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Progress on Vinson Site
A first step has been taken to preserve the so-called
Vinson lot in Rockville for some public use rather
than as a place for a few county employes to park their
cal's during daytime hourse. Hurrah!
County Councilman David L. Cahoon pef&uaded the
council Tuesday to instruct Acting County Manager Mason
Butcher to look intoHhe feasibility of establishing a park
on the site, as has been strongly urged by the Sentinel.
And Butcher has been told also to talk to the City of
Rockville about an offer the latter has put forward to rent
the Vinson site from the county for three to five years for
use in connection with its cultural arts program.
Both plans are a vast improvement over the county’s
original plan to knock down the old Vinson house, push
over the trees and send in their blacktopping machines to
provide a few more county-employe parking spaces.
As we pointed out several weeks ago when we initiat
ed the program to save the Vinson site, everybody in
Rockville and Montgomery County has a stake in this ques
tion. The land is located immediately behind the county
court house, directly across from Rockville City Hall, and
diagonally across from the County Office Building. Just
about everybody who transacts city or county business
(and who doesn’t at one time or another?) comes close
to the Vinson site. And many of these people, even
though they did not use it physically, would appreciate
esthetically a tree-shaded park with paths, flowers and a
fountain at the seat of county and city government. And
there is no question but what there would be wide public
use of such a pleasant facility.
Accordingly, we are still in favor of using the site for
park purposes. But the city’s offer to take over the site
temporarily (and preserve the trees and grass) is next
best. And if the county council which now owns the land
cannot let itself do the former at this time, we implore it
to do the latter.
Rockville officials }n the past have indicated they are
•ager to assume responsibility for public parks in the
county seat. At the same time, we believe, the county
government cannot escape its responsibility for the appear
ance of the heart of the county seat. And some sort of a
park, similar in some degree to those which can be seen
all over the world at the seats of county, city, state and
national governments, is long overdue in Rockville.
Both the city and county governments should be con
gratulated for having begun to show an awareness of this
I Unfulfilled need and to begin a plan that should have been
executed years ago by their predecessors.
Helping Hand Needed
A quick look at the kids and the fun they have for all
too short a time during the summer months at Camp
Eeho Lake each year would remove any doubt from your
mind about the wisdom of giving just a little to the camp’s
current fund drive.
Youngsters who would otherwise be drifting aimless
ly, perhaps getting into mischief, are sent to the camp for
a fun-filled experience that gives them immeasurable bene
fit. And if it weren’t for public donations, they’d never
get to any camp.
Fund drive officials are hoping to raise $20,000 for
this year’s program. And it’s not easy. These selfless
individuals knock themselves out expecting—and receiving
—no reward but the satisfaction of helping to send these
deserving youngsters off to a swell camp program. The
least the rest of us can do is to give them $1 or $2 to
help them in their good work.
It should be borne in mind that Camp Echo Lake is
100 per cent a Montgomery County project—conceived
and executed by Montgomery County residents for Mont
gomery County kids. Give them a helping hand, won’t
you?
Conflict of Interests
IT would be too bad if the county council in determining
what action it will take on the highly significant con
flicts of interest committee report decides to place a great
deal of credence on what the erstwhile county manager
M. L. Reese had to say on the subject.
Reese with characteristic forthrightness warned dur
ing his last few days here that the suggested commission
on ethical standards “could carry on like the McCarthy
committee did.” And he gave the impression while mak
ing the assertion that he thought he was making a rather
telling point with his declaration. He did not, of course,
point out that any appointing authority under present pro
cedure at city, county, state and federal levels can carry
on as the McCarthy committee did if it wants to but that
most of them prefer not to behave in such a manner. And
the ex-county manager didn’t point out why he thought
this particular group might be more inclined to engage in
McCarthy-ljke activity ,tlian do already existing groups
with unlimited authority to inquire into the backgrounds
of possible appointees.
