Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1950-09-13
Rural Leader CHARGES
Fairfax Manager Plan
is Bid for Control

- LIN wi VVkAhu VI
A charge that advocates of the
manager form of government in
Fairfax County are making a
bold and ruthless" bid for con-
troll of county politics was made
today by a group of rural resi-
dents.
Bryant Smith, Chantilly dairy
farmer and merchant, said an ex-
animation of the record shows the
manager group is not really in
terested in government reform,
but in gaining control of the
county.
Mr.. Smith said he spoke for a
group of residents in the Chan
tilly community.
At the same time, Rufus Cold
well, Fairfax, a member of the
recent government study commits
sion, said that as a believer of
representative government he is
convinced the freedom loving"
citizens of the county will join
hands to defeat the "viciousness"
of the county manager govern
ment plan and the advocates be-
hind that plan.
Letter To Carper.
In a letter to G.. Wallace Car
per, chairman of the Board Of
Supervisors. Mr.. Coldwell took ex-
ception to a statement by the
county Federation of Citizens As
sociations, published last Sunday,
that If manager form is not
adopted, then a redistrictiflg will
be forced on the county, thus de-
priving the rural district of two
of their three representatives on
the Board of Supervisors.
'"The records ought to show
that at the first public hearing
at Lorton. I voiced the idea under
the presently completed Federal
census, a redistricting of Magis-
terial districts could be readily
accomplished providing for equal
population in each of the six
districts, and was the answer to
the contention made that night
that there were inequalities as to
representation of the Board of
Supervisors" Mr.. Coldwell wrote.
"As the hearings progressed, ?"
he continued, lit was obvious that
the voluble county manager plan
adherents wanted no redistrict-
ing and finally advanced at one
of the final hearings the absurd
idea, I then challenged, which IS
now contained in the statement
that if election by districts is re-
tanned, a redistricting would be
forced upon the minority in the
rural areas whereupon such mi
nority will find itself with one
representative-at most-instead
of the three it now has"
Vehicle to Gain Power.
Mr.. Coldwell said the movement
toward Government reform whicr
the Federation speaks of as hav-
ing worked for the last 10 years is
a philosophy of control of oul
county Government and of using
its plan as vehicle in which to
ride into power"
He said the movement behind
| ooIInfy roonooor ,o1oo &c mi oo.,
fined to Fairfax County, but is
spreading through the State. Both
should be repulsed in November
he added, so that representative
government may be retained.
ANY plan providing unrestrained
and unapproved appointments of
too many officials to run our gov
eminent in Fairfax County can
not be for the best interests of the
masses of people," Mr.. Coldwell
said.
For we have in our time seen
totalitarians inf1ltrate our Fed
eral Government as appointees to
high offices, working insidiously
for alien PHILOSOPHERS and ideolo-
gies of government. ..''
The "real truth" became ap-
parent last Sunday, Mr.. Smith
said, in statement issued by the
Federation of Fairfax County Citi-
lzens' Association.
Issue Held Representation.
After reading this statement, he
continued, it became clear that the
issue is not more efficient gov
ernment, but representation. For
under the county manager form
the urban areas will have complete
control of the members of the
Board of Supervisors, thus dis
franchising all voters in the rural
areas, as well as other county
minority groups.
I'm this ISSUE" Mr.. Smith said,
every true liberal in the county
should line up in support of the
county executive form of govern
ment as recommended by a recent
government study commission ap-
pointed by the Board of Supervi-
SorS.
ut is an oversimpliflcation to
say that this is struggle between
an urban majority and a rural
minority. There are at least three
minority groups in the county
the farmers, an economic group;
the colored voters, or racial group,
and the Republican Party or
lpolitical group"