Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1939-03-30
Letters to the Editor
The Editor of the Sentinel:


weeks concerning the social gather
ings" in the business sections of
Rockville, especially on Saturday
nights, and the deplorable conditions
Of the slums, are to be most highly
commended and encouraged by all
who are interested in the welfare of
the County Seat.
There is a spirit of defiance which
makes the problem doubly hard to
handle. The attitude seems to be: eve
are within our rights, as there is no
law to prohibit our meeting on the
public streets, or sitting on the Court
House wall, or living in squalid quar-
tiers, and we intend to do as we please,
and you can't stop US"
If there is lack of authority to pre-
vent these conditions, as claimed,
there nevertheless must be some law
covering nuisances, and when one has
to go through or around crowds of
boisterous, whiskey-sodden creatures
to enter store or walk up the street
and when one has to pass a row of
tobacco-spitting, staring, unkept men,
such as those who daily decorate the
Court House wall, and when a COM
munity is threatened with all kinds
of germs that breed in such quarters
as Monkey Run, if we are not con-
tending with most serious "nuis-
ances", don't know what they could
be called.
Suppose groups Of white or colored
persons would gather daily on the
Capitol lawns, or try to enter the
White House grounds-both of which
are public property-would it be per-
mitted? And because there might not
be law prohibiting gatherings on
these grounds, would such groups
have the temerity to intrude on those
premises? A desire for the attractive
appearance of ones home town, the
orderly behavior of its citizens and
their own self respect, constitute the
difference between intellectual, ambi-
tious individuals and morons who re-
bel at regulations for the public good.
But justice demands that we include
in our condemnation some : though
comparatively few = of the white
people who disregard regulations and
apparently incite others to defy
authority. Of course, this class of in
dividuals constitute the undesirables
in all communities.
/ have talked with some of the in
telligent, progressive negroes and
they are unit in condemnation OF
the street gatherings, the "wall flow.
ers", and the unsanitary conditions Of
Monkey Run, so it is squarely up to
the town and county authorities tc
find way to eliminate conditions
that detract from the clean, orderly
and healthful atmosphere of oul
otherwise attractive town.
So far as the slums are concerned
that calls for a remedy beyond the
power of those who might wish to live
in more decent quarters, and the only
way clearance of that menace may be
accomplished is by cooperation with
The Sentinel in its drive to have that
section of the town cleaned out.
1 would like to be informed as to
why there should be a recognized
regulation as to parking automobiles
on the public highways but none pro.
hibiting the parking of groups of hui
man beings on the public thorough
fares. 1t would seem the same govern
ing body could apply their regula.
tions and fines to similar class of
offenders.
We should give Chief dewey
Orme and the Montgomery Sentinel
our good will and active support in
this drive for the respectable stand
ing of our town, but while "efforts"
help, results are what we claim as
"our rights.
The Observer.
Rockville, Md.