Montgomery County sentinel. [volume], November 21, 1963, Image 1

About Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974

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Spectrum
The Democratic State Central
Committee will not discuss until
January, anyway, the matter of
replacing resigned DSCC mem
ber Richard Saiem and they may
no': even replace him.
Chairman Ann Brown is re
portedly not at all eager to begin
the discussions that will cause
dissension on the now almost
evenly divided committee.
Salem submitted his resigna
tion as a result of being “hatch
ed” due to accepting a job with
the Small Business Administra
tion. He was appointed to the
DSSC last spring.
• * *
Speaking of being hatched,
there seems to be a growing
demand among some of the lead
ing bi-partisan, civic groups here
for more political action by bi
partisan factions such as that
which Arlington has seen for a
number of years.
Main factor bringing up these
discussions is keen disappoint
ment by key civic leaders over
the performance of both parties
on planning and zoning. “You
can’t count on either party,” a
spokesman declares. “So maybe
we ought to organize a new bi
partisan or nonpartisan party
that might be able to get itself
elected (through some sort of
Civil Service Commission relaxa
tion of the Hatch Act) and then
it could try to do the kind of a
planning and zoning job that
needs doing here but which
hasn’t been done under either
the Democrats or the Repub
licans.”
Preliminary discussions with
the CSC have already been held,
the source said, and there is a
ray of hope of getting ultimate
ly a favorable ruling.
The idea is that when you get
a whole bunch of clear think
ing, objective government em
ployes actively engaged in the
planning and zoning problem,
more solutions could be found.
* * *
By the time our next issue
rolls around, both Lou Goldstein
and Joe Tydings will have an
nounced for the U.S. Senate seat
now held by J. Glenn Beall.
Tydings has called his press
conference—to announce his res
ignation as U.S. District Attor
ney and the fact that he’s a
candidate—for today. And Gold
stein will announce his with fan
fare on Monday at a “reception”
to be held in the Emerson in
Baltimore.
Goldstein will have his wide
popularity throughout the state
going for him as well as the
influence of the statewide Demo
cratic organization which wap(
Goldstein out of the way in 1966
when favored candidate Thom
as B. Finan will be running for
governor to succeed Tawes.
Tydings will have a good
name and the quiet support of
President Kennedy in his comer
See Spectrum, A2
‘lnfluence’
Suit Names
Sam Eig
While legal procedures got
under way this week over
charges he pressured County
Council members to reverse
themselves in a zoning decision,
entrepreneur Sam Eig left on
a vacation trip to Florida.
Meanwhile, a member of the
County Attorney's staff said
preparation of an answer to a
suit brought by attorney David
Macdonald to have the Coun
cil's original favoring vote on
the zoning restored will be de
layed until court action is taken
on Macdonald's request for per
mission to take depositions from
Council members.
Macdonald's request is being
considered by Circuit Court
Judges Walter H. Moorman and
James H. Pugh. The attorney
seeks the depositions to support
his claim that Eig contacted
Council members personally in
favor f a reversal on their
vote to rezone property next
to his Motel Washingtonian
near Gaithersburg.
Eig has denied the charges
as an “irresponsible attack on
my integrity,” and consulted
with his attorney, Plummer M.
Shearin.
Macdonald filed his petition
last Friday on behalf of Clif
ford C. Kaslow and Ralph D.
Rocks, contract purchasers of
about 90 acres of undeveloped
land at Fields Road and Muddy
Branch Road, who sought Coun
cil approval of rezoning for
single-family homes and apart
ment development.
The County Council on May
29 voted preliminary approval
of the rezoning, but deferred
final action on it a week later.
On June 11, they rejected their
previous stand and voted in
structions for preparation of a
resolution denying it which
they confirmed the following
week.
Sentinel’s 1963 All-County Football Team on B-2
Phonovisual Method of Reading Is Pushed By Conservatives
U t*OCH%RATT VIM AAV
JMH BALTIMORE. MB
KlVv/|
§|||B .m
I liiliilillllß - ’ " • ' w v
‘Fan Is For FFFF . .. ’
Key feature of the phonovisual method of teaching reading,
spelling and speech that is winning favor among county
School Board members is the emphasis on deriving letter
sounds from pictures like those displayed on the phonovisual
chart being pointed to by Edna Smith, extension director of
the Primary Day School, where the method was developed.
—Sentinel Photos by Ed Mervis.
