Montgomery County sentinel., 1958-10-16
Citizen Apothy

sons column in the October 2
issue. The incident of nine votes
at the Guild being taken as rep
resenting the thinking of 700
members seems to be typical OF
our civic organizations, and some
of us are pleased that ii has now
been brought home to the news
paper people so that they may
campaign for change.
But in the Guild someone
slipped a cog in the orthodox
"railroading" procedure. If there
had been no count a columnist
could mot check on them. The
usual procedure is to have pro-
ponents primed to give impas-
stoned speeches to work up mo-
mentary emotion, and then call
for voice vote which cannot be
counted. The organized minority
makes a great clamor with its
Yes vote. When the Nay vote is
called for, the conservative citi-
zens hold back to see if others
are going to speak up, and the
voting is over before there is any
thing more than a weak mum.
bled Nay.
Recently, | attended a meeting
of a Congress of Citizens Associ-
ations at which rezoning appli-
cation was considered" The
landowners side of the case was
not presented. A hired attorney
representing persons adjacent to
the site worked himself into a
near fever about school over
crowding from the proposed
apartment houses. The voice vote
went over in perfect Hoffa style.
A delegation from this group,
purporting to represent the citi.
zens of ten communities, will now
tell the County that the citizens
oppose the rezoning. What do
these organizations really repre-.
sent? In our little restricted com.
munity there are 1863 families.
Only 80 belong TO the Citizens
Association, or 36 percent rep
resentation. At the meeting at
which the rezoning protest was
put over, only % were present,
or II percent of the community.
No hearing was given the prop.
erty owner, but the usual appeal.
to-emotion Grafton was given. The
voice vote went over perfectly.
II is obvious that most of these
associations do not represent the
citizens. If they were sincere, the
first job given TO the officers
would be to see that a majority
Of the community belonged to the
association before they took ac.
ton in the name of the commu-
nifty. State and County officials
should reject such so-called Reso.
lutions unless the petitioners can
show that they truly represent
majority of the citizens.
The Communists may have
learned their methods from the
weaknesses and failings OF our
democracy. Certainly, we could
have taught them how a small
number of men can control the
thinking Of community. But l
do not wish to imply that the of.
ficers of these associations are
the "railroaders." On the con.
trary, the officers are generally
earnest young men who probably
accepted the positions with the
hope of doing public good. But
they are generally inexperienced
and not sure enough Of their po.
sition to wager offending their
neighbors by taking firm con.
troll of the meetings.
i believe, as you do, that the
local citizens groups constitute
the very foundations of our de.
mocracy and that citizens should
take an active part in the meet
ings and see that they are run
properly. If we were so unfor.
tunate as to come under the domi. ?
nation of the Communists, every
one of us would be obliged TO
attend indoctrination meetings
several times a week. II Is not
90 much, therefore, that we at.