Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-03-20
Democrats baIk
Lindsay Law
Repeal, 6O-53
Montgomery Loses
Fourth Nonportisun
Election Attempt
By Q staff eorrespondent Of The star

ACNNASOA1O, MAR. ZU.-Mary.
land House Democrats kept just
enough of their forces together
yesterday to defeat Montgomery
County's fourth consecutive at
tempt to make possible non
partisan election. Of County
Council members.
The final vote was 60-53
against repeal of the so-called
Lindsay law, which has pro-
hibited non partisan council
elections in charter counties since
1945. Montgomery is the only
charter county in Maryland.
All of the so who voted against
the repeater were Democrats.
Nineteen Democrats jumped the
fence and voted with the all
Republican Montgomery dele
cation.
Actually, the vote, taken after
a lengthy debate. in which OPP
ponents described the measure
as threat to the two-party sys-
tenn, was closer than the 60-53
count would indicate.
Closer Than Indicated.
When the first roll call was
called for. 81 voted against the
repeater and SO in favor. But
Delegate William r. Hughes,
Republican, of Prince Georges
County. stood up to complain
that this AYE" vote was not
recorded on the House electric
voting machine. His vote would
have made it a tie.
When a second tally was
ordered. however, FIVE more
delegates voted, and few
switched from one side to the
other, to bring about the final
60-53 vote.
Delegate Wallace. Republican,
of Montgomery, who led the
fight to get the bill out of. the
House Judiciary Committee with
a favorable 10-to-8 vote earlier
yesterday. said he is weighing
the possibility of calling for re-,
consideration.
House Democratic Majority
Leader John w. Logan attacked
the bill on the floor, although
he said he was mot issuing
party CALL"
Boone Hits Hard.
The strongest attack on the
measure came from Delegate A.
Gordon Boone, Democrat. Of
Baltimore County.
ANY person who stands for
public Office should be proud to
have his party designation next
to his name" he said.
Good government is based
on the two-party system, and
I don't want to imply that our
friends from Montgomery Coun-
ty are not interested in good
government, because God knows
that they are"
Mr.. Wallace explained to the
House that the bill contained a
referendum provision allowing
the voters of Montgomery to
decide, in the general election
next year, whether they wanted
nonpartisan Council candidates.
Similar bills introduced by the
Montgomery group and defeat
ed in 1947. 1949 and 1851 did
not carry referendum provisions,
he pointed out.
Delegate C. Awdry Thompson,
Democrat, of Dorchester County,
in supporting the measure, said
one of its chief assets is that it
would make is possible for Fed
eral employees to run for local
office in Montgomery. They are
now prohibited, under the Hatch
Act, from taking part in partisan
politics.
Sees County as Target.
Delegate j. Douglas Bradshaw,
chairman Of the Montgomery
House group, said the Lindsay
law was passed when the charter
movement first began to gain
strength in Montgomery and is
aimed solely at his county.
Another supporter of the bill,
Delegate Samuel Hopkins, Re-
publican, Of Baltimore, declared:
Montgomery County is sort
of our experimental county.
They're trying to find new and
better ways of doing things. If
these folks want to show us a
better way of electing our local
officials, I think we ought to let
them do it,"
Meanwhile, Prince Georges
legislators announced that a bill
to reduce by so per cent their
county'S inventory tax would be
amended to cut it only by one
fourth and push back its effec-
6AVS OdCC W Ju1yS 1909.
Concession to Latimer.
Those changes were asked by
Thomas E. Latimer, president of
the Board of County Commits
Sioner, who said that the so per
cent reduction would remove
about $685. 900 from county tax
rolls. That much Of q revenue
loss in the budget for next fiscal
year would create a difficult
situation, he added in request
ing poStponement of the effec-
tive date of the bill.
Meanwhile, a Senate bill,
which would cut the inventory
tax by 40 per cent in IA counties.
including Prince Georges, was
tentatively approved in the
Senate. That is a Statewide
bill and would SuperSede any tn
ventory tax measure passed for
Prince Georges alone.
Neutral Sunqloss Lens
A glass company in Point
Marion, Pa, has announced de-