Montgomery County sentinel., 1958-10-23
Lee, BOZen
ArgueOver
Eligibility


case of Brent Bozell, appar-
emily ineligible candidate for
the House of Delegates on the
Republican ticket, remain to
be answered by the COP, Blair
Lee III, chairman of Mont
gomery County's delegation 10
the General Assembly at An
napolis said last night.
otherwise, Bozells candidacy
amounts to fraud upon the vot-
erS," Lee delared.
Asked to comment, BoZell,
accused Lee and his Demo-
cratic cohorts of deliberately
throwing sand in the eyes of
the voters"
"Bozells name is on the voting
machine" Lee said. But he seems
obviously ineligible. Furthermore,
by Bozelrs own public statements,
he will not, if elected, seek to take
office before July, 1859, entirely
missing the important 90-day or
long term meeting of the General
Assembly which convenes in Jan
Uary.
THE Republican S c h e me of
things, according to Bozell's pub
lie statements, is that the COP
State Central Committee, headed
by David Scull, will recommend to
Governor Mckeldin the appoint
ment of a substitute to sit for
Bozell until he completes the min
imum three years residence re-
quirements in July. Then Bozelps
stand-in would obligingly resign
and permit BozeH to be appointed.
There are numerous serious
objections to this scheme" Lee
said. First, the Republicans have
not told the public who is to take
Bozell's place if he is elected. They
are asking the public TO buy a
pig in poke. Second, many-per-
haps majority-of the voters do
not know of Bozell's seeming in
eligibility. There is a serious legal
question whether Bozell would be
eligible even in July, since the
Maryland Constitution spe-
officially states that the candidate
must have resided in Maryland
three years prior to his election.
Whether this constitutional pro-
vision can be evaded in the man
ner Bozell proposes is open to
very serious doubt.
Republicans should work to
clean up as much of this messy
situation as they can. They should
promptly and publicly tell the vot-
ers the name of the person who
will take Bozelrs place if he is
elected-and obtain from that per-
son a written pledge that he will
resign in July, 1859. Otherwise,
they are perpetrating a fraud
upon the voters"
In his reply TO Lee, Bozell de-
clared:
Il would prefer that the person
who will stand in for me in An
napolis until July be named be-
fore the election. / agree with
Mr.. Lee that the voters of Mont.
gomery County are entitled to
this Information. This matter,
however, is in the hands of the
Republican State Central Com.
nlittee haaded by David Scull
Il havecomplete faith that any
Republican so named would be a
man of honor, that he would step
down in July so that the person
chosen by the voters Of Montgom.
cry County could take his seat.
AS to the legality Of my assum.
ing my duties in July, Mr.. Lee and
his Democratic cohorts are delib-
erately throwing sand in the eyes
of the voters. AS Mr.. Lee knows,
there is no constitutional resi-.
dence requirement relating to an
appointed delegate which /
would be In July. Legally speak.
ing, / could serve as an appointed
delegate after one days residence
in the State. In order to live up
to the spirit of the constitution,
however, ! am declining TO take
my seat until three years resi-.
dence is completed. ] have done
my best to explain this situation
by addressing a letter to the edi-
tor of every newspaper in the
area. These letters have been
printed. Democratic insistence on
keeping the issue clouded is plain
evidence that my election is
greatly feared by the forces that
believe dominate the Demo.
! cratic party-namely big labor.