Roger B. Farquhar, Editor
A4
: Take Back the District?
THE often-repeated offer of some Congressmen and Sen
ators to give the District of Columbia back to Maryland
r ludicrous in many respects but it keeps coming up so
; often that more and more people are beginning to wonder
; if something might come of the proposal.
It is undoubtedly true that some legislators throw out
• the proposal to obscure their objections to home rule for
; the District. These men have no real intention of granting
l District home rule or assisting retrocession of the District
• to Maryland. As far as they are concerned, it is just talk.
There are nevertheless, more and more people both
I on and off Capitol Hill who are getting sick and tired of
*, the hypocrisy and interminable delays encountered over
I the years on District home rule. And, being in a state
• of resigned exhaustion, they are seriously wondering if
• they shouldn’t give up the home rule fight and head off
anew in the direction of retrocession.
J Maryland officials, almost to a man, have nightmares
J when the proposal is even mentioned. Already overbur
• dened with more than enough problems in their own mush
* rooming area, they can be forgiven for not wanting to take
lon a multiplicity of new ones. Even with the new area
J having its own government there would be almost un
; believably complex legal and other problems arising from
• such a transition.
* Sen. Beall and others who argue that the only sensible
l course is to put more muscle into the home rule fight
; would seem to be on the right track.
It must be frustrating, though, for the home rule
• leaders when they realize the average District resident
seems to have little stomach for such a fight. Many Dis-
J trict residents put a somewhat higher premium on their
* comfort and convenience than they do on their vote. A
• citizen of Hungary and Poland or Czechoslovakia just
might experience a little difficulty understanding this.
Belief in God
It is the job of the Maryland Attorney General’s office to
rule on Maryland law. Accordingly, in the now famous
Torcaso notary public case involving an individual’s refusal
to state his belief in God in order to qualify for public of
fice, the attorney general has ruled that the non-believer
cannot assume the office.
He based his opinion on the following provision
(Article 37 of the Declaration of Rights Maryland Consti
-1 tution) which reads as follows:
“No religious test ought ever to be required
for any office of profit or trust in this State, other
than a declaration of belief in the existence of God
• • •
The sentence would seem to be contradictory. On the
one hand it states that “no religious test ought ever to be
required.” But then it adds: “other than a declaration of
belief in the existence of God.” The Maryland Attorney
General has, nevertheless, probably ruled properly. There
can be little doubt about the meaning of “other than a de
claration of belief in the existence of God.” That is clear
and unmistakable. Whereas the phrase “no religious test
ought ever to be required” Is subject to differing interpreta
tions. What is a “religious test?”
The United States’ Constitution contains the following
language (Article VI):
“The Senators and Representatives before
mentioned, and the members of the several State
Legislatures, and all executive and judicial officers,
both of the United States and of the several States,
shall be bound by oath or affirmation to support this
Constitution; but no religious test shall ever be re
quired as a qualification to any office or public trust
under the United States.”
And, of course, the first amendment to the United
! States’ Constitution also declares:
“Congress shall make no law respecting an estab
lishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise
thereof . . .”
In discussing the principle of religious freedom, Thom
; as Jefferson wrote that the “legislative powers of the Gov
| eminent reach actions only, and not opinions,” and, of
; course, he strongly favored his “wall of separation between
Church and State.”
In 1947, a ruling of the United States Supreme Court
I attempted to define what the “establishment of religion”
; clause meant in the First Amendment to the Constitution
j and in words, which appeared to have the approval of most
; of the justices, declared:
“Neither a state nor the Federal Government can
I set up a church. Neither can pass laws which aid one
; religion, aid all religions, or prefer one religion over
another. Neither can force nor influence a person to
; go to or to remain away from church against his will
! or force him to profess a belief or disbelief in any re
! ligion. No person can be punished for entertaining or
) professing religious beliefs or disbeliefs, for church
; attendance or non-attendance.”
The subject is an important and—always—interesting
one. And it would appear that in requiring a citizen to
I state his belief in God, the Maryland constitution contra
; venes the letter of the United States Constitution and, al
| most certainly, the intent. Maryland legislators should
* think seriously about proposing a State Constitutional
I amendment to let State voters decide whether they want
; to repeal the requirement.
