Evening star., 1942-11-05
Defeated Candidate
Hints Court Battle
Over Charter Board
Montgomery Winners
Ready to Organize
To Work on Plan

As members of the newly -created
Montgomery County Charter Board
waited only for today's official
count Of Tuesdays election ballots
to make the setup legal, one of the
losing candidates indicated the
issue may be carried to the Court
of Appeals.
Unofficial returns show the refer
endum carried and that the five
candidates who were nominated by
petition and sponsored by the
County Charter Committee were
elected.
The five defeated candidates bit
terly opposed a study of proposed
changes in the form of government
and were sponsored by the County
Congress of United Democratic Or
ganizations.
j. Bond Smith, one of the losing
candidates, indicated a court test
might be made of the charter
question, and at the same time
reiterated prediction claims that
the State constitution places limita-
tions on charter which will make
the plan unavoidable.
New Board to Organize.
Citing the unofficial vote of 1926
to 6,032 by which the referendum
was carried, Mr.. Smith said II 200
stfswek 0ters saGtsielly voted 4osg& his
than siJd the &er
petit10H The reaction against the
NM shus iradtr1fSd In n
Hr1 Wa AsAwat NTH coi1ndescs'
the ultimate Z verdict two years
hence, within which time it may be
possible to obtain a judicial deter
mination of the question by the
Court OF Appeals of Maryland"
The winning candidates to the
board are Tarlton Brooke, Thomas
M. Anderson, Frederic p. Lee, Mrs.
Alice w. Hostetler and Stephen
James. They will organize within
the near future.
Mr.. Lee said no organization
meeting has been held but believed
one should be held Immediately be-
cause of the large amount of work
to be done and the relatively short
time in which to perform it. He
referred to a State constitutional
provision requiring the Charter
Board to complete it's new plan of
government within six months after
the election.
Public Hearings Favored.
Mr.. Lee said he felt it is impera-
tive the board should conduct pub
lie hearings and obtain the opin-
ions of residents before drafting a
charter. The report of the Brook
ings Institution on the government
of Montgomery County and its rec
concentrations will not be accepted
as basic plan. The reports value,
he asserted, lies in its factual analy-
sis of conditions and because it was
directed solely to Montgomery
County.
Meanwhile, Chairman Allen H.
Gardner of the County Charter
Committee, said the organizations
constitution provides for an annual
meeting of directors November II.
A meeting probably will be held be-
fore that time, he said, to determine
whether the committee shall con-
tinue to operate.
He is definitely opposed, however,
to the charter committee, as such,
presenting a new plan of Govern
ment to the charter board. The
board is an ofIicial body and he said
he wanted to avoid any semblance
Of pressure by the Charter Com
mittee. ----
More Difficult Steps Seen.
'The citizens success in the first
and relatively easy step toward q
Montgomery County charter places
on them large responsibility in
the more difficult steps to come"
Mr.. Gardner said.
1T is important, therefore, that
the citizens give immediate thought
to those governmental changes