Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1959-10-29
Curbs Asked
On Magazine


-.
A new law controlling
door-to-door magazine sales
men in Montgomery County
was urged this week by
States Attorney Leonard t.
Hardy who likened the solicit
tors to "swarms of locusts
that descend on us twice a
year"
They swarm over us, hit and
run, and are gone again." Hardy
told the County Council. In their
wake, he said, are hundreds of
complaints from county house
wives, some of whom have been
molested by the aggressive
statesmen.
Hardy told how magazine
salesman was arrested and
charged last week with setting
fire to one apartment in Silver
Spring and three more in Be-
thesda.
I'VE have absolutely no law
at all to control >eople like this"
Hardy declar emphatically.
Further, he saio, Ms office has
had complaints of attempted
rape in Bethesda and Takoma
Park, disorderly conduct and at
tempted false pretense-all at
tributed to the same magazine
statesmen.
"Prince Georges County has
a law to control these persons,
and we ought to have one, too"
Hardy said.
He pointed out that magazine
statesmen may be charged with
disorderly conduct but that they
can forfeit collateral on this
charge. The only other charge
to control them, he asserted. was
one OF attempted false pretenses
sand this one is way out in
left field" very difficult to
prove, he told the Council
He told the Council that only
this past Monday In Silver
Spring Peoples Court, a maya
zine salesman was tried and con.
victed Of carrying concealed
weapon and fireworks. do we
want TO let this go on" he
doomed.
He told the Council it already
had the power to pass strict reg
ulations controlling door-to-door
solicitors and that they need not
wait for legislative machinery at
the General Assembly. Further,
he said that legislative organi-
cations, such as the Girl Scouts,
religious or education groups,
would not be handicapped under
existing legislative authority
embodied in Montgomery Coun.
TVS code.
Two of the requirements he
said he did not believe legiti.
mate magazine sales companies
should object to would be regis
tration of their statesmen and
finger printing Of them.
Meanwhile, Councilman David
J.. CahOon warned that "This
IL one Of the most difficult leg.
islative areas and represents
serious constitutional question"
His opinion evidently was
borne out back on October u,
1858, when the Council conduct
ed drawn-out public hearing
on a proposed law of the kind
suggested by Hardy. The hear
ing produced 80 pages of tran.
script.
Admittedly, county officials
said, some portions of the law
were not only too strict-they
we're practically unenforceable.
For instance, one provision
would have required proper"
conduct of magazine statesmen
at all times. What is proper con.
duct, questioned many Of the
laws antagonists.
Another holly conjectured sec.
ton of the 1858 version was that
solicitors must be free Of all
communicable diseases. Those
who argued against that provi-
sion pointed out that II would be
impossible TO check all of the
statesmen at County expense and
that selfenforcement would
surely be spotty.
The Council wound up this
week instructing County Attor-
ney Alfred III. Carter to confer
with Hardy and others involved
In order to get fresh look at
the problem.
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