Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-11-13
Two Leaders Deny
Party
Deserted Roosevelt
Lee and Shaw Reply
To Gordner's Charges
Against Democrats

Two Democratic leaders of Mont.
gomery County today denied charges
the party had failed to support
President Roosevelt in the recent
election in return for Republican
votes against the defeated Mont
gomery County charter proposal.
Park Commissioner E. Brooke
Lee and County Commissioner Lacy
Shaw declared in a statement that
charges made by Allen Gardner,
chairman of the Charter Commit
tee, convince us even more firmly
that. at least from the standpoint
of the top charter leadership, the
movement was and continues to be
political rather than civic or gov
ernmental."
Attacking the charge of a deal"
with Republican voters, the two Of
ficials pointed out that while Mont
gomery County has $1,000 fewer
residents than Prince Georges
County, which is considered a DEM
ocratic stronghold, Montgomery
gave the President 1900 more votes
VIGIL ilSC 1COl SCo.
Record Defended.
In reply to Mr.. Gardeners charge
that the county Democratic organi-
cation had never been interested in
any political party except in using
1T to hold on to jobs and contracts,
the officials declared:
I'VE contend that the record
proves the general allegation of
this charge to be false. All public
improvements and the general plans
of local administration as now func-
tioning in Montgomery County have
been initiated, enacted into law and
maintained in operation by Demo-
cratic county administrations with
the exception of the fusion admin
istration from 1884 to 1898.
$50 whatever is good in Montgom-
cry County today in the way of local
government is the result of the pro-
grams of Democratic county admin
istrations. The comparative rec
ord, we are sure, proves that the
county is the best governed subur-
ban and agricultural community in
this entire section of the country"
The county organization, they de-
clared, has for the last 80 years
never shown any interest in public
contracts and never had any con-
tact with any of the contractors
who have built the county schools
or road and public building pro-
grams.
State Built Roads.
The proceeds Of pproximately
81 900, 900 of county road bonds
were turned over to the State Roads
Commission, which handled the road
program in the county, the state
ment said, adding that $4,000, 900
from county bonds for school con-
struction was turned over to the
county Board of Education by the
county commissioners for building
schools.
The. haf-dozen contractors who
built the largest amounts of county
schools during the past Is years
were in no single instance friends or
supporters of the Democratic county
organization" they added.
I'VE believe that Mr.. Gardner
and his associates in the high COM
mand of the Charter Committee are
local politicians who are simply
seeking to continue to keep a group
Of county voters both mad and
following their political leadership.
so that they can use the votes Of
these people in future political cam
paigns.
Mr.. Gardner started his public
career in Montgomery County as a
Republican precinct worker in the
7th Silver Spring precinct. He
changed his party afflliation, to
Democrat in order to participate in
Democratic primary elections. His
activities and record have been po-
htical rather than civic ever since"
the statement charged