Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-10-05
Ethics Of Foes
Hit by Backers
OF Home Rule
Commission Slate
In Prince Georges
Is Called 'Bruzen'


Georges commissioners are ready
to hout the will Of the people.
the opposing slate charged yes
terday.
And, furthermore. the I'VE as
pirants selected by the Citizens
Committee for Good Government
declared, the commissions nomi-
nees acted with little regard for
ethics when they became con-
tenders for the posts they seek.
Such are the verbal shells whis-
Ting over a citizenry who will on
November 4 decide whether a
county governmental charter will
be written and. if so, who will
dip the quilts. ..
Final Decision In 1854.
The result, if favorable to char
Iter-county manager advocates,
will not determine the ultimate
fate of the proposal to abolish
traditional commissioner rule.
That would be decided at the
polls in 1854.
Drawn up in close formation
for the first time, the aspirants
named by the Citizens Commit
tee, the unit leading the home
rule fight. touched of their
broadside with declaration that:
Questionable ethics shown by
the commissioners slate in run
ming for the charter board as the
puppets of a political coalition
Of die-hard do-nothings is now
a matter Of record by their own
admissions.
"Also. by their own admission,
they are the foes of all that a
yes vote for drafting a charter
would imply. They are brazenly
telling Prince Georgeans that
even if the people indicate their
Willingness to consider change by
such a vote. the political machines
they serve demand non-com-
pliance with the public's request"
Candidates Voice Stand.
The salvo referred to acknowl-
edgments of two commissioner
candidates, H. Winship Wheatley.
jr., and Edwin Glenn, that they
are members of the executive COM
mittee of the Voters Committee
Against Charter Government, a
group recently formed to fight the
charter county manager move.
Neither favors a charter and
both are strongly opposed to the
county manager plan. MIR. Glenn
said he and his colleagues, il
elected, would write a charter.
"but not county manager form"
He said the other three commits
sioners' candidates, George r.
Burroughs, Mrs. Dorothy M. Groth
and Edward c. Bell, take the same
stand.
Mr.. Bell and Mr.. Wheatley are
Democrats. The other three
selected by the All-Republican
County commissioners are Of
G. O. P. faith.
"Such brazen effrontery," said
Citizens Committee entries Walter
F. Mulligan, Reuben j. Gordon,
Charles F. Parker, jr., DR.. Joseph
M. Ray and Nicholas Orem, jr..
lied to the so-called protest vote
in 1850. Yet, today sees an align
ment in favor Of q spoils-
patronage system and the
status quo.
mo longer is the charter fight
between two states of home rule
candidates it is now clearly
between a coalition of two politi-
cal machines on the one hand and
those forward looking people who
have been trying to make Prince
Georges a county they can be
proud Of"
The enrolment of Mr.. Wheat
ley and Mr.. Glenn in the anti
charter unit was not a surprising
action. Both have for months
fought the charter-manager plan
in speeches at public meetings.
They have made it clear that they
believe the county has home rule
now, in that every reform pro-
posed by charterites can be ac-
complished under existing law,
except local action on legislation.
Manager Not Mandatory.
The statute under which Prince
Georges governmental affairs are
now administered permits ap-
pointment Of a county manager
but does not make such a move
mandatory.
AS to the need for q county
Legislature" the commissioners
group feels 1t unwise to abandon
the system of checks and bal
ances which prevail in the Cen
eral Assembly.
They add that charter operation
will not relieve State lawmakers
of the flood" Of bills swept into
the picture by charter hackers be.
cause most Of these embryo acts
concern municipalities.
One Of the more interesting fac
tors in the current battle is the
fact that voters in incorporated
towns, who may decide the issue
by virtue of superior numbers,
will not be affected insofar as
their legislation is concerned.
The county manager proposal,
as it has been since the home-rule
issue first developed. is the most
bitterly contested phase. Leading
civic groups backing charter are
divided on the manager point.
The Citizens Committee is strong
" favorable but the county civic
Federation and League Of Women
Voters are less so, at least for the
current record.
So many verbal rapiers have
stabbed at the manager proposal
that charter advocates recently
have shown a disposition to figura-
lively tuck it under the coverlets
for the time being.
Opponents claim. however. that
charterites will wake up the
sleeper quickly II writing Of a
charter Is approved, and will send