Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-08-11

official board Of the church."
the minister. the Rev.
George L. Waters, because the
hing had been popping up
frequently.
What really touched it of
was a letter that the Chamber
Of Commerce delivered to a
Meeting Of (Marylan6 legisla-
tors at Cobb Island, Md. The
letter purported to speak for
The great majority Of citizens
1T Colonial Beach in favor of
The piers"
Mr.. Waters and Mr.. Barnette
agreed that church-going resi-
tents of the town resented what
they considered to be misrep-
resentation of their feelings by
the chamber.
Mr.. Barnette remarked:
Il feel about the way all the
people do if they would express
themselves - gambling and
are wrong wherever
they are, and the piers promote
those things"
Economic Shot
However, the president of the
chamber declared that all of
the people are not against the
piers.
I'm sure there is no organ
lzation here that approves of
and gambling" said
P. D. Greenlaw. who in addi-
ton to heading the chamber
operates a hardware store, but
the piers are an economic Shot
ln-the-arm to us.
Nobody tells anyone else to
go IN them. And they're the
only thing we've had in the IL
years I've been here that has
helped us economically at all"
James D. Karn, secretary to
The chamber, concurred.
In the summertime, the piers
work about 125 people, and 40
OF them are employed all year."
he said.
Besides the outspoken pro-
pier and anti-pier elements.
there are many residents who
40 not take sides openly.
Nine businessmen, asked for
heir opinion recently, said
hey were afraid to speak in
favor Of the piers because
;hurchgoers would boycott
them.
Perhaps the most articulate
opponent of the piers is James
o Heflin, who retired after
48 years as lawyer and Judge.
Asked why Colonial Beach
residents failed to raise a
about the piers in the
beginning. the retired Jurist
said:
The church people were so
charitable minded they didn't
recognize trouble in the form
Of slot machines when they
saw it.
This town got its charter IS
years ago and all its life it has
depended for its business on
visitors. Once Potomac River
brought them here,
and in the off-seaSon, there
was Clustering. But now the
are no more and BIZ
State laws against dredging
stopped the oyster business.
Rocking Chair Money
To-day, there are three things
that keep people going here
one is Dahlgren Naval Prov
ing Ground about Is miles
away. which employs 200 of
our men: two is money from
visitors. and three is consider
able rocking-chsJr money, from
people who live. on pensions.
1t is easy to understand
that any new enterprise that
brought both visitors and
to town would be well
coined at first"
AS firmly in favor Of the
piers as Mr.. Heflin is opposed
are the pier owners.
Although Howard Conner re-
portedly has divorced himself
from pier management to OPP
crate a lodging house, Delbert
and Dennis Conner remain
at their casinos.
Both take an active part in
civic affairs and say they only
want the best for their town,
which would include their
enterprises.
The other pier owner mere is
Walter w. Hendricks, who de-
clared:
Some people have said II
hey had to choose between
the church and the piers, they
would choose the church. Well,
some of them are my best Gus
toners.
Poll Victory Seen
Others have said a secret
ballot "a referendum should
be held. If they did hold it It
would be heavily III favor of the
piers. We have improved the
beach considerably. 1t was run
down and gone to nothing
when we came"
In concluding his defense of
the piers, ne sounded a note
heard often in this and similar
slot machine spots on the
river:
If I wasn't in this business,
someone else would be-"
Mr.. Hefiin summed up the
school Of thought he represents:
ITS gotten TO the point
where something's got to give.
This is a town divided"
Ruises Dues