Evening star., 1947-12-07
Referendum 10 Settle
Slot Machine Fight
In ST. Marys Tuesday
Special pispoteh 10 The stor

LEONARDTOWN, Md, Dec. g.
AS St. Marys County prepared to
vote Tuesday on whether slot ma
chimes may be made legal, op-
ponents delivered closing arguments
in an attempt to defeat the issue
as 1t will appear on the referendum
ballot.
Polls will be open from 7 am.
to 7 pm. in the county's nine elec-
ton districts, officials announced,
and the places of balloting also
have been listed.
A ballot containing a synopsis
of the act of the special session of
the General Assembly last month
making the referendum possible
will contain two questions with
boxes alongside to be marked by
the voter.
Ballot Wording Explained.
Those placing a mark beside the
words For the License Fee" will be
voting to give the Board of County
Commissioners authority to legalize
slot machines by appropriate reso-
luton. Those marking beside the
words Against the License Fee"
will be voting to keep the devices
illegal.
The license fee" reference is to
authorization that would be given
in the act, sponsored by State Sen
ator Paul D. Bailey, Republican, Of
st. Marys, to the county commits
sioners to impose charge up to
$50 for each machine. If that ques-
ton carries In the referendum, the
commissioners also may designate
the types of COIN machines
that may be taxed. In May, they
voted to impose a tax Of per cent
of the gross receipts of the ma
chimes.
A resolution by the commissioners
automatically would place the ma
chimes in q legal status here al
though they are outlawed every
where in the State except in Anne
Arundel County.
Loss to County Feared.
The st. Marys County Civic As
ISOLATION, chief opponent of legal
ized gambling, declared that esti-
mates of the annual take" OF slot
machines show that more than
twice the money earned from to-
bacco crops would be removed from
the county by the machine opera
tors The money would amount to
one-third of the total property val
uation of the county, the associa-
ton claimed
These losses were based on esti-
mates that business done by the
machines would run to nearly
s4,OOO,OOO.
Richard H. Pembroke acting
chairman of the association, said,
This means that very few big
time gamblers will have the oppor-
tunity to milk the county and It's
people of the equivalent Of over a
thousand peoples income. The net
financial gain to the county will be
nil"
The amount OF revenue that will
be received by the county treasury
ESTIMATED by county officials at
100000 a year, will be more than
offset by the money drained from
the county, the association declared.
It expressed doubt that operators
would make true returns OF their
gross receipts for tax purposes and
said the revenue would be impos-
sible to check accurately.
Children Held Victims.
Those who are least able play
slot machines, the association con-
tends. Past experience, before most
slot machines we're removed when
the court cracked down in June.
shows that many children attend
taverns and other places where the
devices were maintained, the group
said.
Moral disruption, child delin-
ouency, a ruined county business
structure, broken trade channels,
less money to the county. a blow
against democracy, no improvement
to the tax structure. dishonest
county government-these are the
things you want II you vote For
the License Fee" the association
said.
Meanwhile, the Rev. Richard T.
Scholl, minister at the Lexington
Park Community Church, appealed
to voters mot to be fooled by the
wording" of the ballot and to vote
against the license fee.
Voting places for the referendum
have been announced as follows:
First district, st. Inigoes: second,
Valley Lee; third, Leonardtown;
fourth, Chaptico; fifth, Mechanics
Vile; sixth, Hillville; seventh
Lacey's Store; eighth, Lexington
Park, and ninth, st. Georges Island