Evening star., 1950-03-11
'BootheFights
Partisan Votino
In Alexandria
Asks Virginia House
To Reject Senote's
Charter Amendment
By q sioff Correspondent of The s,ar

RICHMOND, Mar. 11.-AS the
General Assembly went into its
final session today. an attempt
was to be made to restore a pro-
hibition against partisan elections
for Alexandria councilmen in the
city's new charter.
Delegate Armistead Boothe.
Alexandria, said he would ask the
House to reject Senate amend
ments to the charter bill. The
amendments would permit politi-
cal parties to enter the council
election contests.
The Senate yesterday ignored
a plea from Senator Andrew w.
Clarke, Alexandria, to reject a
committee amendment which
makes non-partisan council elec.
tions possible, but not mandatory.
The vote on this question was
10 to 18. Senator Clarke re-
minded the Senate that in 1s4s
the General Assembly had passed
the Richmond city charter with
a prohibition against partisan
council election.
Cites Earlier Opposition.
Il thought it was wrong to
put it into the Richmond char
ter" he said, and I fought it at
the time. Last year when the
people of my city voted on this
particular question, I fought 1t
then. But the people of Alexan-
dria decided this question, gentle
men, and I. as their representa-
tive here, ask that you give them
what they want.
"You were opposed to this pro-
vision in the Richmond charter in
1948 but you extended senatorial
courtesy to the representatives Of
this city. All I ask for you to do
now is to extend to me that same
senatorial courtesy and give me
what my people have specifically
asked for"
Committee Chairman Mosby G..
Perrow, Lynchburg, explained that
the proposed language in the bill
would have been an outright pro-
hibition against the Democrats
and the Republicans from enter
ing the council elections.
1--WE felt" Senator Perrow said,
that the charter should be silent
on this provision. The commit
tee has deleted similar language
from three or four other charters
that have come before it during
this session."
Ban on Party Seen.
The chairman said 1t was a
mistake for the Assembly to have
given Richmond this type Of
charter.
Il, for one. will never vote to
ban the Democratic Party from
an election" he shouted.
All this committee has done is
to prohibit prejudice against the
Democratic Party"
This is the language the COM
mittee removed from the charter,
which had been approved in an
advisory referendum in Alex
andria last November:
mo primary election shall be
held for the nomination of candi-
dates for the office of councilman,
and candidates shall be nominated
only by petition.
The rest of the bill remains
intact as submitted so that If
the local Democratic and Repub-
hcan Committees agree to abstain
from naming candidates, such as
has been done in Arlington, the
city election could be held on a
non-partisan basis.
Vote Was 2,700 to LOO.
Senator Clarke opened his
statement with these words:
II am not speaking so far as
my heart is concerned. I don't
think any city in Virginia should
have this language in its charter.
But come here to represent the
people of my city and they have
spoken on this question. I opposed
this feature of the Richmond
charter. opposed non-partisan
elections in Alexandria in i949
and we were defeated. I ask you
now. in all earnestness, to give
my people what they have said
they want"
The non-partisan question was
approved by about 2,7o0 to 1,7o0
asst November. Senator Clarke
was alone among the Northern
in voting to reject the
committees amendment, Those
voting against him included SEN
ator Harry F. Byrd, jr., Win
chester; Charles r. Fenwick,
Arlington; Raymond r. Guest,
Bayard, and E. O.. McCue, jr.,
Charlottesville. Senators Robert
z. Button, Culpeper, and Ben
lamin T. Pitts, Fredericksburg,
we're among those not voting.
After defeating the motion to
reject the committees amend
nent, the Senate voted to accept
Ill committee amendments. When
,he bill came up for passage, the
vote was 81 to /, with Senator
Clarke voting alone.
A similar provision in the Falls
Church charter was stricken out
~ a House committee with the
;anle results and for the same
easons given by Senator Perrow.
The Falls Church charter is on the
Senate calendar for final action
oday.
Inasmuch as the changes to the
Alexandria charter were made in
he Senate, the bill-which orig
mated IN the House-must be sent
'ack to the lower branch for con-
urrence in amendments. It is on
his move that Mr.. Boothe hopes to
make last-ditch fight to reinstate
ne non-partisan requirement.