Evening star., 1947-02-07
Study.
|Nonpdrtisan Bill
e
After Hearing
Residents Of County
Debate Act to Change
Montgomery Voting
By J. B. Zotmon
stor sfoff Correspondent

By J. B. Zotmon
stor stoff Correspondent
ANNAPOLIS, Feb. 7.-Members of
the House Judiciary Committee to-
day were reviewing opposing argu-
ments on the controversial bill to
exempt Montgomery County :. from
provisions Of the Lindsay law.
More than $50 county residents
yesterday crowded INTO the House
chamber and overflowed into the
galleries to hear representatives of
both sides argue the matter before
the committee for two hours.
The Montgomery County delega-
ton to the General Assembly has
introduced bills In both the House
and the Senate which, in effect,
would give county voters the right
to choose whether or not they shall
have nonpartisan elections of a
county council under charter form
[of government.
The Lindsay law, passed at the
l945 session of the Legislature, pro-
hibits such elections.
Called Local Measure.
r. Duncan Clark, member of the
all-Republican Montgomery delega-
tion, argued that the proposed meas
ure was purely local and had no
Statewide aspects.
Opposition to the bill centered
on the contention that it would
destroy the two-party system.
This bill does not require non.
partisan elections" Mr.. Clark en-
phasized. TT merely permits the
County Charter Board to include
such a provision in a proposed
charter for the county to be voted
on in the 1948 general election.
81 don't know whether the Re.
publican Party will approve a char
ter containing a nonpartisan elec-
ton provision. But we want the
people of the county to decide for
themselves whether or not they
want it,"
He pointed out that the bill would
not affect the present method Of
electing other county and State Off
cials, who would continue to be
elected on party ticket. "a
Bailey Argues for Bill.
Howard P. Bailey, speaking for the
Charter Board, urged that the bill
be approved ito unite our hands
as regards nonpartisan elections"
1--WE feel," he added, that If we
are convinced by public hearings
and otherwise that the people want
nonpartisan elections of their county
council, we should be free to write
such provision in the charter"
Supporting the views of Mr.. Clark
and Mr.. Bailey were members of the
Charter Committee, led by Allen H.
Gardner, president, and Frederick
P. Lee, committee member; Herbert
N. Eaton, Lewis Merriam and Walter
II. McClenons of the Montgomery
County Civic Federation; Ralph D.
Boyd, president of the Allied Civic
Group OF Silver Spring; Mrs. Ralph
Himstead, president of the County
League of Women Voters, and Mrs.
Dean Dinwoody, league member.
Mrs. Dinwoody charged that the
Lindsay bill was introduced by
Former Senate President James J.
Lindsay at the request of E. Brooke
Lee, Montgomery County Demo-
cratic leader, "for the sole purpose
of erecting a barrier to charter
form of government in the county,"
Says Law Was Rushed.
| She also said that the bill was
rushed through in the closing days
of the 1945 session, with no public
hearings.
In a 3-page statement, Mr.. Lee
maintained that the essential insti-
tutions of the American plan Of
government, which include the two
party system and the party primary.
should in no instance be subject
to abolition by local referendum.
THE two-party system" Mr.. Lee
stated, has proven its indispensable
value to the people of the Nation
and to the States of the Nation
and it must not be outlawed county
by county, city by city, or State by
State"
He declared that fundamental
Sl1ol16Co C41C f1lAlC1lCdI SyOICllk Va
government can be changed with
the greatest safety" only at the
national level.
Montgomery Delegate Dewitt S.
Hyde, a member of the judiciary
Committee, asked Mr.. Lee whether
he favored permitting the people of
the county to decide how they want
to elect their local officials. To this,
Mr.. Lee replied, ''yes, within the
limitations of the two-party and
primary systems. I am against the
people being permitted by the Legis-
lature to vote on whether to
eliminate the two-pary system"
Others opposing the bill included
Alfred D. Noyes, representing the
Democratic State Central Com
mittee for the county; James w.
Gill, a former Democratic delegate
to the Legislature from Montgomery
County; Mrs. Genevieve H. Wells,
also a former Democratic delegate,
who represented the Woman's Demo-
cratic and Business and Professional
Women's Clubs Of Silver Spring;
Mrs. Edith. P. Allnutt, president of
the Woman's Democratic Club Of
Montgomery County; Mrs. James H.
Nolan Of the Upper Montgomery
and Rockville Women's Democratic
Club and Joseph A. Cantrel, former
attorney to the county commits
sioners.
Both Mr.. Noyes and .Mt. Cantrel
said nonpartisan election is not the
proper method to be used to permit
Federal employees to participate in
politics.
ITO achieve that" Mr.. Cantrel
said, you should remove the restric-
tions placed against them by the
Hatch Act"
Moran 10 Head Alumni