Evening star., 1932-01-20
RED|STRGT|NG BILL
IS EXPECTED SOON
Nearby Virginia Congress
Division Threatened by
Measure.
BY LESTER n. INSKEEP,

stan Correspondent OI ne Gldl.
RICHMOND, Va. January 20.-Com-
plete destruction of the eighth district
and the division of the "Spoils" among
the first, seventh and tenth districts
will be proposed in bill that is to be
introduced in the Senate before the end
of the week, according to information
received here today.
Passage OF such bill would bring
TO full realization the worst fears Of
the eighth district delegation in the
General Assembly
The measure will be fought with
every ounce OF energy that Northern
Virginia legislators are able to gen.
crate.
Plans of Bill
Details of the redistricting bill were
made public for the first time today.
According to this bill the City of
Alexandria and the counties of Airing
ton. Fairfax, Prince William and STAFF
ford, all of which are now part OF the
eighth district, would be combined with
the first district, which consists of the
cities of Newport News. Hampton and
Fredericksburg and the counties OF
SpotSsylvania, Caroline, King George,
Westmol Gland, Richmond, Essex, King
and Queen, MiGdleseX, Lancaster,
Northumberland, Mathews, Gloucester,
York, WarriCk and Elizabeth City,
forming in area one Of the largest dis
tricts in the State and reaching form
Alexandria to Newport News.
The seventh district would acquire
the counties of Loudoun, Fauquler,
orange and Culpeper which are now
part Of the eighth district
Hope in Decision.
The eighth district delegation ex-
pressed elation over the decision OF
the opposition to make known its plan,
claiming that they are now in much
better position TO work toward the sal
walton of the eighth district as it now
stands. Their chief obstacle, it is said,
is that the plans as proposed come
from the district in which reside for
mer Coy. Harry F. Byrd, and there is
q general inclination on the part of
members of the General Assembly to
do nothing that would weaken him as
q presidential candidate.
The eighth district delegation, es
formerly organized, is engaged in nego-
tlations whereby they hope, through
trade with representatives of other dis
tricts who also wish to maintain their
integrity, to save the Northern Vir-
ginia section as it is now formed.
Both Representative Howard w.
Smith of the eighth district and S.
Otis Bland of the first district were
in Richmond yesterday afternoon, the
former having been here for the past
two days. Representative Bland at
tended a meeting of the first district
delegation. Those in attendance re-
fused to comment upon what transpired
there, but it was assumed that the
meeting was an indication that the first
district is determined If any change is
made in its boundaries it will be an
addition rather than subtraction.
Such combination as is to be pro-
posed by the early measure would throw
Representatives Smith and Bland in
the same district and would precipitate
a battle royal when a choice be-
tween the two becomes necessary at the
next election.
Both Sides Confident.
BANDS supporters are confident that
the strength he would derive from the
thickly settled Newport News section
would be more than sufficient to elimi-
nate Smith, but this is doubted by the
Northern Virginia delegation, which
has been assured that the Fredericks-
burg strenth would be thrown to the
northern end of the district, in which
that city has the most interest
Leaders in the Northern Virginia
section, lying adjacent to the National
Capital, want to take no chances of
their representation coming from the
Newport News section. believing that
the large amount of Federal aid that
has been forthcoming during the past
several years would be greatly lessened
in the future by failure to retain rep
resentation that is familiar with local
affairs.
The proposed Early bill is but one
OF many redistricting measures that
are expected to be introduced, and its
appearance will probably be the signal
for the introduction of the various
other plans. 1t also will be the open
ing gun of what promises to be the
biggeSt battle of the rresent session