davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Chapel Hill weekly., 1949-06-03

issue is subject to discount be-
cause of the companies obvious
interest in preventing the tax
raise.
Some of the advocates of the
bond issue are making a big to-
do about the oil companies OPP
position. This is good counter
propaganda and good tactics,
and it will probably win many
votes for the bonds. The oil
companies would have done well
to stay out of the controversy.
What about the propaganda
on the other side-on behalf of
| the bonds?
Nobody gets more proclama-
Itions, manifestoes, declarations,
appeals, and pleadings, in the
interest of this or that or the
other cause, than does a news
paper editor, and ! have had a
long experience as receiver Of
such documents. / have never
seen more of high-pressure
propaganda campaign, or one
that aroused more readily the
suspicion that financial aid was
coming from big-moneyed per-
sons whose names did not ap-
pear on the literature" than
the campaign for the road bonds
that has been carried on in the
last few weeks BY the organiza-
tion called Better Schools &
Roads, Incorporated, with head
quarters in Raleigh. | have re-
ceived ten times as much propa-
ganda from this organization as
from all opponents Of the road
bond issue put together.
II is common talk around the
State that this campaign is
being handsomely subsidized by
the truck operators, and the
road contractors are mentioned
as probable collaborators in the
financing There is certainly
good ground Tor believing It to
be true of the truck operators,
because at the recent session of
the legislature bill desired by
them, raising the legal limit on
the weight Of trucks using the
highways, was enacted into law
without opposition from Cover
nor Scott. While he was preach
ing the gospel of road improve
ment he was giving his sanction
to a measure that would help
break down the roads!
The fact that one set of selfish
favors the road bonds
and another set opposes them
does not affect the merits Of the
arguments on either side. Bene-
fit to selfish interests is an Incl
dental result Of any public i'm
provement. The point / am max
ing here is merely that there is
no sense or fairness in censur-
ing one interest for opposing the
bonds and ignoring the fact that
another interest is Gas every
body supposes) giving juicy f.
nancial aid in support of cam
paign Of propaganda in support
OF the bonds Maybe the oil
companies would have been wiser
not to come out into the open
as opponents Of the bonds but to
operate through the medium of
an association, society or league
with a high-sounding name redo
lent Of noble purpose.
Early in the session Of the
legislature Governor Scott an
nounced with satisfaction that
Gods Blessing Called Dow
The Chapel Hill weekly., 1949-06-03
About the Road Bonds

propagandists for the road bone
issue of $500, 600, 900 are trying
to make it appear that anybody
who wants good roads must be
in favor Of the bond issue, and
hence, that anybody who is OPP
posed to the bond issue is, there
fore, opposed to good roads. OF
course | do not mean that all the
spokesmen for the bond issue
engage in such silly talk there
are some who present arguments
in an orderly and decent man
ner. The persons am talking
about are those who are utter
ing, in letters to editors and
ever ct ia he g sadle lot Of IL tts.ipIee Iee
about how the present con-
troversy is one between go-for-
ward" and 'go-backWard" ele-
ments in the State. This is an
easy way for ballyhooers to ap-
peal to people who are capable
of being persuaded by slogans
and who like To be classed as
progressiye-minded, but certain
" no person of intelligence
should be taken in by it.
The word propaganda has
taken on an evil significance, for
the reason that propaganda has
often sprung from Interior mo-
tives and has been aided by
lying. But the same thing can
be said of an argument or q
claim or a plea.
There is nothing wrong with
propaganda in itself 1t is simply
the dissemination of informa-
tion and arguments on behalf of
some cause. Everybody is free
to be propagandist. Likewise,
everybody at the receiving end
of propaganda is free to have
his opinion about the quality of
it, about the proportion of
truth or error that it contains,
and about the motives of the
persons who are sending it out.
The use of propaganda is essen
tial to the democratic process.
The speeches and writings of
candidates and their advocates
in a political campaign-all this
is propaganda. Naturally you
discount a statement made by a
person who has an obviously sell
flsh motive in making it. That
doesn't mean that you put the
statement down as false. 1t
means that you listen to it or
read it with more skepticism
than you would if it were made
by some person whom you be-
lieved to be absolutely unbiased.
After comparing it with other
persons statements, or making
an inquiry on your own account.
you may decide that it is true
despite the fact that the person
who made it was trying to per-
suade people to do something to
his own advantage (cast votes
for him, for example).
The fact that a lawyer is paid
to present an argument in court
doesn't mean that his argument
should be disregarded. The jury
men weigh what he says against
what the opposing lawyer says,
and consider both arguments in
the light Of the testimony of
witnesses. Naturally, they apply
a discount to bias, or what they
think is bias, whether Of an adj
vocate or witness. So it is with
propaganda.
The road bond issue, if it is
approved, will carry with it a
raise in the tax on gasoline; SO,
of course the oil companies
propaganda against the bond
The Chapel Hill weekly., 1949-06-03

