There In at
present more than 1000 in the as
ISOLATION treasury to start the project.
II the members should vote to do so.
Mrs. Ira Arnold and her son have
returned to the home Of the formers
parents on Villa road after an extend.
ed stay at Asheville, n. C.
Miss Marion Magruder, who spent
the holidays with her parents, Mr..
and Mrs. z. w. Magruder, here. has
returned to Anderson. w. Va. where
she Is teaching in the high school.
| Mrs. Robert II. Evans and her two
children have returned to their home
here after a weeks visit with Mrs.
| Evans mother in Baltimore.