Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-10-19
PrinceGeorges
Charterites Hit
Scare Tactics
Alarmed at Efforts
To Label Them as
High Tax Porty'

High Tax Porty'
Leaders of the Prince Georges
County home rule charter move
ment expressed alarm yesterday
at effects of recent attempts by
the opposition to label them ''the
high tax party"
They charged that the county
commissioners candidates for
charter board and the Voters
Committee Against Charter are
trying to scare the voters by tell
ing them that home rule charter
would mean higher taxes. Some
of the charter leaders were frank
ly concerned that the scare tao
tics" might be influencing votes.
The truth is that there is no
direct connection between a home
rule charter and increased taxes,
the charterites said. They en-
phasized their belief that the
county government could be made
more efficient under a home rule
charter, which would mean that
taxpayers would get more for their
tax dollar.
At the same time. the charter
ties denounced the action of the
Prince Georges Municipal League
in opposing charter, terming it
the action of a few politically
manipulated men,"
Rival States Designated.
Prince Georges voters will de-
eide in the November 4 election
whether they want a proposed
home rule charter to be submitted
for their approval in 1854 and
which of the two states of char
ter board candidates they want
to draw it up.
The Citizens Committee for
Good Government has nominated
a pro-charter slate of five. They
are Reuben Gordon, DR.. Joseph
Ray, Walter F. Mulligan, Charles
F.. Parker, jr.. and Nicholas Orem,
jr.
The all Republican county
commissioners also have put of
slate of five candidates opposed to
a home rule charter for the
county. They are Edward c. Bell,
George T. Burroughs, Mrs. Doro-
thy B. Groth, Edwin Glenn and
H. WinShip Wheatley, jr.
In public meetings. the COM
miSsionerS' candidates have been
pointing with alarm at what they
say are high taxes in neighbour
ing Montgomery County, which
has a home rule charter govern
ment run by a county council and
a county manager. At a recent
meeting, Mr.. Wheatley, waving
pink slips of paper he said were
tax bills received by some of his
Montgomery friends, shouted:
1--WE can't afford the Montgomery
type of luxury government"
Little Difference in Rates.
Brendan O'Dwyer. president Of
the Citizens Committee for Good
Government, claimed yesteday,
on the other hand, that there is
really very little difference in the
tax rates of Montgomery and
Prince Georges. He added that
Montgomery citizens get many
more services than those in Prince
Georges and said he felt the
Montgomery taxpayers were get
ting a lot more for their money
Mr.. O'Dwyer said the basic tax
rate in Montgomery today is $40
per 500 of assessed valuation
compared to $1.98 in Prince
Georges. Suburban area residents
of Montgomery also pay a lucent
suburban tax for special services,
he said. but residents of in
corporated towns in Prince
Georges pay anywhere from 80
cents to 81 or so. presumably for
these same services. Most Of the
heavily-populated suburban area
of Montgomery County is I'M
Incorporated.
Next year. Mr.. O'Dwyer pre-
dicted, Prince Georges taxpayers
will have to pay a tax of about
1925, unless services are radically
decreased.
Taxes are going up" he said,
whether charter wins in No
vember or not"
Mr.. O'Dwyer and other leaders
of the charter movement do not
deny that they are in favor of
giving county residents more
services than they now receive.