Reading Plan On Trial
At N. Kemp Mill School
By Elly Bradley
Sentinel Reporter
Unraveled by an expert like Edna Smith, the mys
teries of the phonovisual method of learning to read, spell
and speak the English language become as simple as aah,
buh, sss.
All you, or any child, have to
do is completely forget the 26
letters of the alphabet and start
all over from scratch. To begin
with, there are 26 basic con
sonant sounds alone to work
with if you exclude the one
produced by the combination of
Z and H.
This is dropped in the phono
visual method, Mrs. Smith ex
plains, for the reason that
“there aren't many elementary
Suit Is Filed
Written Opinions Differ
In Council Zoning Switch
Last May 28 the County Council voted 5-1 to order
a resolution drawn approving some single-family and some
apartment rezoning for a 90-acre tract at Fields Road and
Muddy Branch Road adjoining Sam Eig’s Motel Washing
tonian. Final action one week later, normally perfunctory,
was deferred and the week after that, on June 11, the
council completely reversed itself and voted 5-1 to deny
the rezoning, rejecting it formally on June 18. As a conse
quence, oivners of the land have filed suit charging Coun
cilmen were unduly influenced by Eig to change their
votes. The statements of the Council in the two conflicting
decisions are reproduced herewith in full:
Approval
"The District Council feels
it must disagree with the Mont
gomery County Planning Board
and Technical Staff (which had
recommended denial). The ex
isting Master Plan for Gaithers
burg and vicinity is inadequate.
It does not take into account
the projected population in
crease which expert testimony
showed would come into this
locale, as the subject sites are
gradually surrounded (a proc
ess which is well under way)
by uses ordinarily not found in
the R-R zone.
“The Wedges and Corridors
Plan calls for residential clas
sification here of from four to
10 dwellings per acre. Muddy
Branch Road, which would serv
ice this tract, is already bud
geted for improvement in the
1904 fiscal year budget.
"Sewerage is immediately
available at the Muddy Branch
Pumping Station. Under the ad
ditions proposed to elementary,
junior and senior high schools,
educational facilities will more
than meet the influx of new
pupils.
“The property itself is ideal
for the reclassification pro
posed. It will permit more in
tense residential development
without an adverse effect to the
surrounding neighborhood in a
location that is easily accessible
to the one corridor roadway
system that is entirely within
and primarily for the benefit of
Montgomery County.
"For these reasons and be
cause to grant these applica
tions will aid in the accomplish
ment of a coordinated, compre
hensive, adjusted and system
atic development of the Mary
land-Washington Regional Dis
trict, these applications will be
granted after withholding from
rezoning the area needed for
future road widening and re
location."
school children reading Dr.
Zhivago.”
After you’ve mastered the
consonants, preferably to the ex
tent that you can sound them
at both the beginning and end
of words forget what comes
between—you’re exposed to the
five vowels of the alphabet,
which manage to become 17
sounds on the phonovisual
chart.
Comes now the process of
See Phonovisual, B 3
| Denial
"The Montgomery County
Planning Board and Technical
Staff recommend denial of this
application.
"The requested changes would
represent a very great intensifi
cation of the present zoning as
it now exists and as it is pro
posed to continue under the
adopted Master Plan for the
Vicinity of Gaithersburg. This
Master Plan was prepared to
accommodate a projected in
flux of some 40,000 people.
There seems to be no immediate
need for a change in the Plan
to satisfy the needs of the em
ployment centers which are
springing up in this locale. Since
this Plan was adopted a little
' over two years ago, the District
Council feels that now is not
' the time to change it, if at all.
No change or mistake has been
shown by the applicant to alter
;t
--j “For these reasons and be
cause to deny this application
will aid in the accomplishment
of a coordinated, comprehen
sive, adjusted and systematic
development of the Maryland-
Washington Regional District,
the applications will be denied.”
K-W Area Tops
Its UGF Goal
The Kensington-Wheaton area
reached 126 per cent of Its goal
in the current fund drive staged
by United Givers Fund.
The K-W area had been asked
to raise S2OBO and instead it con
tributed $2612.
Floyd May Speak
GLENMONT The Glenmont
and Vicinity Citizens Association
has asked County Council Presi
dent John A. Floyd to be its
speaker for the Dec. 4 meeting.
Mi. Siiiill, .
