Evening star., 1941-09-06
District and Arlington


Carrar of the Senate District Com
mittee, for extension of District
jurisdiction to all territory in Arling-
ton contiguous to the District of
Columbia" and now owned by the
Federal Government merits the in
tensive consideration which he says
will be given it by his committee. A
somewhat similar suggestion was
made in 1910 by President Taft in his
annual message to Congress. Refer
ring to the Importance of acquiring
for the District of Columbia at least
part of the territory which was
originally granted for the District
by the State of Virginia and then was
retroceded by act of Congress in
1846," Mr.. Taft said that if the eXer-
else of Federal authority over prop
erty purchased in Virginia for
governmental purposes were not
enough, "the Legislature of Virginia
would in all probability so enlarge
the jurisdiction as to enable Congress
to include it within the control of
the Government of the District of
Columbia and actually make it a
part of Washington"
The plan which Chairman McCar-
ran discussed with President Roose-
welt yesterday is devoid of most of the
controversial features which have
characterized many of the boundary
or other proposals for readjustment
of juriSdictional authority in the
rapidly developing section across the
Potomac River. Virginians have
vigorously opposed retrocession be-
cause it would involve, with other
things. loss of the right of suffrage.
They have resisted moves to extend
the District Of Columbia boundary
beyond the traditional dividing line
along the shore of the river. Every
encroachment by the Federal Gov
eminent into Arlington County has
deprived the county and the State
of certain tax revenues from the
federalized territory. Furthermore,
the long dispute over the exact loca-
ton of the DiStrict-Virginia bound
ary has been attended by serious
complications in the field of law
enforcement, to the concern of police
and prosecution authorities on both
sides of the river.
The announced plan to transfer
jurisdiction from Virginia to the
District in such areas as Arlington
National Cemetery, the New Wash
ington National Airport, Fort Myer
and the Experimental Farm site
would involve no encroachment on
land now owned by Virginia, would
in no wise affect suffrage rights of
Arlington'S residents, would end the
intolerable conflict of police author
ity and seemingly would deprive Vir-
ginia of but little revenue. The only
appreciable potential source of tax
revenue among the tracts affected is
the airport, to which the District and
Virginia both lay claim for taxing
purposes. Virginia would derive
comparatively small revenues from
the airport were it given Jurisdiction
there.
Virginia, moreover, would be re-
lieved of the responsibility and the
expense of affording police and fire
protection and other municipal serv-
ices to the transferred territory.
Arlington is looking to the Federal
Government for assistance in these
problemS-and the District of Co.
lumbia, if it should be given super
vision, naturally would expect gen.
erous help from the Federal Treasury
in Shouldering the new burden. Be-
cause of the varied problems involved
in the latest plan, careful studies and
full public hearings should precede
final congressional action.
Congress might choose to seek con-
currence of the Virginia Legislature
in transfer of jurisdiction-or, more
properly, specific assignment of
juriSdiction-over certain contiguous
areas in Virginia. On the other
hand, Congress might order the
transfer and invite a test in the
United States Supreme Court of the
validity of the original retrocession
of Virginia territory, question on
which the Supreme Court has never
passed.