Mr. Reese believes, apparently, that persons seeking
public appointment should not be required to divulge to
the publie those portions of their background or facets of
their financial interest that might conflict with their ap
pointment to the job in question. We could not disagree
more. Obviously, the public doesn’t give a hoot if a per*
son being considered for appointment to the county coun
cil got kicked out of the YMCA in 1028 for non-payment
of dues. But it is slightly interested in knowing whether
the individual has major landholdings and is vitally inter
ested financially in having his land rezoned by the very
i *>°dy he is being considered for appointment to. This type
of individual has sought—and infrequently held—public
office ip the past. And it is exactly for that reason that
the conflicts of interest committee was appointed in the
first place.
Roger B. Farquhar, Editor
Thursday, March 24, 1960
MH •—•
Letters to the Editor
NAACP Note
Recently Woodward & Loth
rop opened its Chevy Chase
store fountain room to all pa
trons on an equal basis. We
commend them for taking this
action and request that all who
cancelled charge accounts at
our behest, reopen them.
We are happy to report that
all major restaurants, depart
ment stores, drug and variety
chains in Montgomery County
now offer equal eating facili
ties to customers.
We believe in the right of
private business to set stand
ards of dress and conduct. We
do not believe in the right to
make demands that cannot be
met, for the purpose of exclud
ing; thereby stigmatizing an
entire race.
Glen Echo—please take note.
We hope you will follow suit
this summer so that all the
little children who hear of your
wonders in glowing terms will
at last have the opportunity to
enjoy them.
Mrs. Florence Orbach
Social Action Chairman
NAACP, Montgomery
County Branch
On Vinson Pork
May I be numbered among
thoM in favor of retaining the
Vinson property as a public
park. How nice it would be to
be able to relax for Just a while
amid the natural beauty while
wa are spending an otherwise
hectic day in the midst of build
ings, traffic and parking lots.
It would not only be a haven
for tired people, but what of
the wildlife? The face of a child
watching the antics of a
squirrel is a Joy to behold. The
beautiful music of the song
birds would be lost if their
home were destroyed.
Wouldn’t it be better to give
the park idea a trial, at least?
It would be too late for regrets
when the bulldozers, in the
name of progress, begin their
destruction for the sake of no
more than 35 or 40 parking
spaces—which might be un
necessary, after a)l.
Esther B. O’Daniel
Lawyer's Role
Your last editorial suggested
that members of the Bar should
not endorse applicants for Judi
cial office. I hope no one ac
cepts this advice or your rea
soning. It should be obvious to
anyone that the practicing law
yers in this County are better
able to assess the qualifications
of judicial candidates than any
one else. Two years ago we had
two eminently qualified contend
ers, each with the endorsement
of many lawyers, but party
politics also played a role. I
am sure that the Judge elected
in November will not be so
petty as to hold the grudge that
you suggest and equally sure
that the Bar is not composed of
cowards who will not support
their candidate. If the Bar fails
to support a candidate, it be
comes necessary for him to
campaign, extol his own abili
ties. 'and drum up party and
financial support. For this rea
son, many *f our most distin
guished lawyers decline to
abandon their practice to accept
appointment or even the Bar’s
recommendations for Judgeship.
This is not in the public inter
est. It should be remembered
that lawyers are Just as con
cerned as the people they repre
sent before the Courts in hav
ing Judges who know the law
and have the temperament to
administer it. Moreover, Canon
2 of the Canons of Professional
Ethics makes it the duty of a
lawyer to “endeavor to prevent
political considerations from
outweighing Judicial fitness in
the selection of judges.” It is
certainly more becoming to sup
port one candidate than to de
preciate the others.
Robert E. Bullard
Needed; Library
I was most distressed upon
perusal of the County Man
ager’s budget for this fiscal
year to find that no funds were
included therein for the con
struction of a library in the
Wildwood shopping center area.
The proposed library at Wild
wood center has the highest pri
ority in the Master Plan pre
pared by the Maryland-National
Capital Park and Planning Com
mission, and the need for this
facility was determined in April
of 1956 in a Report of Facility
Needs prepared by the Mont
gomery County Library Board.
The MNCPPC states that this
shopping center is in the center
of their North Bethesda Plan
ning area and now includes
25,493 individuals, with an ex
pected population of 58,718 by
1980.
There is obviously no ques
tion about the need. The prob
lem is one of having funds in
cluded in the capital budget for
the fiscal year 1960-61 for the
acquisition of a site and the
construction of a building to
house this facility. With numer
ous requests for rezoning which
are appearing on Old George
town rd., it would appear essen
tial that the County Council act
now to approve funds for this
purpose or suitable land will not
exist.