Twinbrook Library
Disclosure this week that the Twinbrook library, now
being operated in rented basement quarters, has had
i an amazing turnover of 36,926 volumes In only three
months should make county officials §it up and take no
tice.
Twinbrook residents, in the first place, argued that
the deserved more in the way of library facil
ilies. Their assertions would seem to have been borne out
by actual experience.
Officials decreed that the Twinbrook library should be
a Class “B” facility which means that it should be circu
lating about 50,000 books a year. Instead, the library is
now circulating them at the rate of almost 150,000 a year
which is considerably in excess of the original estimates
and is, in fact, substantially over the amount that a Class
“A” library is normally expected to circulate.
In the light of these results, county officials would do
well, we would think to consider revising their earlier stub
born refusal to even think about an East Rockville library.
A library located on the site proposed by Twinbrook lead
ers would serve not only that bustling, book-hungry com
munity but many others in the jungle of suburbia that
•tretches between Rockville and Wheaton.
Thursday, August 6, 1959
*1 keep putting you up for adoption but Maryland won't take the bait!'
Letters to the Editor
Torcaso Backed
Your paper recently carried
a follow-up article on the case
of Roy R. Torcaso, whose appli
cation for notary public in Mont
gomery County was turned
down because he was not a
theist. Mr. Torcaso’s plight rep
resents the continuing problem
of defining the separation of
church and state which should
be of great concern to every
American.
The ruling of Attorney Gen
eral Sybert, if left unchallenged,
means that the State of Mary
land has the right to demand
a religious test for offices of
profit or trust; i.e„ that a can
didate for such offices has to
have a theistic faith. This is
contradictory to our constitu
tional guaranties. It is definitely
not the business of the State
to ask whether any of its citi
zens are thelsts or humanists,
let alone what religious affili
ations they have.
A man's right to work at his
chosen occupation, and his worth
as a citizen, should not be de
termined by the strength of his
theism, or the lack thereof.
Rather, a man should be Judged
on the basis of his character,
integrity and sense of responsi
bility to his family, community,
State, Nation and the world. I
do not believe that theism is a
detriment to public office, but
I do believe that it should not
be the sole or determining quali
fication for public trust.
I call upon both Senator
Northrop and Gov. Tawes, who
originally approved Mr. Tor
caso’s appointment, to see that
appropriate legislation is passed
in Maryland to remove this final
religious test from the constitu
tion. I also appeal to Represent
ative Lee and the citizenry of
Montgomery County to lend
their support to this action.
Rev. David Hicks MacPherson,
Minister, llnlversalist Church
of Silver Spring.
Teacher Pay
Many of those opposed to bet
ter pay for teachers base their
case on the teachers’ "nine
month year.” Allow me to lay
that ghost once and for all.
Teachers’ hours are daily from
somewhere between eight and
nine until four o'clock. During
this time they must instruct and
keep pace with up to 150 super
charged, vitamin-stuffed young
dynamos, and this is no small
chore in itself. Comes evening,
at last, and dinner and a bath
and all the other citizens settle
themselves for an evening of
bridge or watching the idiot box.
But teacher? Upstairs and to
work, for there are 150 exam
papers to be graded, lab work
to be checked, planning for to
morrow's classes, and possibly
a register or forms to be filled
out! Maybe by 11, then teacher
can get a bit of sack time, for
tomorrow is another day.
The point is that the average
person working a 40-hour week
works about 2000 hours per
year. I can speak only for my
self, but because the school in
which I am employed was being
evaluated for accreditation last
year, I kept a pretty close rec
ord of my working time and
found that I had logged 2000
hours by the early part of May.
English teachers spend substan
tially more time than this. So
let’s not be naive about that
lovely nine-month year, citizens.
It Just doesn’t exist. In addition
to this, most teachers spend
their summer months either
working or attending summer
schools for the specific purpose
of improving their efficiency in
the elaaeroom, and this almost
Pen names may be used
but letters will not be pub
lished unless the writer
identifies himself to the
Sentinel.
always at their own expense.
Not often is teacher lucky
enough to rate a vacation, and
here, too, you will likely as not
find much summer time spent
in revision of courses of study.
Those who beer that teachers
are now paid as much as per
sons of comparable status in
State or other organizational
frameworks would have quite a
time finding a professional
group, working in excess of 2000
hours per year and with simi
lar scholastic requirements,
which has a salary level com
parable to that of teaching ei
ther at 'the secondary or uni
versity level.
