Evening star., 1953-04-03
Democrats SET
To Force Vote
0nP|anning Bill
Prince Georges and
Montgomery Groups
To Meet on Issue
By Gene Goodwin
Sfer Stoff ccrrsspondsnt

ANNAFOL1S, April. D. Inc
Democratic majority in the
Maryland House of Delegates
was set today to force a floor
vote on a bill to extend the
jurisdiction of the Maryland
National Capital Park and Plan.
ming Commission into more rural
areas. ,A.
Democratic leaders said that.
If the Joint Montgomery-Prince
Georges delegation does not re-
port it out today, they will force
it to the floor under q special
provision of the rules.
The House members from
Prince Georges and Montgomery
were scheduled to meet on the
controversial bill today. It In
possible that some of the dele
gates. particularly the six from
Montgomery, will attempt to sit
on the measure and kill it for
this session, due to close Nom
day.
Some Montgomery delegates
also have expressed q desire to
amend the bill-sponsored by
the two Senators from Mont
gomery and Prince Georges with
the blessing of the planning
agency-to bring it more in line
with an earlier measure, which
sought to put the commission
under budgetary control Of the
two counties. That earlier bill
was steamrollered to death by
the Democrats.
Shaky Alliance.
A possible thorn in the Demo.
cratic plans is a new and still
shaky alliance between a major
ity of the Baltimore City House
Democrats and the six Mont
gomery Republican delegates.
Piqued at the House Demo-
cratic leadership for referring a
controversial city court reorgani-
zation bill to the Judiciary Conn
mittee instead of the city dele.
cation. % of the IS city Demo.
Gratis, on Wednesday night.
helped Montgomery win its mo.
ton to get the planning agency
measure in the joint delegation.
The two delegations continued
to scratch each others back in
committee and floor votes all day
yesterday.
An ironic twist to the planning
commission fight was disclosed
here today. Delegate Perry O.
Wilkinson. Democrat, of Prince
Georges County, who has been
handling the in-fighting chores
for his party on the two bills,
revealed he does not enthusias.
tically subscribe to the main fea-
ture of the Senator's measure
extension of the planning COM
mission throughout the two
counties. He hinted that, If it
were up to him alone, he would
help his Montgomery colleagues
kill the bill. But he also made
it clear that, since this Is a party
matter. he will fight just as hard
for the new bill as he did against
the earlier bill.
Fletcher Agrees to Amendment.
Meanwhile. Senator John r.
Fletcher. Republican, of Prince
Georges submitted to the House
Education Committee an amend
ment to his county school board
bill to remove a provision that a
county commissioner sit on the
board. The committee, headed
by Mr.. Wilkinson, had informed
the Senator it would kill his
measure unless he removed that
feature.
The Senator's amendment
would provide that the commits. .
Sioners would be allowed to name
one member of the board, which
would be increased to seven
members, with the Governor ap-
pointing the other six on stag
gered six-year terms. The COM
mittee was scheduled to take the
amendment up today.
A delegation from the Prince
Georges Civic Federation and the
Lanham Citizens Association
yesterday protested a bill intro.
duced by Senator Fletcher to in
corporate the new community Of
Carrollton before it's even built.
Albert Turner, developer of the
new 485-acre community going
up of Defense highway adjacent
to Lanham, requested the bill,
which would provide that he and
four OF his associates would serve
as Mayor and council of the
town until enough people moved
In to hold an election.
The protest, was led by Walter
F. Mulligan. president of the
Civic Federation, and Trueman
Haskell, president of the Lanham
Citizens Association. The bill
passed the Senate yesterday and
was sent to the House.