All interested citizens and
groups are urged to lend their
support to this cause by writing
the County Council and attend
ing the public hearing sched
uled on March 30, at 7:30 p.m.
in the County Building. Rock
ville.
Margaret J. Braymer.
Women's Thanks
The Junior Woman’s Club of
Rockville wishes to thank you
publicly for your personal co
operation and your paper’s tre
mendous help in our recent
joint project of the Baltimore
Col t—Montgomery County
Sentinel Basketball Game. We
felt privileged to be asked to
share with the Sentinel in this
most interesting and profitable
affair. It was an unusual event
for a woman’s club to sponsor
and we appreciate your faith in
asking us to share in sponsor
ing It
We of the Rockville Juniors
are justifiably proud of the
$395 profit which was made on
the game. It is being given as
you know to our Community
Achievement Contest Project—
The Rockville College Guidance
Council. Without the support
the Sentinel has given us and
the opportunity of cosponsoring
the basketball game the Rock
ville Juniors would have a diffi
cult job in making an effectvie
presentation of our program to
the public.
We are sincerely appreciative
of your interest and -cooper
ation.
Frances A. Pavey
Corresponding Secretary
Romack Shocked
Every citizen in Montgomery
County must be shocked beyond
belief at the latest (and last, I
hope) irresponsible bid for fame
on the part of Miami-boqhd
County Manager Reese.
A careful examination of his
school budget slash reveals that
(1) he acted in haste, as indi
cated by the language of his
report; (2) he failed to compre
hend the basic needs of our
children, in terms of either
classrooms or effective opera
tion of our largest industry; or
(3) he is finally rewarding the
all-Democratie council for his
much-publicized salary increase
by giving them this golden op
portunity to prove their worth
by reinstating these vitally need
ed school funds to the budget
I urge every parent (particu
larly those with children whp
will suffer if these funds are
not provided) to attend public
hearings by the council and ex
press their indignation over this
parting shot by the ungrateful
Mr. Reese.
With the solid support of the
community, our all-Democratic
council might be persuaded to
overrule their hand-picked man
ager by the required 5-2 majori
ty-
An indignant Republican,
BUI Romack
(I eampaigned for better
spending of our school dollars
in 1958, but I don’t believe in
turning my back on our
schools.)
Teacher’s Value
What is most important in
the world of tomorrow? It
must be the youth of today.
Whatever we wish that world
to be we must train our young
people toward that goal. Educa
tion is the means to this goal,
and (he “means” is the teacher.
He occupies, perhaps, the most
important position and profes
sion today. Leland Jr. High
School faculty has served the
community in this capacity for
many years. In spite of the dif
ficulties presented by an old, in
adequate building, the quality
of the teaching and the esprit
de corps remains very high.
Sometimes we place too
much emphasis on the mone
tary value of a teacher. It is
scarcely possible to put such a
a value on those to whom we
entrust our most cherished pos
sessessions—our children.
How may of us ever stop t#
think bow much we expect of
our teachers—they must be
“parents,” child psychologists,
bookkeepers, counsellors, arbi
trators, as well as educators
proficient in various fields of
education. We expect them to
speak perfect English so that
our children will speak well;
understand th workings of de
mocracy so that our children
will appreciate its value—and
so on through the other sub
jects. The amazing fact is that
most of the teachers do per
form all these jobs, and per
form them well.
Not only do our teachers
spend a full day instilling
knowledge and a sense of val
ues in our young people, they
frequently give tima over #nd
above an eight hour day help
ing in some special field of in
terest, or assisting in finding an
answer to a puzzling problem.
Frequently we, the parents,
seek answers from the teachers
and somehow they always find
time for a conference.
Some members of (die faculty
have given Leland many years
of service. It is career teachers
such as these who make up the
backbone of our educational
system and who help the newer
members of the staff to find
themselves in their choseß pro
fession. We, as parents, want
all of the faculty and staff to
know we appreciate their un
tiring efforts in educating our
children.