Allan Harrison,
Science Department, Walter
Johnson High School, Rock
ville, Md.
Free America
From the tone of your edi
torial, which appeared in The
Sentinel, Thursday, July 23,
1959, you are an ardent inte
grationist; but whether you are
or are not an integrationist you
ought not to accuse others who
oppose your views of being hate
artists and manufacturing ven
om, as we could just as easily,
if we wanted to be unfair, ac
cuse those opposing our beliefs.
We do not know how you pos
sibly arrive at the conclusion
that "there is only a negligible
amount of blind, unreasoning,
die-hard opposition to integra
tion in Montgomery County”;
certainly any editor who broad
ly associates with a cross section
of the people of Montgomery
County and gets a frank expres
sion from them, could never ar
rive at such a conclusion. Can
it be that your conclusions are
your own personal wishful
thinking, or are you blindly in
fluenced by a small circle of peo
ple bent on wrecking this coun
try and its Institutions with in
tegration? We do not know how
you can have the audacity to
state that moves for segrega
tion bills have "failed misera
bly” and that “not one of the
123 Delegates was willing to
fight the racialists’ battle for
them.” Can it be that you were
misinformed or entirely ignor
ant of the fact that House Bills
No. 695 and No. 696 were intro
duced in the 1953 session, which
were introduced at the request
of the members of the Maryland
Petition Committee, Inc? In
any event, the introduction of
these named bills and others,
certainly proves the fallacy of
your statement. It is your privi
lege to attack whomever you
desire, if that gives you pleas
ure. but you certainly should
adhere to the truth and veer
away from nasty name calling.
We further inform you that
the Maryland Petition Commit
tee, Inc. is a statewide organi
zation with Chapters in several
of the Maryland Counties, and it
Montgomery County
SENTINEL
assoc
affiuatf. member national
editorial association
SENTINEL PUBLISHING CO.. INC.
Published weekly, Thursday*, a? aa
S 2* t fKr t 5 oml sL Av#nut - *>y Smtl
-5L**515358. lnc - * M - c*mp
pJETVC!? “ *! co ? d el *“ m(t •uw
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
M*n In Maryland and tba District a!
Columbia:
Ons Year uuu
Elsewhere,
2"® \<*r .34.50
Out of County Samoa
Peraonnal 34.3 S
was the state-wide organization
which voted to become associ
ated with the Citizens’ Councils
of America; and we wish to ad
vise you further, that the Mary
land Petition Committee, Inc.
did not make “anonymous phone
calls” regarding the appoint
ment of the Negro principal to
an all-white school, as a tele
gram was sent to the Montgom
ery County School Board under
the name of the Maryland Peti
tion Committee, Inc. and appro
priate press releases given of
that fact. Please see attached
copy of release given out to the
press at that time.
We agree with you that too
many people have been entirely
too quiet regarding the matter
of integration, but we would fur
ther advise you that you ought
not to delude yourself into be
lieving that a present general
quietude on the subject is an
acceptance of the integratlon
ists’ plans which fit into the
Communists’ schemes.
Inasmuch as you nave rather
strongly attacked us via name
calling and untruths, we would
think that in all fairness to us,
you would publish this letter as
a letter to the editor in your
paper.
Yours for a free America with
a majority of its white citizens
determined to remain white,
even though there may be a
minority who either carelessly
or deliberately may eventually
mongrelize.
Robert L. Wiseman,
President,
Maryland Petition Committee
Disapproves
I was amazed and horrified
at the picture (Davis funeral)
that met my eyes on page three
of last week’s issue of your
paper. To the person who took
it and to you who published it,
I just want to say: how could
you be so devoid of human love
and sympathy and understand
ing?
Emily Gardner
Opposes Plan
I sincerely hope there will be
all possible public opposition to
the proposed Cabin John mon
strosity ol a development pro
posed by the president of a
Washington real estate corpora
tion whose sole interest in our
county and its orderly develop
ment is the greedy dollar.
Thank heavens we have a fine,
intelligent Zoning Commission
and a sensible Board of Appeals
so we may set our minds at rest
and let the future be in the wise
hands of those we elected to
high county office.
