Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-29
SUBURBAN RULE.
+ PLANS REVEALED
Citizens of Nearby Mont
gomery County to Weigh
! Question Further.

The question of whether the SOUTH
ern end of Montgomery County, or
what is to be the metropolitan dis
trict of Washington, is ready now
for a change in form of Government
to meet it's changing status was dis
cussed for more than three hours last
night at a special meeting of the
Montgomery County Civic Federation
at the Bethesda High School. After
that period the federation decided that
it was not yet ready to decide the
question, and adopted motion to re-
quest its committee on legislation
and legal action, which already has
the question in charge, to consider
the matter further and report at the
next regular meeting, two weeks
hence. The special meeting was
called for the purpose of determining
public sentiment that might help
guide the committee on legislation.
Some plan will be introduced by
Montgomery County delegates to the
MARYLAND Legislature, which convenes
for a three-month session in January.
Lee Plan Submitted.
A comprehensive plan prepared by
Mai. f. Brooke Lee was laid before
the federation as a basis for the dis
cuSSion, and while there were speak
erS who favored a change, ana those
who thought that the present Gov
eminent was very satisfactory, the
opinion appeared to be that at this
time it would be too hasty to de-
termine such a momentous problem
and it should be given longer ana
more thorough study. Maj. Lee was
asked many questions during the
greater part of the debate, which was
difficult to keep within the designated
lines because of efforts of some dele
gates to bring peculiarly local
problems into the change OF Govern
ment scheme. Much of the discussion
centered around the tax rates, and
the amount returned to the taxpay-
ers in improvements, and the feudal
discord, which the new plan is des,
tined to obvlate, of the rich or urban
end of the county paying for much
of the improvements for the rural
sections.
To permit of full and free discussion
of the matter by citizens generally,
the federation resolved itself into com.
mitIee of the whole, wnen OIlVer owen
Kuhn, president of the federation, sur
rendered the gavel to Capt. FRANK
Hewitt of Silver Spring, vice presl-
dent, who occupied the CHAIR curing
the long discussion.
George H. Lamar of Rockville
called attention to the fact that under
provision of law already in effect the
counties of the State were permitted
to adopt the charter form OF govern
ment, and he declared that he be-
lieved this system might well be con-
sidered before any new plans were
proposed or adopted. Under this plan,
1t was pointed out, four years might
elapse before the charter plan would
o@F only after
vote Of the people upon its adoption.
Additional Commissioners.
Briefly, the Lee plan provides for
two additional commissioners In the
county, to De known as the suburban
commissioners, one to handle affairs
in the area west of Rock Creek bor-
dering on the District OF Columbia,
and the other to handle affairs on the
east side of the creek. County public
buildings would be established in each
area, with permanent clerks employed,
together with q police headquarters.
The plan also provides for the crea-
ton of planning commission
Mr.. Kuhn asked Maj. Lee IL the
two suburban commissioners dis.
agreed on a matter, whether the mat.
ter then would not go to the commits.
Sioners from rural sections for de-
cision, to which the reply was made
that whatever the full board Of
county commissioners decided, they
could not vote any of the money out
Of the particular area in which it was
collected. Furthermore. there is the
safeguard of election. he said. If
the commissioners did not do as the
people wanted them to do, then they
would have some explanation to make
at the next election.
Asked Local Government.
w. B. Horne of Somerset made a
Strong appeal for local self-govern-
ment, and he did not believe that the
new plan provided for this. He
thought the commissioners should be
elected by the particular area which
they served, and not by the entire
county vote. Taking the urban area.