Evening star., 1951-10-14
By WiIIiom J. EIvin

t14tS W bC do 1olA1OOO AutOAC
ground as nearby Manassas, scene
of the Bull Run Battles of the
Civil War.
Why can't they get along in
Falls Church?
ITS because you never have
anybody who's in the middle, "
says a resident of a neighboring
community who has sat on the
sidelines watching the embroil-
ments OF the last two years.
Take for instance, what hap
pened last week: City Council
faced some 500 citizens who jeered
and bitterly denounced it for ac-
cepting the mass resignation of
six school board members.
Elected Four Months Earlier.
Only four months earlier, this
same council was elected to re-
place the administration which
had appointed the school board.
Then look at what happened
about year ago: There were
fisticuffs in the council chamber.
City officials themselves seemed
ready to join the fracas over the
custer of the City Manager Roy F.
Dunn. They didn't, though.
Councilman Samuel E. McCrary
and City Attorney LaRue Van
Meter contented themselves with
glowering at each other.
Mr.. McCrary added a chapter
to the legend. of Falls Church
feuding by going to court to con-
test his colleagues appointment
OF City Clerk Harry E. Wells as
acting city manager.
Some Of these contests between
groups of citizens stem from cur
rent issues that flare up, are
fought over. and are soon for
gotten. But there is one issue
that pits one faction against
another again and again and now
apparently is ready for another
round. That is the city charter.
Invective In Debates.
At hearings on proposed char
ters in 1916 and 1850. the hard
work put in by men and women
drafting the documents was often
obscured by oratory and invective
IN debates.
A member of the faction which
met defeat in the June election
maintains there can be no COM
promise with the opposition which
he considers to be tied to the State
Democratic machine. He says that
the so-called liberal group took
beating in the June municipal
election because they did real
job OF smearing and our side
wouldn't fight"
On the other hand, a supporter
Of the present council says new
comers who have flooded into the
city since 1910 are impossible to
deal with.
The old council was Just like
the Truman administration" he
says, adding more employees.
spending more money and putting
the city in debt"
Committee In New Drive.
The Committee of 100 to Protect
the Integrity Of Our Schools,
which vainly protested the coun-
ellis acceptance of the School
Boards resignation. now is en-
barked on a drive to qualify citi-
zens to vote.
Councilmen who voted unani-
mously with Mayor Charles e.
Kellogg feel that the School
Boards letter of resignation left
them no choice but to accept.
Board members who signed the
letter said they would stay only as
a body and only if the council |
stopped an investigation.
Most Of the city's difficulties
appear to stem from its small size
only about 2 square miles-and
from its rapid growth in the last
10 years-from about $500 to
more than 5000 persons.
Town Incorporated In rs.
The town Of Falls Church was
incorporated in 1875. Before 1880
the need Of a public school was
recognized and tax was levied.
BY 1899 the town had been re-
duced in size by "de-annexing" an
area to the south now bounded
roughly by Hillwood avenue, An
nandale road and Lee boulevard.
More territory was lost when a
portion of what is now East Falls
Church voted to return to Airing
ton County in 1886. The towns
school system was placed in
Jeopardy because of the loss of
pupils. Some town residents pro-
posed that the schools be merged
with the Fairfax County system.
BY the end of 1941, the Falls
Church Parent-Teacher ASsocia- /.
ton had decided that there would
be advantages to joining with the
county. A committee of the coun-
Gil, including Mr.. Kellogg. the
present mayor. recommended con-
solidation and the council voted
unanimously to ask State legisla-
ton to permit it.
County Built Two Schools.
Almost as soon as the transfer
had been effected, the towns pop
ulation began to soar. The county
built Falls Church High School
and. after World War II, OAK
Street School.
Meanwhile, Mr.. Van Meter, a
Government attorney who had
worked as a teacher and an ath-
letic coach. was named town at
torney, devoting his spare time to
the job.
There we're citizens who were
dissatisfied with county admins
tration of the schools; others with
the lack of municipal planning.
A group of these dissidents pre-
pared a program.
First, a new charter was drafted
to make it easier for approval of
bond issues for town improve