Evening star., 1953-04-04
Arlington Affairs

4ONI ICCCAAb COLCOIAd1, AUSuTO1Gy Oh
an Old Law" commenting on Virginia's S
1897 statute banning Federal employees
from serving on county governing
bodies, struck responsive chord in
the heart Of every fair-minded citizen
of Arlington. That Charles w. Carter
takes exception to it in a letter will
surprise no one who has followed his
correspondence in the past, for he
strikes most folks as gentleman who,
had he been with Moses in the wilder
ness, would have complained about
the Ten Commandments. /
would not ask for valuable space
to answer his reckless charges against
the nonpartiSanS were it not for the
fact that Arlington is a community with
many newcomers unfamiliar with the
history of nonpartisan contributions
to good government.
First, the charge that nonpartiSanS
constitute third party. Here. as
elsewhere throughout the country where
good municipal government has -four
ished, the nonpartisans are merely
citizens who vote for the party of their
choice, Republican or Democrat, at
the State and national levels, but. with
respect to local offices, believe that
party labels are meaningless, and vote
for the candidates they believe most
capable of giving efficient, enlightened
service, free of embarrassing party or
special interest obligations.
The nonpartisan movement locally
had it's roots in the overwhelming desire
of the rapidly expanding population to
bring urban improvements and facil-
tiles to an area whose local govern
ment services were geared to a primi-
tive rural community. Considerable
progress was made in this direction,
in line with Six-year plan carefully
evolved under nonpartiSan board lead
ership, with community participation
all along the way. And that brings me
to the second Carter charge: "Wasteful
spending"
Progress, particularly when it has
been too long delayed, costs money. In
attacking the bonded Indebtedness as
"a monument to nonpartisan rule" Mr.
Carter is attacking the citizens who
voted for. the bond issues in the belief
that, like the wise householder, you
can get the most of what you need
only by underwriting "pay-as-you-
use" policy. Mr.. Carter makes no
attempt to evaluate the services, such
as sewage disposal plant, storm
sewers, or school buildings, etc., which
would never be here if he had his way
Nor does Mr.. Carter point out that
the only effect of the obStructioniSt
court tactics, which he commends in
John Locke Green, is to increase the
final cost Of services to the taxpayer
For who can deny, to take only one
example. that the acquisition of sites
g for and construction of swimming
pools, which will be built here eventu-
ally. will cost great deal more than
would have been the case had not the
referendum authorizing them been
thrown out in court action brought by
Mr.. Green some years back.
The third charge that the nonparti-
sans are anti-business and even social
istic amounts to saying that business
has not prospered in Arlington with
the well-rounded development of the
community. Advisory committees and
commissions under nonpartiSan board
leadership ossiSted the board in the
decisions made with respect to fiscal
policies. needed capital improvements,
ETC., and in these groups businessmen
were we'll represented along with other
elements in the community.
What Mr.. Carter really means by
the socialistic charge is that certain
elements, recipients of special favors
from boards plant to them in the
past, no longer were in a favored
position. This shop-worn epithet,
think, will be recognized for what it
iS-a scream for the plunderbund.
Florence Cannon,
Former Chairman, Arlington
County Board.