- • •' how the (curlier first covers
yT\ “I* **•<• letters showing only t ‘ V
NlX’'* "'beets associated with -|
■ them when reading lessons
•l! Al Jill' start under the phonovisual !f\M \ V/C/ FW
J,.' plan. Then, as shown at right. ▼ T X. J
m t lie covering paper Is removed / j \
I and hntli the object the \JL
'S-SuS' 1 letter or letters are shown to- V
'""a get her like "p" with pig. "wh"
§HH| / with wheel and "f" with fan. W&MBBHBBSHtu
Smith O
introducing some ; A** i •#
° rs ' including many the /W.'? j I
county, to the Miii<|U<- leatiues * * ' A.
INpWli fMill sflM
lOf Hi Year - No. IS—Published Ivory Thursday tiROCKVILLE, MARYLAND NOVfMIER 21, 1963 TWO SECTIONS OArdau 4-7700 JQf a Copy
From Rights Law
City Weighs Dropping
Of Tavern Exemption
ROCKVILLE—Creation of a city Human Relations
Commission and ending of the tavern exemption under
the city’s rights law are under consideration here.
At present, Rockville operates
under its own public accom
modations ordinance which is
patterned after the county law.
Both exempt from the anti-bias
regulation establishments that
get more than 50 per cent of
their revenue from alcoholic
beverage.
The city also depends for en
forcement of its public accom
modations law on the county
Human Relations Commission.
James Wyckoff, civic leader
and representative of Rockville
Unitarian Church, asked Mon
day that City Council consider
taking both steps repealing
the tavern exemption and creat
ing the city’s own Human Rela
tions Commission.
Wyckoff said he spoke for 27
community leaders including
former Mayors Alexander J.
High Rise
Apartments
Are Asked
Tlie property, 6.85 acres on
the west side of Rockville Pike
south of Randolph Road, is
owned by Rozansky and Kay
Construction Co., and is occu
pied by Blandy's Trailer Court.
With just over a week remain
ing in which to accept applica
tions for land rezoning, the
county’s Department of Inspec
tion and Licenses reported it
has received only half the num
ber it did during the last filing
period in May.
Late Tuesday, 17 cases had
been filed, compared with 32 in
May. On the basis of experi
ence, officials said, they do not
expect this month’s total to ap
proach the high of 144 applica
tions filed in May, even with the
expected late rush before the
Nov. 30 deadline.
Among applications filed last
week was one seeking light or
heavy industrial zoning of 35,-
790 sq. ft. of rural residential
property on the west side of
Monroe St. 500 feet north of
Seven l-ocks Road in Rockville.
Another, filed by W. Lawson
King, asks for commercial zon
ing for four acres of land he
owns on the southwest side of
the Shady Grove Road intersec
tion with Route 355 outside
Gaithersburg.
Also, C. Edward Nicholson,
attorney for the Rozansky and
Kay firm, asks for garden-type
apartment zoning for over
three-fourths of an acre of sin
gle-family residential property
of the Washington Sanitarium
Dairy Farm subdivision border
ing the Prince Georges County
line, south of Avenal Road in
White Oak.
Greene and Dickran Y. Hovse
pian as well as former County
Council President David Cahoon,
also a Rockville resident.
City heads immediately named
a seven-member Human Rela
tions Study Conjimittee headed
-tty Richard M. Coo perm an, head
of Citizens for Good Govern
ment and a former member of
the county Human Relations
Commission.
Other committee members:
William N. Bagley, Thomas T.
Bradshaw, Rev. G. Custer Crom
well, Rupert G. Curry, Dickran
Y. Hovsepian, and Joseph E.
Jeffs.
Terms of the committee mem
bers expire June 30, 1964.
A resolution adopted by the
City Council calls on the new
group to conduct its study and
formulate its findings “with due
spei-d.”
A proposal to abolish the
county Human Relations Com
mission and repeal the county’s
public accommodations law was
made by Councilman John
Henry Hiser several months ago
but the move failed.
The 27 Rockville citizens who
signed a statement presented by,
Wyckoff were: Cahoon i Leslie
Cole, Cooperman, George Court
ney, Cromwell, Rev. K. J. De-
Graffinreidt, Norman Duffin,
James Fahl, Greene, James
Gregg, Hovsepian, John Laney, !
Alphonzo Lee, Matthew McCar- 1
tin, Thomas McTighe, Eugene
Moran, Lee Nichols, Florence!
Orbach, Robert G. Prestemon,
Rev. J. Wiley Prugh, Lynn Pres
ten, Donald Sherman, Edith
Throckmorton, Francis Tro
endle, Raymond Watts, Rev.
