Evening star., 1954-09-20
SOUGHT il controyersy
Will She Be d Candidate Or Not?
n Controversy
DR.. L-enE1urt
Opponent OF
Rep. Smith
By Ruth Deon

4Le prospect OF SlLLlng In Con.
gress some day may be q far
cry from teaching violin and
English composition In q girls
college. but it doesn't seem so
incongruous to DR.. Charmenz s.
Lenhart Of Fredericksburg. va.
after all. 1t isn't unusual for
musicians or even college pro-
fessors to be interested in poll
tics. Is it?" asked the attractive
35-year-old Mary Washington
College professor who just two
weeks ago announced her inten-
ton to run against Democratic
Representative Howard w. Smith
In the November elections.
"Just look at Paderewski and
wagner she said. Then
laughed. "I didn't mean to draw
comparisons. I'm just citing
them as examples of musicians
who had a deep and active in
terest in government"
For cIeon Government
.'Then too" she added, "like
most women I'm for good, clean
government, and I thought I
should take some of the advice
I'd been giving my students and
do something about it." y
The pretty blond college pro-
fessor looks more like the school
boys dream Of the ideal teacher
than a threat to the congress
siona1 seat Of a solidly entrench-
ed political opponent.
For the last several days. she
has been caught in the swirl Of
q controversy between high State
officers and local election board
officials over the validity Of her
candidacy which was snarled
on Virginia's complicated capi-
tatior1 tax laws.
The controversy erupted last
week when Attorney General
J. Lindsay Almond, jr.. issued
a ruling stating that DR.. Lenhart
could not place her name on the
ballot because she had failed to
meet certain poll tax require
n1ents.
certifies Condidocy
The secretary Of the State
Elections. Board. Levin Mock
Davis, came up with another
opinion the next day and certi-
fled DR.. Lenhart's candidacy to
the Fredericksburg Electoral
Board, basing his action on the
Professors compliance with the
laws he Is charged with enforc-
ing.
The Fredericksburg election
officialS went over the case on
Wednesday and discovered a poll
tax repeater passed by the 1852
General Assembly which ex-
empted new residents Of the
State from the requirement that
candidates for political Office
must pay their poll tax six
months in advance Of election.
DR.. Lenhart transferred her
legal residence from Indiana to
Virginia in August. 1858 and paid
her poll tax in August, 1854.
The Fredericksburg electoral
board has delayed final action
until it gets an answer to a LETT
ter it sent Attorney General
Almond asking for additional
opinion.
The delay means DR.. Lenhart's
campaign plans are at a tenn
porary standstill. However, she
is keeping calm and is hopeful
Of the outcome.
Rough Rood
Should she succeed in getting
the question of her candidacy
settled, she still has a rough po-
litical road ahead Of her.
She viii have to fit her cam
paign around her teaching hours
which win give her only three
days a week to reach % widely
scattered counties in predom-
inately Democratic territory
in less than six weekS-a chaI-
lenge even to a veteran politi-
clan.
She plans to reach the voters
through women's clubs and radio
time. and OF course the old
standby-the doorbell.
She win not be alone in her
efforts. DR.. Lenhart,s faithful
companion Is an amber-c colored
cocker spaniel who follows her
everywhere. even into the class
room ("that was finally stopped
by college authorities" she con-
fessed) and into election Offices.
Whether she wins or not, DR..
Lenhart appears to have q bril-
liant career before her, II her
past record can be used as a
yardstick. An idealist. she choose
education as her vocation, even
though she showed promise as
early as 8 years old Of being
q top professional violinist.
Felt Sense Of Injustice
Being an idealist. it was the
sense OF injustice she felt over
Virginia's 9Th District candidate
in the November election having
no party opposition that prompt-
ed her to make her decision to
run against him more than an
interest In party politics itself:
though she has plenty Of that,
too. It was one Of the reasons
she waited so long to file her
candidacy. She had thought
about entering the race last
spring but believed another cam
didate would enter the field.
DR.. Lenhart's double interest
In music and politics goes back
to her childhood In Terra Haute
Ind