Evening star., 1948-11-14
Democrats Challenged
ByCountyDe DeIegatesto
Back Lindsay Repeal
By ]. B. Zotmon

The afl-Republican Montgomery
County delegation to the General
Assembly last night challenged
county Democratic leaders to- sup
port any move to repeal the con-
troversial Lindsay law at the %1949
session OF the Legislature.
The challenge was contained in
q statement issued by the delega-
ton after a special meeting in the
Silver Spring Office of its chairman,
Anders R. Lofstrand, jr.
The Lindsay law, which prohibits
the nonpartisan election of county
councilmen in any county having
a charter form of government, was
passed at the 1945 session of the
General Assembly. It's adoption was
interpreted by political observers as
an attempt by the county Demo-
cratic organization to prevent the
placing of a nonpartisan election
provision in county charter.
Repeal Bill Defeated.
Such a provision was in the 1914
charter, which was defeated by a
narrow margin in referendum that
year. 1t is not part of the charter
approved by county voters in the
November general election. A bill
to repeal the law, submitted at the
1947 legislative session by the county
delegation, was defeated after Bit
ter fight Opposition to the repeater
was LED by county Democratic
leaders.
The delegations statement fol-
lowed by one day a promise by
E. Brooke Lee, longtime. county
Democratic leader, to swing his
party behind council candidates
nominated by the Charter Commit
tee. The Democratic State Central
Committee for the county previously
had announced it would refrain
from nominating council candidates
or making any recommendations to
the Charter Committees Nominat-
ing Committee
The Republican State Central
Committee has signified its inten-
ton to recommend candidates and
its stand was supported last night
by the delegation.
Democratic Stand Cited.
In it's statement, the delegation
said that If the Charter Committee
desires legislation to repleal the
Lindsay law, the delegation will
again introduce such a bill, thus
carrying out its pledge to the Char
ter Committee in 1946."
THE delegation calls attention" !"
the statement said, "to the fact that
the bill to repeal the Lindsay law
was actively opposed by the Demo-
cratic State Central Committee and
other Democratic leaders at the 1947
session.
Since the Democratic State Gen.
tral Committee and Democratic
leaders have announced they will
now support the charter and active
ly sponsor the election of any coun-
Gil candidates selected by the
Charter Committee, the delegation
assumes it will not meet with op-
position in the next session of the
General Assembly in it's attempt
to repeal the Lindsay law"
Offers to Meet Committee.
At the same time, the delegation
said 1t would be pleased" to meet
with the Charter Committee to dis
cuss proposed legislation which may
be needed to implement the county's
new charter form of government.
The delegation noted that while
adoption of the charter will relieve
1t of considerable local legislation, -
there are many matters of a State
wide and local nature on which it
will have to act and in which citi-
zens and organizations of the county
will be vitality interested"
In supporting the decision of the
Republican state Central Committee
to recommend council candidates,
delegation members said:
"The Republican Party has a re-
sponsibility to the people of the
county, who elected it to power in
1916, to see to it that the best pos
sible candidates are selected in
compliance with the request of the
Charter Committee"