Cabin John, Potomac, Travi
lah, and the River Potomac Es
tates are the remaining un
spoiled suburbs to which many
D. C. residents moved in order
to bring their children to the
pure air of the country side, and
give them, too, the space In
which to live and grow near
nature.
The black-top parking lots are
not “playing fields” for little
children or “baseball diamonds”
for Little Leaguers.
So let the developers go else
where to make their dollars and
leave the county its green fields
and quiet country lanes to those
who came to them to escape
the heat and confines of the city.
I came too, to breathe and live
in peaceful surroundings.
I hope everyone will give the
Cabin John Park Citizens Asso
ciation and its president all pos
sible support and back up the
Montgomery County Zoning
Commission 100 percent in Us
duty.
Lt John Redgrave
Viewpoints
Maryland Got Tough
With a Reason
When Maryland decided to get tough with
its drunk drivers, it was simply following a
nationwide trend.
Recently, a special committee of the
American Medical Association estimated that
alcohol had been involved in 50 per cent of the
fatal automobile accidents in this country last
year. In these accidents, 15,000 persons were
killed.
Why shouldn’t Maryland and the rest of
the country crack down—and hard —if that’s
the case?
Experts point out that alcohol produces a
marked deterioration of automobile-driving
ability long before the stage which is ordi
narily classified as “drunk.” Accordingly,
police and safety officials are more worried
about the social drinker with two or three
drinks than they are the staggering drunk.
The social drinker usually doesn’t know he’s
less capable of handling the car.
A recent New York Times article points
out that there were 86,500 drunk convictions
last year. State police agencies administered
more than 42,000 chemical tests and in New
York City alone, 1502 such tests were given.
And up In New York they’ve really put
teeth into their drunk testing law. Under
Maryland’s new law, now in effect, the test is
optional. But in New York the law says that
in accepting a driving license, a person “shall
be deemed to have given his consent to a
chemical test.” If a New Yorker refuses to
submit to such a test, his license is automatic
ally suspended and a hearing is scheduled on
revocation of his license for driving while
drunk.
County Comment
Gadget Confounds
Proper Procedure
As we pushed through the doorway, a
young man and a middle-aged one were in
earnest discussion.
“It beats me,” the young man was saying.
“I don’t see any reason at all for the darned
things.”
Replied the other: “If they worked. It’d
be different. I get mad every time I see one.”
The scene was the men’s room of a local
eatery. The object of the gentlemen’s criti
cism was that most sadistic of man-made con
trivances, the hot-air hand drier.
The latter term is used loosely, of course,
since we have yet to encounter the hand that
was really dried by one of these perverse little
mechanisms. With proper cooperation and
perserverance on the part of the user, we sup
pose, the machine might possibly do its ap
pointed job. We wouldn’t know. We have
never mustered sufficient courage to stand
from five to ten minutes, wringing our hands
like a smug pawn broker, while others wait,
impatient and dripping, in line behind us.
The message on the machine advises us
to “rub hands together lightly” under the thin
flow of warm air (which, however thin, is
hardly called for in these days of the soaring
Discomfort Index). The message continues,
‘To dry face, tilt nozzle up.”
Can you imagine trying to dry your face
in that woeful little breeze? Presumably, the
proper procedure would be to rub your heads
lightly together.
An Opinion
Student's 'D' Set
Wheels in Motion
Misunderstandings often are caused by
lack of proper comuni cation between individ
uals.
Language barriers, ill-founded prejudices,
unavailability of the right sources of informa
tion and just plain neglect to try to communi
cate with proper officials are some reasons
for misunderstandings.
A good newspaperman relies on tips as
one means of keeping the public well informed
on issues of Interest. But he must check ail
phases of a story if it is to be accurate, fair
and worthy of passing on to the readers.
We thought It might be of interest to take
you through the various steps of a story from
the source to a conclusion.
Word came that a graduate of Bethesda-
Chevy Chase High School had difficulty en
rolling in a college because of a stamped sen
tence on her transcript of high school grades.
Reportedly, it said: “Student not recommend
ed for college entrance." Furthermore, the
reason given for this stamp was that the stu
dent received one “D" in the junior or senior
year. The parents said a student has to re
ceive 60 per cent A’s and B’s and not one
grade below a “C" before the Bethesda-Chevy
Chase High Schol would recommend for col
lege entrance.
Sounded bad on the surface. Why would
there not be some explanation for the cold
words: “Not recommended ?**■ So we started
to run down the facta.