Early in the session Of the
legislature Governor Scott an
nounced with satisfaction that
Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1949-11-10
Viers Mill Village
Gasoline Blast
Kills Boy; Two Hurt

A two year old boy was fatally
injured and two adults were badly
burned shortly before p. m. Tues
day when several cans of gasoline
exploded in the basement of home
at 1902 Colin rd., Viers Mill
Village.
The boy, Michael, was playing
in the basement while his mother,
Mrs. Mary Hill, %, was visiting
with Mr.. and Mrs. Thomas Distin,
next door neighbors.
AS the blast vibrated through
the house, Mrs. Hill and Mr.. Dis
tin rushed to the flaming basement
and dragged Michael to safe dis
lance from the fire.
Montgomery County police took
all three to Bethesda Naval Hos
pital where Michael failed to rally
and died at $3.50 p. m. from shock
and burns. DR.. Frank ]. Bros
chart, Montgomery County medi-
cal examiner, issued a certificate of
accidental death. Mr.. Distin was
reported to be in serious condition.
Police theorized that flame or
heat from a hot water heater had
ignited the gas.
Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1949-11-10
Rebels and Yankees
From Local School
To See N. Y. Game

Several Richard Montgomery
teachers are heading for Yankee
Stadium, New York City, this
weekend to see the Carolina-Notre
Dame game.
This game has been a sell-out for
a month. However there may be
something many people don't have
in common with Richard Mont
gomery. Truth is, the local high
school Phys-Ed classes are super
vised by one Yankee and one Rebel
the former being a Notre Dame
graduate, namely Bob Finnegan,
and the latter "tar-heel born
and tar-heel bred", Maynard
Haithcock.
One other staunch Carolinian
North, that isl in the school, is
Miss Pauline Abeyounis, and she
too, will be right in there giving
the old rebel support.
Mr.. and Mrs. Eugene Moran are
also making the trip. Mr.. Moran
is teacher of Junior High subjects.
As Moran and Finnegan are both
full blooded Irishmen, they will be
yelling their heads off for the
Irish.
Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1949-11-10
NOn-Partisan County
Government To Be
Discussed By Mr.. Lee

How political parties can func.
ton under our non-partisan county
government will be discussed by
Frederic P. Lee, County Council
President, when he speaks before
the Democratic Woman's Club of
Bethesda, November II, at 8 p. m.
in the County Building. This has
long been an important question
and center of many an argument
among politically minded people
of the county, and Mr.. Lee is sure
to have something interesting to
say about it. He will also discuss
some of the major changes in coun-
ty government under the County
Council.
The meeting is open to the pub
lie and special invitation is ex-
tended to men although the meet
ing is sponsored by the Demo-
cratic Woman's Club of Bethesda.
Election of officers for next year
will precede Mr.. Lees talk, ac-
cording to Mrs. Ivan Assay, presi-
dent.
Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1949-11-10
Honorary Members
Dined By County
Press On Saturday

A take-off on Montgomery Coun-
ty events, in Gridiron Club style,
highlighted the Montgomery Coun-
ty Press Association dinner last
night at the Bethesda Country
Club.
Fun was poked at county off
cials and newspaper people in 2
skit written by Leslie Sanders,
editor of the Bethesda journal.
Principal speakers were Howard L.
Kany and Fletcher Knebel, Wash
ington newspapermen.
The dinner was held to honor
to the associations honorary mem
bers, E. Brooke Lee of the Mary
land State Planning Commission
Brooke Johns, former president of
the Board of County Commission
ers, and Mrs. Marion L. Clark,
former correspondent for the Star.
A fourth honorary member, John
Coffman, retired publisher of the
Takoma Journal, was unable to
attend.
Ernie Tanner, Station WGAY
broadcaster, was master of cere-
monies. Byron Sedgwick is presi-
dent of the association.
Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1949-11-10
Weekly Papers Are Making
News For CRY DaiIies
Great Many Changes Are Being Made;
New Paper To Make Appearance Here

