Evening star., 1951-12-05
County Attorney
Offers 10 Resign
After Verbal Tilt
Commissioners to Ask
Fisher to Reconsider
Action Before Friduy

Fisher to Reconsider
Action Before Friduy
Adrian P. Fisher has offered
lis resignation as Prince Georges
County attorney, after a heated.
1erbal battle with Commissioner
Edward j. Med" Waters.
Mr.. Fishers letter Of resigna-
ion. however. has not been &C.
;epted by the commissioners.
Board President Thomas z.
Latimer, who has the letter. said
he is going to try to get Mr..
Fisher to withdraw it before it
formally would be considered by
the full board at Fridays meeting.
Stalks Out Of Meeting.
Mr.. Fisher stalked out Of the
board meeting in Upper Marlboro
yesterday, after Mr.. Waters chal-
lenged a recent legal opinion in
which the attorney advised the
commissioners they have no legal
means of reopening the Berwyn
road crossing over the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad tracks.
1.-The county's legal department
might just as well close up If the
board will not respect its opinion"
Mr.. Fisher said.
The commissioners, particularly
Mr.. Waters, who lives in Berwyn,
have been trying for the past sew
eral months to get the grade
crossing reopened. 1t was closed
by the State Roads Commission
in 1912, thus cutting of direct
access between College Park and
Berwyn Heights.
Since Mr.. Fisher returned his
opinion, Mr.. Waters has con-
ferred with roads commission Of
ficials in Baltimore. At that
conference, Mr.. Waters said he
was led to believe that, when the
commission closed the crossing.
the land between the barricades
reverted to the county. 1t would
follow then, he said, that If the
crossing is county land, the county
could reopen 1t.
Would Check Land Records.
Yesterdays fireworks started
when Mr.. Waters moved that Q
check of land records be made to
determine who owns the land be-
tween the barricades.
Mr.. Fisher said that, even II
he could determine who has title
to the land. it would make no dif-
ference. since the railroad has
been using the land for longer
than 100 years and would have a
legal right to continue using 1t.
To Mr.. Waters argument that
the courts should decide the is
tsue, Mr.. Fisher said:
II am not going to file a spuri-
ous and improper court suit. I.
It's ridiculous to 60 into court
when we know we don't have o
LEG to stand on.
"Why haven't the people OF
that area filed suit in all these
years? It's not the county's re-
sponsibility to- litigate private
grievances"
Raps Campaign Pledge"
Then turning to Mr.. Waters. the
attorney said:
"Of course, ! know that you
made a campaign pledge to open
that crossing"
That's not true" Mr.. Waters
shouted back. That's mere hear
say"
Then Commissioner H. Wilson
Spicknall. who supported Mr..
Waters in the heated exchange,
dropped an implication that Mr..
Fisher was on the side of the rail-
road in the crossing dispute.
Il have never gotten a dime
from the B. g. o." the attorney
replied. Earlier, Mr.. Fisher had
said, There is no question that
we would all like to see the cross
ing reopened."
Mr.. Fisher walked out of the
meeting after commenting: "If
you've got to pass an order to get
your counsel to do something. it's
time for him to resign"
You'd think was asking for
the moon," Mr.. Waters replied.
Then he withdrew his motion.
Returns With Resignation.
A few minutes later, after the
commissioners had adjourned for
the day. Mr.. Fisher came back
into the meeting room and tipped
his letter Of resignation onto the
table without a word. MIR. Lati-
mer said he pocketed the letter
and none Of the other commits
sioners have had a chance to
see it.
During the argument, Commits
sioner Daniel A. Abbott inter-
jected an expression of support
for Mr.. Fisher.
"The majority of the commits
|sioners are still abiding by your
legal decisions" he said.
In other business, the commits
'sioners voted $500 to the new
College Park Library for basic
reference books and to pay the
salary for the rest Of the fiscal
year Of a part-time clerk. The
County Library Department has
agreed to pay the salary of full
time librarian until the end Of
the fiscal year, when the question
OF how much the county will sup
port the library will be worked
out in the new budget.
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