Mrs. Karl Frank
Montgomery County
SENTINEL
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MEMBER MARYLAND PRESS ASSOC,
AFFILIATE MEMBER NATIONAL
EDITORIAL ASSOCIATION
SENTINEL PUBLISHING 00.. INC.
Published weekly, fhundaya at Sll
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Post Office at Rockville, Maryland, un
dsr Act of Congress. March S. 1879.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
Mall in Maryland and the Distrnt at
Columbia.
One Yaar SAW
County Law
Poor Potty Training
Might Lead to Havoc
This paat week-end I attended a two-day
meeting of the Medico-Legal Institute on
Basle Psychiatry for Lawyers. It was con
ducted by the Baltimore Psychoanalytic Insti
tute at the Psychiatric institute of the Uni
versity of Maryland School of Medicine in
Baltimore. If that doesn't tell you where I
have been I can't de any better.
It waa a serious meeting attended by
Judges and lawyers from ail parte of Mary
land. The lecturers were psychiatrist* who
wore associated with the University of Mary
land School of Medicine, and they did all the
talking. I learned a groat deal and It scared
the devil out of my ego.
I entered the lecture hall about five min
utes late, and I was horrified to hear from a
distinguished looking doctor the following
words: "It was an awful state of turmoil and
disintegration, vast hordes were falling *upon
one another in mortal combat Conflagra
tions flared through the landscape, volcanoes
spewed, planets struck, and the graves yield
ed up their dead to squeak and gibber in the
streets.”
Why, I nearly fainted! Montgomery
County had been peaceful when I left it and
it did eeem that we eeuld have done without
our county manager at least a day without
falling apart. It was a relief to learn that
the doctor was describing the delusion of an
ill patient who sees the end of the world in
his imagination.
The psychiatrists then talked about a sub
ject distinctly privy to them; namely “the
An Opinion —,—. —,, w „i,
No Serious Rift
Seen Among SOP
Local Democratic leaders were hopeful
that the large number of Republican candi
dates (19) for the seven delegates to the QOP
state convention indicated that a factional
fight was brewing again after the split in the
1958 Republican primary for party control.
From all indications this is not the case.
It is true that such a fight was a strong
possibility had General Wedemeyer stayed in
the race for the Republican nomination to
Congress. The local group which helped per
suade the General to run got several of its
members to file for the delegation to the state
convention. These included James E. Bacon,
Jr., Henry K. McHarg, 111, Hal Lackey and a
couple of others who have since denied they
Agreed to be on such a slate.
The General withdrew several days after
he had filed, thereby eliminating the star
around whom a group might have rallied in
order to show the strength of a segment of
the Republican Party that has been silent
politically since the spring of 1958. The Wed
emeyer candidates stayed in the race, anyway,
for various personal reasons. There arc ne
indications, however, that any concentrated
effort will be made to form a solid "anti”
ticket. Furthermore, there seems to be ne
issue around which such a block eould agree
and actually no political enemy to go after.
With 19 candidates in the field for seven
one-day convention seats in Baltimore this
summer, there are bound to be some disap
pointed Republican leaders. But it seems that
all of them are completely aware of the risks
Involved and are willing to be in th# race for
the experience of running, to do something
constructive at the convention, or to arouse
GOP voters to vote. There is no traee of seri
ous official blocks.
The leading contender for the Congres
sional nomination, Charles Mathias, is not
endorsing anyone although several of the can
didates are committed to him in his race for
the nomination. He believes in open primaries.
Reporter's View
Let's Give Our Kids
Respect for Authority
The three instances this year when juven
le driven “panicked” and tried vainly to
eseape pursuing police point to a disturbing
attitude held by many of our Jet-age youth.
The way we see it, the attitude is based
equally on arrogance for and fear of authori
ty. Faced with arrest, many ef our TV-prient
ed, comic-book reading children first think,
"Heck man. I’ll shake this rap,” and then
when they can’t, their fear of the conse
quences often produces panic.
Maryland youngsters have been driving
at the age of 16 for many years without any
noticeable rash of chases. Three police chases
involving Juveniles in only two months, how
ever, has caused concern ta many Montgom
ery Countians.
Are today’s teenagers somewhere along
the line deluding themselves that they can
escape authorities and their own responsibili
ties?
