Evening star., 1960-10-15
ChurIes County
Unit Also Hits
River Compact
BY PAUL HOPE
Star staH writer

--~~~N H
can State Central Committee
last night placed itself in OPP
position to the proposed State
constitutional am endm ent,
which would restrict the num-
Der of slot machines in the
county.
Speaking at a Republican
Embarrassing dinner, Party
Chairman Frank B. Wade also
put the committee on record as
opposed to the Potomac River
compact and to a proposal to
set up a county police force.
The Republican leadership
thus joined battle with Demo-
cratic leaders on two issues
the slot machine bill and the
police force proposal. Last week,
Democratic district leaders in
dorsed the two measures but
declined to take a stand on the
Potomac River compact.
Lancaster Against Compact
In a speech on Thursday at
Leonardtown before a group of
watermen, Carlyle ]. Lancaster.
Republican aSpirant for the
House of Representatives from
the 5th District Of Maryland,
said he also opposes the Poto-
mac River compact. His op-
pcnent, incumbent Democrat
Richard E. Lankford, refuses
to say whether he is for or
against the bi-State agreement,
while Senator Beall, Republican
of Maryland, also oppose the
compact. MIR. Lankford said he
would be guided by the voters
sentiment as reflected in the
referendum.
Mr.. Wade urged voters to
drive out these fly-by-night
crackpots" whom he said were
pushing the slot machine bill.
He made a personal attack
on David Hume, State Demo-
cratic Party treasurer, who
moved to Charles County sew
eral years ago and who is an
outspoken critic Of slot ma
chine operations.
Mr.. Hume has called on
fCharles County officials of his
party and the Republicans to
declare whether they have any
interest in slot machine opera
tions. CMr. Wade said he does
not own any,
Our Legislature can d.
with one stroke of the pen
erase forever from the scene
every last slot machine here
and in other counties" Mr..
Hume said in a speech Thurs
day at Waldorf.
/ Urges CIear-Cut Issue
Three speakers besides Mr..
Wade lambasted the three ref
lerendum questions which will
be on the November 8 ballot,
F. Desales Mudd, an attorney,
said there are mo sound rea-
sons" for passage of the slot
machine proposal. If approved
by the voters, the bill would
limit the number of machines
to 35 in any one establishment
and would provide higher taxes
for their operation.
Mr.. Mudd said the bill is
either a dry run" for a future
bill to ban slots altogether or is
a sop" given to anti-slot ma
chine people by legislators who
promised. action against slots in
the last campaign.
He said the figure 35" is an
arbitrary demarcation between
sin and no SIM" He said that
if slots are to be made an issue
it should be q "clearcut" issue
of whether to keep them or ban
them altogether.
Mr.. Wade said the proposal
to set up a county police force
is an attempt by the Demo-
Gratis to gain complete con-
troll" of the county. He said the
Democrats have never been
able to elect a Democrat as
sheriff and, therefore, are try
ing to take the policing power
away from the sheriff's Office.
Age Minimum Set
Robert Case, a retired Army
colonel, said the Democrats set
the age minimum for the pro-
posed police chief at 35 in a
deliberate move to exclude the
Republican sheriff from con-
Sideration for the post. The
sheriff is under 35, he said.
He also said the proposed
police force would cost twice as
much as the sheriff's Office and
there would be no increase in
the number of lawmen.
Robert Barber, an attorney,
called the Potomac River COM
pact a "giveaway" to Virginia.
He said Virginia wants to have
authority in the Potomac but
does not want to give up its
jurisdiction over the lower
Chesapeake Bay.
Mr.. Barber said that, 13 years
ago, a committee recommended
a joint authority over the bay
and the Potomac because the
bay and its tributaries are like
one big fishbowl" which should
have overall regulation. He said
Maryland approved the pro-
posal but Virginia turned it
down.
Virginia is getting every
thing she wants (under the pro-
posed compact) but is not NOV
ing one inch toward solving the
overall problem of the CheSa-
peake Bay" Mr.. Barber said.