Evening star., 1944-11-05
Vote Of $4,000
Seen Nearby
Areas
Bottle Over Charter
Overshudows Other
Montgomery Issues
BY ]. B. ZATMAN.

by j. b. ZAVMAN.
More than $4,000 voters in Mont
gomery and Prince Georges Counties
are expected to cast their ballots
Tuesday, with the charter question
in Montgomery County overshadow-
ing all other issues In the nearby
Maryland area.
Polls in Montgomery County will
open at 6 am. and close at Z pm.,
while those in Prince Georges Coun-
ty will open an hour later and
close also at Z pm.
Record registrations of $1,000 in
Prince Georges County and approxi-
mately $4,000 in Montgomery Coun-
ty, brought the prediction by politi-
cal workers of the $4,000 vote.
As Montgomery County's charter
battle reached its final stages, both
factions confidently forecast victory,
although refusing to estimate the
size of the majority.
Expects Decisive Defeat.
Albert E. Brault, secretary-treas-
urer Of the Citizens Committee to
Defeat Charter, declared:
THE charter will be decisively
defeated. That is my honest belief
and conviction, based on my con-
tact with hundreds of people
throughout the county in the last
several weeks. Opposition to the
charter has increased with the ap-
proach of the election.
On the other hand, Allen H.
Gardner, president Of the Mont
gomery County Charter Commit
tee, asserted:
"The citizens Of the county are
back Of the charter and it will win.
We are fighting the citizens bat
tie for better government and not
boasting about election returns. We
feel confident, however, that the
citizens mean business and are de-
termined to regain control of their
own government"
Acting under constitutional pro-
vision adopted in 1915, Montgomery
County is the first county in Mary.
land to avail itself of the oppor-
tunity to vote for a charter form Of
government since Baltimore County
defeated the charter plan shortly
after the World War.
Would Provide County Manager.
Outstanding feature of the pro-
posed charter is the substitution of
q nlne-man council and a county
manager for the present Board of
County Commissioners.
The council would enact all local
legislation, thus eliminating the
necessity Of having laws affecting
the county passed at the biennial
sessions Of the State Legislature.
Besides pointing to the home rule
feature of the proposed new setup,
proponents claim that the proposed
departmsntaiization of county func-
ttons would result In greater effi-
cheney.
Anticharter forces, however, con-
tend that every law advocated by
county residents in the past has
been supported by the county dele
CATION to the State Legislature and
has been adopted there.
They also maintain that the de-
DECENTRALIZATION feature would re-
suit in a permanent bureaucracy.
since department heads would be
under civil service.
Party's Leaders Confident.
Meanwhile. in statement last
night, Francis w. Hill. jr.. chairman
Of the Republican State Committee
for Montgomery County. declared
that the Republican national ticket
will carry the county by a large
majority. He asserted that Gov.
Thomas E. Dewey and Gov. John
w. Bricker will get the votes of a
large number of Democrats"
Lacy Shaw, chairman of the
Democratic State Central Commit
tee for the county, countered with
the prediction Of a Democratic VIC
tory, both congressional and ma
tional, in the county.
Political observers, however, gave
Representative Beall, Sixth District,
Republican, which includes Mont
gomery County, the nod over his
Democratic opponent, Daniel F.
McMullen of Allegany County.
In Prince Georges County, Rep
resentative Sasscer is expected to
win easily over his Republican op-
ponent, c. Maurice Weidemeyer OF
Anne Arundel County, in the for
mers' race for reelection from the
Fifth Maryland District.
Also expected to score an easy
victory is Senator Tydings. who is
running against Blanchard Randall,
jr. of Baltimore.