To obtain facts at the School Board is not
the easiest thing to do. But finally we per
suaded the public Information officer, Mrs.
Dorothy Waleskl. to call William G. Pyles
from an all-day staff meeting in order to give
an explanation of this situation. Mr. Pyles
la now Director of Personnel for the School
Many factors enter into how drunk a
driver is—his weight, physical condition, drink
ing habits, length of time between drinks and
the amount of food eaten before or while
drinking.
But the yardstick used all over the coun
try is that with .05 per cent of alcohol in your
blood, you’re considered okay. Between .05
and .15 there is a question of degree of influ
ence. (In the case of urine tests, the same
figures are .09 to .20). And over .15 (or .20
in the urine test) the person is regarded as
definitely under the influence. Thirty-two
States and the District agree on these criteria.
In the case of the average person, the
dangerous figure is reached by imbibing
about six ounces of whisky or six bottles of
beer over a period of several hours.
Montgomery County, using the new State
law, is using the urine test method. There
are also blood tests (now used In 37 states),
saliva and breath tests. Twenty-six states and
more than 150 local police, according to The
Times, use the “balloon” device called the
Drunkometer or other breath devices. Re
sults of such tests are specifically authorized
as admissible in the courts of 39 States and
the District. In all but three States—Missis
sippi, Alabama and Massachusetts—use of
such tests is permitted.
If the social drinker is smart, he will real
ize what’s happening—all over the country—
and stay out from behind the wheel after im
bibing even slightly. If he doesn’t, he is seri
ously jeopardizing his driver’s permit and risk
ing the deep social and economic impact on
his personal life that such a loss involves.
The manufacturers, by informing us in
large letters that their gadget "prevents chap
ping,” cleverly imply that their only concern
all the time has been our very own well-being.
Naturally, nobody is fooled. Even if the ma
chine DID prevent chapping (an outcome
which it only makes more likely), such meager
gain would hardly compensate for the bodily
ill-effects of a rising dander.
Another excuse for the driers’ use, cited
by one restaurant owner, is that it eliminates
the littering of washroom floors with used
paper towels.
The true reason, however, as might be
guessed, is purely economic. Paper towels
cost money; more than $75 per washroom a
year, according to the operator of one medium
sized eatery. A drier, by the same manager’s
estimate, consumes less than $5 worth of elec
tricity during the same period.
That may well be. But we wonder if our
Informant is computing all the costs of the
drier. Such incidentals, for example, as the
expense of the additional tissue paper that
surely will be filched for hand-drying pur
poses, or for repairing the machine after it
has been kicked off its mooring by frustrated
citizens.
Finally, of course, there is the cost of sur
plus inventory—all that wasted food that
would have been eaten by customers who have
taken their business to restaurants with old
fashioned washrooms.
rrw
—Wick Byron
Board and is former principal of Bethesda-
Chevy Chase High School.
It took Mr. Pyles three minutes to explain.
First of all, there is no stamp used. Further,
there is a complete academic transcript plus
a personality form that is sent to colleges.
And while it is true that a student does not
get a recommendation from the high school
unless he received 60 per cent “A’s" and “B's”
and no “D's” in his last two years of high
school, there is an explanation if extenuating
circumstances exist.
Mr. Pyle suggested we talk to Mrs. Mar
ian H. Leimback, secretary, and Miss Dorothy
B. Quayle, counselor, at B-CC. Both knew the
student. They cooperated with proper infor
mation.
The words on this particular student’s
transcript said: “This student’s grades do not
meet standards established by the Maryland
State Board of Education for recommendation
for college entrance.” As you can see, this is
far different than the original version of what
was "stamped” on the transcript.
This student did receive one "D” In her
junior year. And her other grades did not add
up to 60 per cent “A’s” and “B's”. They
weren't far behind, however. Furthermore,
this student had passed college entrance ex
aminations in good shape. Individual colleges
decide which students to accept or reject.
The standards seem a little rigid but re
quirements for college are much higher than
in former years. The competition is tough.
But we’re glad to learn our high school offi
cials are not as cold as one might have sus
pected before this matter was investigated.
The happy ending of this story Is that the
atudent was accepted by a very fine college.
And we hope the future is bright.
Roger Farquhar
Bob Bernstein