Evening star., 1924-07-20

II OF All extensive
survey by the War Depart
ment to determine just where
the boundary line between the
District of Columbia and the State of
Virginia should be drawn threatens
to stir up the old controversy as to
the justification, constitutionally or
otherwise, of the re,rocession to Vir-
ginia in 1S46 of the portion Of the
state which she originally contributed
as a site for the National Capital.
The present survey being under
taken by engineers of the Office of
public buildings and grounds upon
authorization of Congress, which ap-
propriated $1,000 for the purpose at
the last session, might conceivably
result in the scrappIng of modern
maps of the District of Columbia and
Virginia in favor of new ones show
ing the District line extending as far
as half mile into Virginia territory
in some places.
Alexanders Island Involved.
Involved in the problems to be
probed in the survey just started is
the District of Columbia or the Fed
eral government should have juris-
diction of the several square miles
of fiat land which many years ago
composed what was known as Alex
anders Island, and which was sepa-
rated from the main shore of Alex
andria- now Arlington, County by a
narrow stream. THIS island became
a peninsula when the mouth of the
stream eventually was filled in and
closed, and as the years passed it
became part of the main land, form
ing today the site of the horseshow
grounds, a private flying field, Airing
ton Beach, etc.
Possibility that the investigation
now under way may end in a re-
port that the District of Columbia
should have jurisdiction over the
Alexanders Island territory and per-
haps some other sections along the
Virginia shore of the Potomac River
has given rise to a discussion of the
merits of the various contentious re-
garding the retrocession of any of the
Virginia land gift to the District.
Question Right of Action.
Opponents of the act of Congress
Of 1886, which turned the property
back to Virginia. centered their at
tack on the constitutionality of the
act and held that the law was detri-
mental to the interests of the Fed.
| eral government.
The principal argument in favor oi
retrocession. and the one which was
| incorporated in the Act of Congress
providing for retrocession, was thai
| the Federal government had no use
| for the Virginia portion of the Dis
| trict of Columbia.
| AS Amos B. Casselman once pointed
| out, however, in a paper read before
| the Columbia Historical Society. this
| reason seems insufficient to justify
| the act, even If true" If it were q
| fact. Mr.. Casselman argued, that the
| United States had no special neet
| for the territory, it would hardly
seem an adequate reason for giving
| it away. Nations or individuals are
not in the habit of giving away val
liable territory because they do moi
need it.
Cites Need of Territory.
But in the short period since that
act" Mr.. Casselman told the society
"the United States has found it neces.
sary to become the owner of two
square miles of this territory, fol
| use as a military post, a nationa
cemetery, Signal Corps station, ar
/ agricultural experiment farm, etc
| and will doubtless need still further
acquisitions OF this territory. So one
OF the principal reasons alleged has
| been demonstrated to be untrue.
| "Concerning the other principa
reason stated, namely. that the people
| of Alexandria were deprived of the
privileges of citizenship in a state
that was equally true of the Mary.
| land portion of the District and is