IL is not often that a news
paper breaks into the news. For
the past two weeks Montgomery
County has been full Of news about
its weeklies, their editors, pub
fishers and staff-they have been
attracting the attention Of the
daily press.
First, Blair Lee, III resigned as
editor of the Maryland News to
take his fathers place on the Park
and Planning Commission; Helen
Cooper, society editor Of the News
added TO the confusion by getting
married and going Off on honey
moon; the Montgomery Record
became full-sized informal and
moved over 10 Prince Georges 10
be printed; Leslie Sanders Of the
Bethesda Journal wrote satirical
epic for the Press Club dinner and
is on the way TO becoming famous
locally anyway; an intrepid
couple announced competition for
the 94-year-old Sentinel in Rock
vile and the Sentinel editor de-
cided she and her assistant, Verna
Beall Merry, needed an assistant,
so Betty Schroeder has Joined the
staff for one day week.
Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1949-11-10
Woman Fleeces
County Men In
Healing Hoax

A woman pickpocket who rep
resented herself as a healer of
aches, pains and heart diseases,
fieeced two county men of their
money last week
Frank M. Hackel, about 65, of
IL Chestnut Street, Gaithersburg,
told police he was robbed of $114.00
in front of the Lyric Theatre in
Gaithersburg. Henry Pfaff, II,
a former baliff of the Montgomery
County Circuit Court, was relieved
of $4,000 in Bethesda. Police pre-.
dicted that the pickpocket would
try to victimize others in the Wash
ington area because she was last
seen headed toward the city.
In both pocket pickings reported,
the procedure was the same. As
related to the Sentinel reporter,
this is what happened in Gathers
burg. A dark sedan, driven by a
man and woman of dark complex
ion, drove up beside Mr.. Hackel
and requested directions to the
Catholic church. The woman ex-
planned that they were healers,
preparing for services that eve
ming. Unsolicited she offered to
heal Mr.. Hackel of his pains and
after blessing him by laying hands
on him several times, she got into
the car and the couple drove away.
1t was several minutes before Mr..
Hackel discovered his loss.
Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1949-11-10

Gerald X. Hughes, a veteran of
the New York Press was selected
as editor Of the Maryland News.
In announcing the appointment
its former editor Blair Lee, III,
stated that, "Mr. Hughes bring to
the paper a number Of years ex-
perience as working newspapers
man, having started in his home
town Of Elmira, New York. He
has had experience in various
phases Of newspaper, radio and
publicity work-was with the Owl
during the war. Mr. Hughes came
TO Washington in 1910. He, his
wife and two sons, Gerald X. jr.,
and John X. Hughes, now live in
Silver Spring. Mr.. and Mrs.
Hughes met the County Press at
the Press Club dinner on Satur-
day.
Miss Cooper, who was married
two weeks ago TO Edward Wengras
Of Altoona, sales manager for the
Silver Spring Canada Dry Gin
ger Ale Inc, will continue her work
on the News.
Les Sanders skit, done in grid
iron club style, was such hit that
Continued on Page 81
Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1949-11-10

Alexander Hancock, Leo Bender,
(the last to go down on his side)
William F. Prettyman, F. Barnard
Welsh and few others.
Frank Williams, jr. was cap
tain for one side with John Bow
man pinch hitting for DR.. William
A. Linthicum (another famous
speller) who was called away. No
one was more surprised than John
when he mispelled the very first
word-he spent the rest of the time
sitting on the sidelines correctly
spelling the hard words and con-
selling himself that he knew how
to pick winning team.
Here are a few of what Mr..
Robertson called easy ones" Che
held the book Parliamentary,
hermophrodite, hemmorrhage, Yah
web, diarrhea, schizoid, sclerotitis,
arterioclerosis, electrokinetics.
Among the starting words were
such as picayune, camouflage,
Continued on Page 81
Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1949-11-10
More Jurors
Drawn By
Court Judges

Judges of Montgomery County
Circuit Court have summoned %
additional persons for jury service
during the November term of
court, which opens Monday.
These citizens were called as re-
placements for persons previously
summoned who have been excused
from duty. The jury list, as COM
pleted, numbers 48. From that
group the court will select one 70
serve as foreman of the new grand
jury.
Citizens who replaces those ex-
cused whose names were made
public at Rockville on Monday are:
Isaac D. Cubitt, Grace v.
Dorsey, Helen w. Darby, Rowan
F. Erb, Ebert Richardson, Emma
]. King, Clayton W. Ricketts,, Alice
w. Hostetler, John M. Tregoning,
William M. Wright, Paul F. Myers.
Also William E. Sibley, James
P.i Warfield, Lana L. Fritz, Luz
THE o. Bridgewater, George A.
Dorr, Wooster N. Baliles, Hugh
Saum, Agnes Alconn, Clara Eu-
genia Cashell, Charles E. Deffin-
baugh and William M. Adgate.
Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1949-11-10
Rockville Mayor
To Speak Before
State Group

