Evening star., 1927-10-30


Hills, Nichols Addition, Riverdale
West Riverdale, East Riverdale, Rog
ers Heights, University Park, College
Heights, College Park, Lakeland. Ber
wyn, Berwyn Heights, Branchville
Charlton Heights, Daniels Park and
Hollywood.
Question is Complicated.
The question is greatly complicated
by theory, which has been advanced
in some quarters, that the plan is be
ing secretly pushed by the Washing
ton Suburban Sanitary Commission
and the political leaders Of the county
and that it can only result in an in
crease in taxes. This feeling was re
ported at a meeting last week of q
special committee created by the
Chamber of Commerce of Hyattsville
to sound sentiment in the various com
munities.
T. Howard Duckett, chairman of the
Washington Sanitary Commission
does not hesitate to say that he favors
the proposed new city.
Personally / think it is the logical
thing to do" said Mr.. Duckett, at his
office in the Evans Building, but the
commission has nothing to do with it
1t seems that the commission is
blamed for everything 1 do and am
blamed for everything the commission
does"
Mr.. Duckett was asked whether he
or the Sanitary Commission was re
sponsible for starting the movement
Positively no." he replied. al
though think it is a good idea"
who started it?" is question
nearly everybody asks, in all of the
communities from Mount Rainier tc
Hollywood. whenever the subject oi
the proposed new city is mentioned
AS it has recently become the CHIEF
topic Of discussion throughout the
whole area of more than 10 square
miles the question is being asked
many times each day.
Members of the special committet
created by the Chamber of Commerc,
Of Hyattsville to discover sentiment
in the various towns and subdivisions
have found much opposition to tn,
scheme and have reported that par
of this opposition seems to be haset
upon the theory that the Washing
ton Sanitary Commission and the po
| litical bosses" of the county are sc
cretly pushing 1t. Many persons be
lieve, according to the information
gathered by the committee, that it il
| just a scheme to increase taxes. Per
sonally the committeemmen believ,
| that the part of the opposition which
| is based upon criticism of the SAM
| tary Commission is the result of /;
| misunderstanding Of the attitude o
| the commission.
who represent different towns in th
Co mi
tary Commission for the work it il
doing to provide water mains an,
sewers in the sanitary district. Bu
| they agree that the assessments levie'
against property to pay for these i'm
| provements have made the commits
sion unpopular with a large element
Origin of Plan.
A misundersta nding of the natur
Of the special committee of the Hy
:ttsville Chamber of Commerce is ap
parently responsible for some of tn
opposition to the city plan, although
by no means all of II. Gome person
have been under the impression tha
the committee is composed entirel
of Hyattsville men and is trying T.
put over" the city scheme in orde
to increase the importance of Hyatts
Vile by making 1t the center of tn
new municipality.
Although it appears that the pIa
had its origin among IIyattsvnit mer
there is at present no person fror
that town on the committee whic
was appointed by l.. l.. Gray. pres
dent of the chamber, who is in bus
ness at Riverdale. The Hyattsvill
chamber is composed of members fror
practically the entire area Of the pro
posed city. and the committee is il
tended to represent the area.
So far the committee has decline
to go on record for the proposal. Al
thur p. Owens of Decatur Height!
chairman, 81 heartily in favor of tn
city plan and believes a majority {
the residents of his community an
the Bladensburg district would vot
for it on referendum. DR.. II. B. Nj
Donnell of College Park, member {
the committee, has reported majOrit
in tn section favorable to the ides
but afraid to go in until they kno'
more about it,"
Brice Bowie of Riverdale, a membe
Of the board of county commissioner
who intends to resign from the con
mittee, says most of the people in HI
section are skeptical.
"They are prejudiced against tn
city plan" said Mr.. Bowie. "becaus
they have got into their heads til
idea that the Sanitary Commission
behind it, and you just can't get tn
notion out"
Reports OF Leaders.
Robert Small, who represents Che
erly, has reported that the residents {
that community do not know enoug
about the scheme to form an opinion
John S. White, mayor of Colma
Manor. reports sentiment there as ''il
tangible" Judge ]. II. Shepherd. rel
resenting Berwyn, thinks a majorit
would be probably favorable" if Z
real city" is to be formed. but say
public opinion has not had an oppo
tunity to express itself properly. Wi
liam A. Bobb reports that in Cottae
City everybody he has talked to
against the plan Except two" Georg
o. Pooley Of University Park an
Frank B. Smith of Mount Rainie
have not yet reported, but it is unde
stood they have found sentiment d
vided.
II think the opposition will com