Evening star., 1952-07-29
Prince Georges
Vote |sAssured
On Home Rule
Petitions Are Signed
By l2,640 to Put
Issue on the BuIIot
By }. l. Miehoel

bSS0S VII wv
By }. |. Miehoel
Prince Georges civic leaders
rang up victory today and then
set new detectives in their battle
for home rule.
In the dramatic climax Of a
3-month drive, charter-county
manager advocates yesterday filed
petitions which virtually assure the
issue a place on the November
ballot.
Mrs. Zella p. Saylor, executive
secretary of the Citizens Commit
tee for Good Government, pre-
sented the list to DR.. A. Lester
Bate, president of the county
election board.
She was accompanied to the
Upper Marlboro Courthouse by a
cheering. handwriting delegation
whose efforts beat last midnight's
filing deadline with several hours
TO spare.
Signatures Of 1850.
The petition, too, had plenty of
spares. The 640-page charter petit
ton on which 10000 were re-
quired, listed the signatures Of
12.640 persons who represented
themselves as registered voters.
The names will be checked by the
ELECTION board.
A total of 3,537 names were on
200 pages of petitions for each
of the citizens committees slate
of five charter board members. A
minimum Of 1000 were necessary
to get the committees nominees
on the ballot against a group
selected last week by the county
commissioners.
Among the celebrants were Mrs.
William H. Wood, president of
the County League of Women
Voters and three officials of her
organization, Mrs. Robert Camp
bell, Mrs. George r. Cadman and
Mrs. Brendan O'Dwyer. Mrs.
Wood said the members of her
unit canvassed for charter signers
but were banned by league rules
from soliciting signatures for
charter board members.
Others included Mrs. Joseph
M. Ray, of the American Associa-
ton of University Women, and
Brendan O'Dwyer, chairman of
the Citizens Committees board
of directors.
! Also present were three of the
41committee's charter board NOM
inees, Rubin j. Gordon, Charles
Pr. Parker and Walter F. Mulligan.
+ Women Given Credit.
Mr.. Mulligan. who is president
OF the county's civic Federation.
gave most of the credit to the
women workers.
If it had not been for their
amazing energy" he declared.
"the fight would not have been
successful"
/ Mrs. Saylor. whose unit spear
headed the petition drive, said
THE ready response of citizens
can only mean that there is
widespread dissatisfaction with
the county's government as now
constituted.
"This petition victory seems
to indicate two encouraging
trends. First. the average citi-
zen is watching his local govern.
ment with greater concern /.
and second, that men and women
are seeing beyond their towns and
subdivisions the wider problem of
overall county government.
Most gratifying of ALL" Mrs.
lSaylor declared is the evidence
OF the growing conviction that
such changes as are necessary to
equip a tobacco leaf county gov
ernment to serve great urban
population must be made in a
way that will bring maximum
public discussion and citizen
participation"
/ Realize Task Ahead.
Turning towards their homes to
plan strategy, the group voiced a
realization of the difficulties of
the task ahead.
They must obtain a majority
on a ballot question "for or
against charter board" and.
to assure charter acceptable to
them. they must elect most of
their slate. The county COM
missioners are lukewarm to home
rule and are strongly opposed to
a county manager.
/ In addition, it was learned that
influential Democratic and Repub-
lican leaders are forming a coali-
ton to fight the proposed shift
from the county's traditional
commissioner form Of government.