Evening star., 1950-10-01

!
said he had been under mental
strain for some time.
Fairfax League Calls
Executive Form Best
To Protect Minority
A county executive form ot
government is the best method OF
protecting the political rights OF
minority groups. according to a
statement issued yesterday by the
Fairfax County League of Civic
Organizations.
County voters will decide in a
referendum November 7 whether
they want change in the present
county setup and, if so, whether
they favor the executive or mana
ger form.
The League of Civic Organiza-
tlons. formed recently, expressed
the fear that under the county
manager form of government
civic minorities would have little
or no representation in county
affairs.
Text of Statement.
The groups statement, issued
from the office of General Chair
man Charles D. Hamel, former
judge of the United States Tax
Court, follows:
Virginia counties, such as Hen
rico and Albemarle, which have
been benef1ting from the execu-
tlVe-manager type of county gov
ernment - enjoying the advan-
tages of the county manager sys-
tenn without its DISADVANTAGES
have had for many years now the
method of representation whereby
the majority of the voters in each
magisterial district choose the
supervisor. A
This is the basic advantage Of
the county executive form. 1t
affords every minority group the
maximum opportunity for the
exercise of its proper influence In
county affairs. The word mi
nority' should not be regarded as
referring solely to religious or
racial groups, though the principle
OF needed protection against the
arbitrariness of any temporary
majority is always the same, ire
spectlve of what minority is in
volved. In Fairfax County, how
ever, what gives us most concern
today is the injury that may be
done to civic minorities by an ar
bitrary majority.
Evidence of Trend Found.
The verwemphasis in the argu-
ment made by advocates of the
county manager form on the SUBJ
Ject OF repFesentation-as it re-
lates to the fact that SO per cent
OF the population resides in three
magisterial districts and II ne,
cent in three other magisteria,
dlStricts-is the best example o1
the injury that can be done tt
minority groups. It indicates q
/ trend OF thought. It reveals what
the new majority-if they succeed
in the coming election-intend tc
do with their power agains,
minorities.
1t means that the II per cen
OF the people are to have n,
rights in county affairs excep
those that the pressure group VIII,
expect to control the SO per cen
| condescend to bestoW. Certainl,
the representatives of the minor
lty have heretofore never exer
clSd any control over the majority
. and. of course, cannot. The record
moreover, of the 1880 votes take,
. IN the Board of Supervisors be-
tween January /, 1948, and Angus
, /, last-the period for which tn,
present Board has been in Office
shows that not a single dissentin,
decision was made by combina
ton OF the three supervisors rep
resenting the districts containin,
. the II per cent of the population
In fact, there were 1912 unani
nous decisions. This shows tina
) the interests of the entire count,
and not sectional consideration
were taken into account by ou
/, board Of supervisors. It shoult
be noted that, out of the SO dis
sentlng decisions, a supervise
from a populous district and ,
supervisor from a less populou
district were in every case on tn,
same side.
There are. of course, from tim,
TO time local problems so impor
tant that a supervisor from eithe,
an urban or a rural district feel
IN duty bound to present vigor
ously the wishes of his constitu
ents. What chance has a small
civic association to exercise it.
influence If the supervisor meet
not be responsive to its wishe
but only to the wishes of a DO
litical machine or pressure grou,
which makes up the general slat,
for the whole county and win
his election for him?
!, Minorities Numerous.
/ These civic minorities are scat
tered geographically but they ar,
numerous. If, for example, a civi,
minority has 100 votes out of tn
1000 who vote in a given district
this small pro1lp NOV oorba nc y,ar