It would seem that too many American
children these days are given things and are
allowed to do things that are far beyond their
control.
But they are still children, despite the
fact that during their lifetime, the world has
devised the atom and hydrogen bombs, in-
/m
Barnard T. Welsh
potty training of infants” and the dire effect
upon their lives if this training is not skill
fully done. I appreciated this information be
cause my Samoyed, known to the Rockville
dog-catcher as the phantom of Forest Avenue,
has Just whelped seven little pups, who are
living eomfortably within a whelping box.
I suggested to the doctor that perhaps
they can be skillfully paper-trained so- they
can grow up and be healthy mature dogs
without the ."disabling habits” characteristic
of dogs not skillfully paper-trained, but every
body who heard me said I was a fool and
jeered at me.
After that there was a lot of folk about
what ultimately happens when a five-year-eld
son tells his mother that he wants to marry
her, and hears from his father that It cannot
he done because it Is against the law. The
psychiatrists say that this prohibition makes
the five-year-old son mad at the law and this
anger carries over into his adult life and
makes him violate the law Instead of respect
ing It like those of us who didn’t want to mar
ry our mothers when we were flve-years-old.
This was all very confusing.
The doctors were asked by the lawyers
to define the term "Insanity,” but they all
agreed that they did not use the word insan
ity, and insinuated that insanity was a naugh
ty word, and as far as they were concerned
the words did not exist. In fact, the psychia
trists said that they had left insanity for the
lawers. After the meeting I returned to Mont
gomery County dragging my id behind me.
- —Wick Byron
He also believes any person has a perfect
right to file for whatever office he chooses.
He felt the same way about the General’s
candidacy. And as far as we know, neither
Jim Buchanan or Byng Duvall has any spe
cial candidates among the 19 contestants.
They may have one or two who favor them
but nothing formidable.
It isn’t difficult to determine which seven
of the 19 candidates are liable to win. This
would be based on their past activities within
the GOP and the personal following that some
candidates enjoy over others.
For instance, it is probable that Ed J.
Clarke, McKendree G. Fulks, Richard W. Av
eril, Newton I. Steers, jr., Mary Nelson John
son, William C. Birley and Mary Caldwell will
roll up an impressive number of votes simpiy
because of their past activities in the Republi
can organization. All have been extremely
active and all are party leaders.
Of eourse, if a sizable organization pin
points one or two candidates, it is possible
that victory could come to a relatively un
known contestant. This could happen to
Grace D. Sisson or Carl R. Eby, both popular
and both active in Wheaton affairs.
Charles S. Bresler, Emery Hertelendy and
Kalwey H. Johnson aren’t too well known but
they have friends.
Calvin H. Cobb, jr., W. Perry Doing, Rob
ert E. Bullard and Denver L. Russell are In
the race and will no doubt get support among
their friends and from persons In the precinct
Who re familiar with their political activities.
The Republican high command is hope
ful that this state convention delegation raee
will result in little more than popularity con
tests between the 19 contenders. There seems
to be no bone picking among the candidates.
*° it is improbable that any serious split will
be inflicted on party organization.
The Republican primary contest has all
the earmarks of a truly open primary.
v:|jl
Jt || HI
Steed Ivons
vented jet airplanes, put a television set in
every home and a second car in many ga
rages. They know about these things but
can’t’measure up to the implications of ma
turity implicit in this progress.
Perhaps one of the reasons is that strict
parental discipline and no-nonsense schooling
seem to have been subordinated to s desire
among adults that their offspring become so
cially adjusted to society, and that they bring
the family ear home by midnight.
Lacking in everyday reminders that they
must assume responsibility for their actions,
many of this era’s children are unprepared to
face the consequences of what they do.
Thus, you find youthful drivers running
from police at 120 miles an hour. And you
find 15 teenagers smashing up stores and
stealing money because they "didn’t have any
thing else to do.” Hardly a week goes by
when the license clerk in Circuit Court doesn’t
issue e marriage license to a young couple
because the 15 or 16-year-old girl ha* become
pregnant
These are acts that years ago were de
terred In the woodshed. And what’s wrong
with so-called “repressions” brought on by a
couple of good paxental wallops?