G. Lamar Kelly, Jr., of Rock
vile will be one of the speakers
at the annual meeting of the Mary
land League of Municipalities to be
held in Baltimore on November IS
and 10. John G.. Mcdonald, town
manager will accompany Mr.. Kelly
to the meeting which will be at
tended by the representatives of
sixty-three municipalities. Mr..
Kelly's topic will be "What the
League of Municipalities Means to
a Maryland Mayor"
Mayor John C. Post of Takoma
Park is President of the League,
which has been revitalized in the
past two years. DR.. Joseph M. Ray,
Executive Secretary, has announc-
ed that Mayor Thomas D'Alesan-
dro, of Baltimore, will welcome the
delegates to the convention. Ad-
dresses during the first afternoon
will be given by Mayor Herman l..
Mills of Hagerstown; Robert M.
Reindollar, Chairman of the State
Roads Commission; and Major
Ruxton M. Ridgely, of the Depart
ment of Maryland State Police.
The program for the second day
will include talks on Current Lo-
cal Tax Patterns" by Richard w.
Case, Chairman of the Maryland
Tax Survey Commission of 1919;
Progress in Establishment of Uni
form Accounts" by Benjamin S.
Shilling, Jr., of the Maryland Com
mission of Uniform Accounts; "a
Constitutional Convention and
Home Rule" by Thomas B. Finan,
City Attorney, Cumberland" and
Mayor Kelly's talk.
Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1949-11-10
ThoumotoIogy Stays Rotary
Members AT Spelling Bee

"Thaumatology" was the word
that finally broke up the party,
ended the fun and left Judge
Charles w. Woodward standing
alone, at a meeting of the Rock
vile Rotary Club last Thursday
at the Hungerford Tavern. The
occasion was the annual spelling
bee, for which his fellow members
declare Lawyer Clifford H. Robert
son spends the intervening year
searching for words with which
to bedevil them.
Medical terms, geographical and
scientific words and plain tricky
ones, proved that Rockville has
some good spoilers, mostly among
the older generation. Proponents
of simplified spelling would have
been right at home and Noah Web
ster would have gone off his beam
in the early stages before the old
regulars" were left standing.
Close seconds to Judge Wood
ward as spoilers were Father Ham,
Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1949-11-10
Sandy Spring Scout And
Rockville Leader On Trip

Mollie Miller, Is, a Girl Scout
of Troop 80 Sandy Spring, will fly
to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Monday
morning to attend a three-day
convention of the National Girl
Scout Council. She has been in
vited by the Convention Committee
to give a five-minute talk on
Ranger Scouting and her troops
experience in conservation work
and camping.
The daughter of Mr.. and Mrs.
Robert H. Miller of Spencerville,
she was chosen from Scouts all
over the country because Troop 80
is the only troop in the country
to have it's own wildlife preserve
to develope and care for. Last
Spring Lotion Wesley turned his
18-acre conservation area at GAIL
oway", his farm at Browns
Corner, over to the care of this
Senior Scout Troop.
Mollie will also represent the
Washington, d. c. and Montgom-
cry County Girl Scout Council at
the convention. Each Council all
over the country is allowed to send
few Senior Scouts as guests to
the convention. They may observe
and report on the functions Of
their councils but are not entitled
to vote.
Mrs. Mae Belt Fraley, Rockville
leader Of Troop 80, the oldest
troop in the county, will represent
the up-county districts, as well as
the whole Washington, d. c. Mont
gonery County Girl Scout Council
as the official delegate. Only the
delegates, Of which each district
may send one, may vote on the
issues taken up at the convention.
All registered adult Girl Scouts
are invited to attend the conven-
ton which meets every two years.
They may enter into the discus
sions and make reports but are
not entitled TO vote.
Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1949-11-10
Speaker From England

