Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1944-11-02
F OR

tism in the administration of
county affairs which has so long
been apparent to those really fami-
liar with the day-to-day operation
of county government. The Char
ter is the brightest spot on the
horizon of county affairs that We
have seen for a long while. Thus
speak Robert w. Allnut of Dawson
vile, J. Sterling Bowman of
Gaithersburg, Rust Candy of Coles
vile, Joseph N. Darby of barnes
town, William H. Fulks of Layton
sville, and Thomas C. Kelley of
Rockville.
Some of the benefits which will
come to the county with adoption
of the Charter Home Rule, Coun-
cil-Manager, and Merit System :
were discussed in the Sentinel last
week. Other important, provisions
are for Finance, Legislative and
Administrative Functions, and
Changing the Charter.
Instead of dividing financial adj
ministration among the commits
sioners, county accountant, COMP
troller, and treasurer it will be
placed under Finance Depart
ment. There are provisions for
centralized purchasing, qualified
assessors, public hearings on ex-
pense and capital budgets, pre-
audits, monthly public statements
of receipts and expenditures, quar-
tiers and annual financial reports,
open books, bonded officials, limita-
ton of bonded Indebtedness, and
an independent audit by an outside
firm. Exna9ience in nearly 600
communitieH affecting 21 million
people has Shown that with tighter
financial control economy results.
just as ten county taxing areas
now have combined legislative and
executive fdnftions, the Council
under charteris empowered by the
Maryland Constitution to make
local laws during one month of the
year and to assume the powers Of
the county commissioners. APP
parently, Sen. James j. LindsaN of
Baltimore County, president ofJthe
Maryland Senate, approves of this
for he and the state Legislative
Council are working to bring SINH
lar powers to other counties. a.
Everyone knows what happened
to Prohibition. 1t was repealed by
an amendment to the Constitution.
The Maryland Constitution, the
Annotated Code, and the Charter
itself provide for changing the
Charter. Just as you vote this year
for six amendments to the Mary
land Constitution, you may in the
future vote for amendments to the
Charter, even for abolishing the
Charter and returned to the pre-
sent system.
In addition to the statement
given by leading Montgomery Co.
rural leaders, persuasive and con-
winding arguments for the adoption
of 1.-THE Chapter have been made
by local military men and by Balti~
more and Washington papers.
Pointing out that work for the
EGharter began in 1888 retired
Army and Navy officers stated
"The members of our armed forces
can rest assured that their fellow
officers and men of the military
services at home are supporting
the Charter in the hope that on
their return they will be welcomed
with more modern, businesslike.
econmical government, free from
the spoils system, and based on
democracy, the very thing they are
fighting to preserve"
Detached, impartial measuring
of the arguments for and aginst
the Charter led the Baltimore SUN
and the Washington POST to sup
port adoption of the charter. Ac-
cording to the SUN the Charter
"takes the responsibility for county
legislation and county affairs de-
finitely out of the hands of the
General Assembly and places it
where it should be in Montgo-
merry County"
The Washington POST states
"tne issue boils down to whether
or not and outmoded county go
vernment shall be modernized and
/ brought under local control. On
that issue progressive-minded citi-
zens will find it difficult to take
any other stand than affirmative
support of the Charter 1t seems
to us that the arguments of the
'antis' are petty and short-sighted.
Montgomery County is one of the
most progressive areas adjacent to
the Nations Capital. We cannot
believe that it will turn down this
oood commemorative 10 ynoda,n;1ed