Evening star., 1941-04-07
Mass Meetinq
Called by Foes
Of Jai A|ai
More Organizations
State Opposition
To Referendum

With more organizations on rec
ord over the week end as opposed
to legislation which would permit a
referendum on legaiizing jai alai
pari-mutuel betting in Montgomery
County, opponents today completed
plans for a mass meeting tomorrow
night.
Washington I. Cleveland, presi-
dent of the Greater Kensington
Civic League, will be one of the
speakers and will introduce a reS0-
luton opposing the proposal. The
meeting will be held at 8 pm. in
the Silver Spring Baptist Church,
300 block of Wayne avenue.
While the Allied Civic Groups of
Silver Spring announced the result
of a poll of residents of the area,
several other organizations went on
record against the game in Mont
gomery County. and the Women S
Democratic Club of Silver Spring
prepared to take action on the
measure at meeting tonight in the
home of Mrs. Joseph Griffin, 1923
FenWick lane.
Besides Mr.. Cleveland. others in
vited to address the mass meeting
tomorrow include o. M. Kile. presi-
dent of the Montgomery County
Civic Federation: Stephen Tuhy,
president of the Silver Spring Citi-
zenS Association, and Gerald Ryan,
president of the Sligo Park Hills
Association.
The congregation of the Silver
Spring Baptist Church went on rec
ord as opposing the measure at the
regular services yesterday. Members
were urged to write and send tele-
grams to Gov. O'Conor asking him
to veto the proposal.
Pastor Urges Opposition.
Rev. Ralph D. Smith, pastor of
the Woodside Methodist Church, at
the morning service yesterday asked
support of the campaign against the
bill, requesting members of the con-
gregation to telegraph the Governor
and to attend the mass meeting
tomorrow.
The jai alai bill was taken up al
the meeting of the Woodland Citi-
zens' Association of Bethesda at a
meeting last week and opposition
was voiced by several members. How
ever. the question was tabled tenn
porarily because all the facts were
not known.
Members of the Ashton Metho-
dist Church were asked to indicate
their opposition to the bill by urging
Gov. O'Conor to veto the referendum
At the headquarters of the Gen.
eral Conference of the Seventh DAY
Adventist Church in Takoma Park
Md, officials said no official action
had been taken on the question, b'lt
that many members of the church
had sent individual letters opposing
the bill legalizing pari-mutuel betting
on the game in Montgomery County
A point causing considerable dis
cusSion among opponents of the bill
today was a clause in the measure
authorizing the Maryland National
Capital Park and Planning Com
mission to make. the final decision
on granting a permit to erect the
jai alai court Notwithstanding other
laws or ordinances now in effect.
Should a change in zoning be
necessary to permit construction OF
building on property not now zoned
commercial, the normal procedure
would be TO have the planning COM
mission make recommendation as
to its appropriateness and for the
Board of County Commissioners to
make the final decision after hear
ing advertised not less than 80 days
in advance. If the zoning question
is settled satisfactorily, the county
building inspector issues a building
permit after determining that the
specifications meet county regu-
lations.
1t was pointed out that the plan
ming commission, under the pro-
posed law, might designate any site
in the county for use by the pro-
moters, regardless of present re-
strictions.