Kenneth Wentzel, and Wyckoff.
Rockville
*
Water Rate
Is Lowered
ROCKVILLE—City Council
voted Monday to reduce water
rates from 38 cents per 1000
gallons to 35 cents, effective
Jan. 1.
The action followed delivery
of a report by the city finance
director which stated that
such a reduction was "feasi
ble."
A two-rent reduction In the
water rate was ordered about
two years ago and the new
cut brings the rate down to
the 1957 level, according to
city officials.
Established. 1855
Ungraded Classes
Issue Stirs New
School Dispute
An Editorial
Conflict of interests!
What are conflicts of interests?
Whatever they are the public is hearing much about
them these days.
A suit has been filed in county circuit court contend
ing that County Councilmen were unduly influenced by a
leading county businessman to reverse themselves in a re
zoning case. An attorney has been indicted for offering a
$50,000 bribe to influence a public official on a rezoning.
The county grand jury has been ordered to look into the
conflict of interest situation here in the county.
It is not only in the county that we are hearing a
great deal about the question. Congress this week opened
hearings to determine if there were conflicts of interests,
undue influence or unethical conduct in the TFX warplane
decision.
In neighboring Prince Georges County the matter is
being probed. Residents of Northern Virginia hear much
about the problem. It was an important factor in the re
cently-concluded election campaign in Fairfax County.
Conflict of interest in government is in fact, qs old as
government itself.
There have always been the greedy and unscrupulous.
There are always those who try to buy government if
not outright through indirect means, of which there are
many for the resourceful to follow. And, of course, there
are those who only go into government work for what they
can get out of it. Nothing is further from their minds than
selfless public service.
Fortunes have been and will be made out of Mont
gomery County 1 and deals. Many honorable men are en
gaged in the pursuit of profits from the land business, prob-
See Conflict of Interests, A4
Weekly News
Review
In Maryland . . .
Gov. Rockefeller was so pleased with the results of top
Republican leaders recent visit with hlni last week that he Is
planning to Invite other state groups to lunch In New York
In the future. He also noted that he may have to decline an
Invitation on the part of the Maryland delegation to enter the
primary next May.
Maryland's present congressional districting Is currently
under attack In the Supreme Court and is the basis of a suit
to be filed by Maryland Citizens Committee for Fair Congres
sional Redistricting before the U. S. District Court In Balti
more next month. The suit contends that Maryland’s seven
congressional districts are unconstitutional because of ex
treme variation In population.
The $lO2 million Maryland-Delaware turnpike was for
mally opened last week by President Kennedy and less than
24 hours later State Police reported three accidents and num
erous citations Issued.
StudenCfaciilty-admlnistration relations are so poor at
See Weekly News Review, A4
Beck Blasts
Saunders ChT
Procedures
Montgomery County
School Boardmembers clash
ed this week over procedures
used in presenting criticism
of the county’s experimental
non-graded primary educa
tion system as 500 parents
watched.
Majority boardmember, Wil
liam I. Saunders was rebuked
by minority liberal Dr. Clifford
Beck for “not making his inten
tions clear” in bringing the
criticism before the board prior
to a staff study.
Supporting the sentiments of
I a group of dissatisfied parents
with children in the Rosemary
Hills Elementary School, where
the ungraded program has been
in effect for three years at all
levels, Saunders said he had met
with the parents and "lir'ered
to many complaints." 'This is
! their privilege,’’ he advised the
! board. “They know my phone
number and they can call me
and I’ll listen,” he said.
Angering the minority board
members, apparently, was the
method in which Saundprs
placed the item on the agenda.
According to Beck, Saunders
allowed the meeting to become
an investigation into the overall
test program. Saunders did not
reply publicly to Dr. Beck’s
blast.
A seemingly bewildered Beck
j told the board, "I Just don’t
| understand the purpose of this
| inquiry. If this is a procedural
matter than it should be turned
over to the staff."
He noted that Saunders, who
requested time at the all-day
board meeting Nov. 12 to make
a report on a meeting he had
attended of parents of children
at Rosemary Hills, failed to
See Primaries, A-3
Deadline* Early
In Next Issue
All Sentinel deadlines
both news and advertising
will be pushed forward 24
hours next week due to
the Thanksgiving holiday.
We regret this inconvenience
to the public but find it nec
essary. Publication day will
be Tuesday, Nov. 26.