Bryan Green of London, Eng
land, who has stirred crowds in
the British Empire with his religi-
Gus talks, will conduct a service
at the Washington Cathedral every
night from November 13 to No
vember 20. Mr.. Green recently con-
Quoted a similar service at St.
Johns Cathedral in New York,
with capacity audiences and many
listening to him in the streets via
lound speaker. The public is invited
to hear him.
Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1949-11-10

sion, treated in a separate sec
ton, was also considered
sound" and the county Gre
dit should not be rated down
because of the W.S.S.C., the
report stated. Their findings
are contained in a 116-page
booklet which was released to the
public on Tuesday. They also made
numerous recommendations to the
County Council which had ordered
the survey.
Its purpose, according to Council
President, Frederic P. Lee, was to
compile a readily available source
of information on the county's fin
ancial affairs. He said such infor-
nation also was needed as result
of the action Of credit agencies in
rating down" the value of county
bonds, thus making them more diff
ficult to sell and forcing the county
to pay higher interest rates.
Mr.. Lee attributed this condition
principally to the practice of for
mer Boards of County Commissions
ers in refunding bonds when they
came due, rather than paying them
off. This policy changed in 1947, he
said, and the county now pays it's
obligations when they mature.
Changeover to the charter form
of government, coupled with the
activities of the present council,
are according to the report, ire
sulting in improvements in the con-
duct of the county's government
and financial affairs The consul
tants conclude that the present tax
rate is not too high, and imposes q
relatively light burden on the aver
age taxpaying citizen.
Although the overall debt of the
county is high, and obviously will
have to be increased to meet needs
for new improvements, the added
debt burden will not strain the
taxpaying ability of the people, it
was stated.
1t was recommended that the
county charge the Sanitary and
Planning Commission, incorporated
towns and special improvement
areas for it's services in collecting
their taxes for them.
Under another recommendation
the county would fix a uniform
charge for all road construction
and maintenance, rather than
treating these projects in the SUI
burban areas as matters of "spe-
cial benefit" Eventually, the re-
port stated, the cost of highway
construction and maintenance
should be paid out Of the county's
general tax fund, and not from spe-
cial assessments, as at present.
Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1949-11-10
Mrs. Roosevelt
Speaks To Group
Visiting UN

Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt spoke to
the group from Montgomery Coun-
ty which went up to see the United
Nations in action last Friday. The
trip, sponsored by the League of
Women Voters of the Washington
area, accomplished it's purpose,
Mrs. Merrill Murray, Chairman of
the U. S. Train arrangements for
Montgomery County, said. "The
United Nations will no longer be a
vague concept in the minds of the
children who made the trip, but a
working reality, and many of the
adults have reported that they
learned lot, too"
The high points of the trip for
the large delegation from the
County, at large portion of which
were school children, were Mrs.
Roosevelt's speech on tolerance and
the difficulty of drafting an agree
ment in many languages, and the
simultaneous translation system in
use at Lake Success.
Carolyn Gotham, of the 9th grade
of Leland Junior High, said she
was interested in everything on the
trip but nothing equaled "the con-
ference room we saw in which
world history was being made"
Roberta Holland, also of the 9th
grade at Leland said, "The thing
that impressed me most was Eleanor
Roosevelt's speech about tolerance.
l realize now that though it is
easy to ask others to be tolerant,
it is not always easy to be tolerant
Yourself"
Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1949-11-10
Council Names
Advisory Board
For Libraries

Looking toward an integrated
system of libraries for the county,
the County Council on Tuesday
appointed a committee to deter
mine the requirements of public
libraries.
The following were appointed to
the committee to be known as the
Library Advisory Committee:
Stephen Tuhy, a lawyer from
Silver Spring.
David Stowe of Bethesda, Adj
ministrative Assistant to the Presi-
dent of the United States.
Ralph Remley of Bethesda,
member of the Classification Di-
vision of the U. s. Civil Service
Commission and member of the
Advisory Committee of the Be-
thesda Library.
Mrs. Donald Bliss of Takoma
Park, Chairman of the Library
Committee of the P. T. A. Council.
John Cheney, a librarian in
charge of the Group Discussion of
the District of Columbia Public
Libraries, from Westmoreland
Hills.
Uric Hutton of Brinklow, an
engineer active in the work of the
Sandy Spring Library.
Mrs. benonl Allnutt of Dawson
vile, a housewife and former
County supervisor Of music.
Guy Jewell of Damascus, Vive-
Principal of the Richard Mont
gomery High School.
Mrs. Robert Ladd of Rockville,
a housewife. Na
Mrs. George Nicolson of Comus,
president Of the Comus Home
makers Club.
Thomas S. Jackson Of Kensing-
ton, lawyer.
1t was explained that the board
will be instructed to consult with
existing Libraries to ascertain if
they are adequate for their COM
munities or if countrywide
system should be established.