The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1951-05-31
Around Town With
The Editor

Due to the fact that the printing
plant was closed on Wednesday be-
cause of the Memorial Day holidays,
this weeks issue had to be printed
on Tuesday
am unable, therefore, to give
you any report on the regular Tues
day meeting of the Board of County
Commissioners.
Congratulations to my buddy,
Carolyn Long, daughter of Mr.. and
Mrs. Philip A. Long, 1875 Roessne~
Avenue extended, on being named
to the Junior Honor Society. She
is a member of the graduating class
of South Potomac Junior High.
Nice going Carolyn.
The public hearing held by the
Mayor and Council on Friday night,
called for the purpose of considering
the coming of Section 2 of pro-
posed coming ordinance for the City
of Hagerstown and advertised as
such according to law, developed
into type of meeting that, to say
the least of it, was mighty poor adj
vertising for the City of Hagerstown.
Since it is obvious that two mem
bers of the Council at least-Luther
Bloom and Roy Knight -- are still
dissatisfied with that Section of the
zoning ordinance (already enacted
into law concerning the North End,
it is high time that the matter be
disposed of once and for all, as far
as the Mayor and Council is con-
cerned, and it can be disposed of
very simply.
Part of paragraph II, Section 2,
of the City Charter, states very
clearly that a special meeting of the
Mayor and Council can be called at
any time by not less than four mem
bers of the Council when, in their
Judgment, such a meeting is neces-
sary. All that is needed, therefore,
is for Councilmen Knight and Broom
to get two other Councilmen to go
along with them and request spe-
cial meeting for the purpose of re-
considering Section | of the Zoning
Ordinance.
If four Councilmen request such
meeting, then the matter can be
thrashed out in an orderly and legal
manner and some action taken. But,
on the other hand, if Councilmen
knight and Broom cannot get two
other members of the Council to go
along with them on a special meet
ing, then they should drop the mat
ter altogether.
The passing of the Bingo Bill (see
Synopsis of State Bills elsewhere on
this page), together with the recent
court action regarding the use of
gambling devices in the city of Ha-
gerstown, will, l imagine, present
quite a problem for the Hagerstown
Fair Board when the time comes for
them to make arrangements for the
Midway at the 1851 Fair
Of course, we all know that on the
Midway at all fairs there are all
kinds of games of chance of one sort
or another. Some of them of course,
could be regarded as games of skill,
but most of them, particularly those
that depend on the spinning of a
wheel, are just as much gambling
devices as slot machines, punch
boards, etc.
Since the laws on the statutes
books of the State prohibit such
gambling devices in Washington
County, it seems obvious to me that
their use at the Fair is just as illegal
as the use of slot machines and
punch boards and should merit the
same action.
am bringing this matter to the
attention of the Fair Board at this
time, in order that they may con-
suit with the Police Department,
the States Attorney, and the Board
of County Commissioners (who must
issue permits for bingo games) and
thus prevent possible embarrass-
ment for all concerned.
PHIL O'CONNELL HEADS