The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1948-04-29
AROI3SID TOWN
WITH THE EDITOR

OSSSSSll! lOu u Il6NGl hllOW Al Wy
reading the grocery ads in the daily
papers, but you really can buy but
ter in any of the stores.
When the previous debate on the
repeating of the margarine tax was
on in Congress, the price of butter
suddenly came down, and it was a
headline in all grocery store ads
But when the agricultural commit
tee voted to shelve the margarine
tax repeal, the price shot up again,
and the article disappeared from the
ads. Now, however, with the mar
garine tax repeal bill very much in
evidence in Congress, don't be sur
prised if the butter prices come down
again and are featured in the papers.
Isn't it funny what competition
will do?
p. S. The women of the country
literally bombarded members of the
House to get the margarine tax re-
peal bill out of committee, and it is
now foregone conclusion that the
bill will pass the House of Repre-
sentatives lin fact, it probably was
passed before this story is printed).
But what will happen to it in the
Senate is something else.
And so, ladies, if you want to get
the price of margarine down (and
this will probably mean reduction
in butter prices too), get busy and
write Senator Willard E. Tydings
and Senator Herbert r. O'Connor,
whose addresses are c/o u. S. Sen
ate Building Washington, d. C., and
let them know what you want.
There's nothing like deluge of let
tiers from voters for getting action.
The action of the Board of Street
Commissioners in holding MD
night meeting on Saturday night for
the purpose of preventing Police
Chief Richards son (who was ar
rested on charge of driving a mo-
torcycle while Under the infiuence)
from being released on bail, was one
of the most amazing things / have
ever heard of.
There's no question that the boy
committed misdemeanor, but 1t
was a charge on which bail is allow
ed and always has been allowed,
and bail in the amount of $1Ol.45
was posted by the boys mother be-
fore the Street Commissioners met.
The fact that he was the son OF the
Chief of Police seems to me to have
nothing to do with it, and l think
some explanation is due from the
Board of Street Commissioners as
to why they took this almost un-
heard of action.
It's interesting to note that
when the lads trial came up on
Monday morning, he was fined the
exact amount of the collateral post
ed by his mother, and no additional
charges were preferred against him.
1t seems to me that a bad precedent
was set when the Board of Street
Commissioners suddenly decided
to invoke the letter of the law.
Everyone, of course, knows that
strictly speaking, nobody but mag
istrate or a judge is empowered to
set bail, but on this type of charge
it has been common practice for
years to accept bail usually in the
minimum amount of the fine under
the law
One of the finest annual banquets
of the Hagerstown Chamber of Com
merce was held in the Hotel Alex
ander ballroom last week, when John
Baer, the retiring president, made
his final report and introduced his
successor, Herman B. Hopes.
The feature of the evening was an
address by Thomas R. Reid, one of
the outstanding young men of the
Nation, who spoke on the intriguing
subject, Government Is Your Bust
ness" To me, the punch of his adj
dress came in his closing remarks
when he told the assembled audi
ence (and by the way, it was one OF
the largest audiences ever to attend
a Chamber banquet) that business
men have no right to criticize gov
eminent unless they are willing to
get into government themselves.
Mr.. Reid wasn't expounding a
theory, for he himself, although a
prominent business man in Balti-
more, has accepted the challenge,
being himself a member of the Bal
timore City Council, and he threw
out challenge to the young bust
ness men of Hagerstown to do the
same as he has done and take their
part in the actual government OF
their community.
With the City election coming up