Evening star., 1928-03-08
ARLINGTON COUNTY
BILL IN BALANCE
Ruling on Enabling Act" Is
Expected Today Follow.
ing Hearing.
BY staff Correspondent OF The Star.


RICHMOND. Va. March S,--The life
Of the Arlington County enabling act" T"
or Incorporation bin. hung By a. thread
today. following a determined tight II
;ts behalf waged here before the Legis-
lature yesterday afternoon by large
delegation OF citizens.
II is now up to Speaker Thomas w.
C2lin of the House OF Delegates as 10
whether that thread shall BE- cut by a
ruling on his part that the bill Is not
Of local character. or shall be allowed
to sustain the bill in its almost hopeless
effort 10 get through the General
Assembly at this session.
After hearing ardent arguments IN
favor Of the measure yesterday from
representatives OF the Arlington County
Civic Federation and other organizations
and an attack on il by former Delegate
Charles T. Jesse. who opposed 1t at the
last session. the committee on counties,
cities and towns OF the House voted TO
''pass it by temporarily in order to
secure from the Speaker a ruling as to
Its technical status,
Ruling Expected Today.
Jesse contended that the measure is
not 4 local one. with privileged status.
but is a general bill and not properly
before the committee. He based his
argument on the fact that 1t provides
for withdrawal from the State highway
system Of more than IA miles OF State
roads and that 1t would create new
tudseship from State funds. For these
reasons. he said. the whole State Is
affected.
Speaker Oslin was expected to an
nounce his ruling today. II was pointed
out that Lieut.. Gov. Junius West. presi-
dent Of the Senate. ruled last year that
the bill was local. AS such it would
b. entitled to special legislative courte-
sizes. IF the speaker rules that the bill
Is general the last hope that supporters
Of the measure have for its passage
st this session will have been blasted.
If the bin should be ruled local il
has a bare chance of being reported
TO the House and passed by that body
II would then meet another almost in
surnaou0table hurdle in the Senate,
however. for Senator Frank L. Bal! of
Arlington County has announced his
opposition to il. ....
The principal basis for the OPPOSITION
stated 10 the committee was the fear
that it would affect adversely Arlington
County's interests in the pending suit
Of Alexandria 10 annex portion Of the
county. Jesse, Ball and Common
wealth's Attorney William c. Cloth. all
OF whom are OF counsel for the county
tn this litigation. have voiced this fear.
Keeping his pledge to introduce the
bill and support it, Delegate Hugh Reid
frankly told the committee yesterday
that while. he personally was opposed
to Incorporation of the county as a
city. he felt that justice demanded that
the people be allowed TO decide that
question for themselves in a special
referendum. as provided in the bill.
Reid had endeavored to have the cit
liens relieve him OF his campaign pledge,
IN view Of the statements OF annex
alton counsel but failed.
Speakers at Hearing.
The arguments OF the civic delcga-
ton, which included Is men and wonl-
en-, were voiced before the committee
by L, c. McNemar. president OF the
Arlington County Civic Federation: Ar
thur Orr. chairman Of the executive
committee OF that body: Walter U.
Varney. corporation counsel for the town
Of Potomac: Mrs Claude S. Senones. a
member Of the federation, and Mrs.
Florence Cannon. delegate to the fed
GRAFTON from the Organized Women
Voters OF the county.
Reid introduced them after explain
ing TO the committee the nature Of the
bill and after stating his own attitude
toward IT. He said he considered that
Arlington County would have all III.