Evening star., 1941-04-08
4 Montgomery
Delegates Urge
Jai AIai Veto
Commissioners Also
Take Stand Against
Measure

Four Montgomery County Dele
gates who introduced the jai alai bill
in the recent session of the Maryland
Legislature withdrew their support
today and joined in asking Gov.
O'Conor to veto the measure.
The action of Delegates James
W. Gill, Ruth Shoemaker, z. Brooke
Lee and Stanton c. Peelle, jr. spon-
sors of the bill, now on the Cover
nor's desk awaiting final disposition,
declared in formal statement today
they would join with more than
score of county church, civic and
political groups in asking the Cover
nor to kill the bill.
Commissioners Ask Veto.
The action followed quickly vote
by the Board of County Commis-
sioners asking similar action by
the Governor.
The statement issued by the four
delegates recalled that when the
bill was introduced the sponsors
declared their intention of sounding
out sentiment in the county and
that they announced they would ask
Gov. O'Conor to veto the measure
if it were found to be diSapproved
by the majority of the voters.
AS an alternative, provision was
added to theSbill to permit refer
endum on the question of legalizing
jai alai with pari-mutuel betting in
the county, the referendum to be
held at the special election for rep
resentatives for the 9Th Maryland
district within the next month or so.
Oxley Resolution Approved.
The Commissioners approved
resolution introduced by John Oxley,
independent Democrat. to telegraph
Gov. O'Conor today asking that he
veto the legislation.
In presenting his resolution, Mr.
Oxley declared II hope this will not
be considered from factional or
partisan viewpoint"
! Commissioner o. w. Robv told the
board he considered it a privilege to
second the resolution.
The only discussion was an OBJ
servation bv Commissioner Walter
johnson to Mr.. Oxley that Il expect
you will have plenty of support in
your views"
Delegates Issue Statement.
The delegates statement said, in
part
when we introduced House bill
9o3 at Annapolis Saturday, two days
before the end Of the session, we said
in a public statement our consid-
Grafton of this new subject matter
has, of course, been both short and
incomplete, particularly so because
of the general rush of the closing
davs of the session
I'VE propose to talk this entire
situation over with the people of
Montgomery County, including the
county congress, and if it should
appear unwise during the next sew
eral weeks to have Montgomery
County accept this new large annual
revenue, we will ask the Governor
to veto the bill
The next day. Sunday. we decided
that the best expression of our At
titude on this subject was to refer
the proposal to a referendum Of ell
the voters of Montgomery County,
to be held at the same time as the
pending special congressional cleo
ton would be called, and that at
that time we thought that the ref
erendum, as the essence of home
and majority rule. represented an
acceptable disposition of the pro-
posal.
Join in Veto Request.
after 10 days conversation with
people of Montgomery County. in
cluding observation of public oppo-
sition to the entire proposal as ex-
pressed by MANY groups with whom
we have not talked, we have como
| to the conclusion that even the sub
, mission of the question of the legal
ization of commercial gambling to
the voters of Montgomery County
is unwise, and consequently mis-
take, and we are joining in a letter
to Gov. OConor expressing this opin-
ion and asking him to veto House
bill 903.
I'VE come to this conclusion in
spite of the fact that the most gen.
eraF information we received indi-
Gates that the proposal stated in
House bill 903 would receive a ma
jority in the voting in the referen-
dunn election, because we are con-
vinced that in addition to hostile
political and organized publicity OPP
position to the proposal, there is
very real opposition to voting on or
to accepting money to be earned by
the county from gambling on the
part of a substantial and respected
minority generally described as the
church people, or more accurately
from among definite portions of the
church people"
Opposition Grows.
, The Bethesda Chamber OF Com
merce, the Women's Democratic
Club of Silver Spring, the Citizens
Association of Section 4, Chevy
Chase, and the Hillandale Citizens
Association at meetings last night
went on record against the bill.
The resolution adopted by the
Citizens Association of Section 4,
Chevy Chase, demanded the bill be
vetoed without delay" 1t de-
clared that "for generations citizens
of this county have outlawed gam
bling in any form" and that the bill
would corrupt the citizens Of the
county"
Meanwhile sponsors of mass
meeting to be held tonight In the
Silver Spring Baptist Church. an
nounced through James Deto, chair
man, that Gov. O'Conor might re-
turn to Annapolis today and would
be invited to attend the rally to learn
the extent of sentiment opposing the
jai alai bill or to have a repre-
sentative in attendance.