Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1942-02-04
Darden Bucks
Opponents Of
Redistricting
Passes Along Word
He Expects Action;
Hearings Tomorrow
BY ALEXANDER r. PRESTON
Star Staff Correspondent.

q plan. to reapportion house and
senatorial districts, opposition has
reached such proportions since the
converting of the General Assembly
that Gov. Darden has had to pass
the word along" that he expects
some sort of revision of legislative
seats to be voted at the present ses-
sion.
The House and Senate Privileges
and Elections Committee will hold
the hearings tomorrow at 3 pm. on
Re apporti onm e n t Commission
headed by Senator E. R. Fuller OF
Richmond which would redistrict
the States legislative area based on
population figures of the 1910 census
The Northern Virginia area, par
ticularly Arlington County, would
be among the sections of the State
TO be benefited under the commits
sion's reapportionment plan. Reap
portionment was scheduled to be
acted on at the 1910 session, but &C
ton was postponed.
Opposition Gains.
Even before the current session
convened. sponsors of reapportion-
ment legislation naturally expected
opposition from areas which would
stand to lose representation, but the
opposition apparently has grown to
such an extent that the Governor
has repeatedly felt the need for
urging redistricting to conform to
population changes in recent years.
Reapportionment was listed in the
legislative program of Gov. Darden
in his inaugural address, but that
apparently was not sufficient to keep
opponents from gaining supporters.
The Fuller Commission has recon-
mended that Arlington's House OF
Delegates representation be in
creased from one to two members
and that it be given Senator of
its own. The balance of the pres
ent 18th senatorial district, which
includes Prince William and Fair
fax Counties and the city of Alex
andria, as well as Arlington, would
remain as a senatorial district, after
Arlington had been Withdrawn.
The Governor is reported to take
the position that because the Ar
hngton- Fairfax alexandria area has
grown by leaps and bounds in re-
cent years, that area must be fairly
treated with more representation.
Farm Areas in Saddle.
Since population trends have for
several years been away from the
agricultural to the urban sections of
the State and because the agricul-
tural areas have traditionally pre-
dominated in the General Assembly,
any plan which subtracts from the
rural districts and benefits the ur-
ban sections can be overwhelmingly
defeated without too great an effort
being put forth.
An additional complication to the
proposed new representative setup
is an insistance by Delegate Maui
rice D. Rosenberg of Alexandria
that his community be given strong
er representation in the Senate by
being grouped only with Fairfax
County, to the exclusion of Prince
William County. The Alexandrian
would place the latter county in the
28th senatorial district
Mr.. Rosenberg argues that even
with the adoption of his plan the
Alexandria Fairfax district would
have larger population than the
average of other such districts in
Virginia. He also advances the
further suggestion that the popu-
lations OF Alexandria and Fairfax
County are more urban because of
their proximity to Washington, and
that the rural interests of Prince
William County would better be
represented with similar interests
In the 18th senatorial district.
Delegate L. Lake Triplett of Eau
quier County, which is a part of
the 18th senatorial district, vigor-
ously has opposed increasing the
size of that area. Mr.. Triplett, who
is an influential political leader in
the House, said he would throw the
whole plan out the window" before
he would consent to Mr.. Rosen-
berg's proposal.
Defense Bill Before House.
The revised State defense bill,
amended in only a few minor par
ticulars, was placed before the
House today with the unanimous
approval of the Courts of Justice
Committee, ready for the speedy
action urged by Gov. Darden.
Quick action with minimum of
debate was contemplated in the
House. Delegate John Spiers of
Radford, one of the patrons Of the
original defense bill to give legal
status to the State Defense Council
set up by Gov. Price, told the Courts
Committee last night that groups
working on the bill had composed
differences.
The Assembly, which for several
days has spent most of it's time
on minor bills, also received several
other pieces of major legislation
from committees which met late
yesterday and last night.
Compensation Measures Ready.
The House Finance Committee
brought to the floor with its ap-
proval the administration bill to
substitute a single administrator for
the three man Unemployment
Compensation Commission, which
previously has passed the Senate.
The General Laws Committee of
the House approved Gov. Darden's
bill to increase the benefits under
the Workmen's Compensation Act
from SIS to $18, but it referred to a
subcommittee the companion bill
to extend the law to employers of
three persons. 1t now applies to
employers of II persons and the
Governor estimated the bill would
bring 100000 persons under the
act,