Evening star., 1942-03-06
House Refuses
Extra Delegate
For Arlington
Upper Body Backs
Grant of Senator
For County Alone

By a Staff Correspondent of The Star.
RICHMOND, March 6.-Recom-
mendations of the Fuller Com
mission on Reapportionment, giving
Arlington County two members Of
the House of Delegates instead Of
one, appeared doomed today in
the lower house of the General As
sembly although the prospects OF
that county being assigned one
Senator of its own were consider
ably brighter.
In an afternoon session devoted
entirely to study of the bill to re-
apportion house districts, with
amendments by the Privileges and
Elections Committee, the House Of
Delegates finally adopted by a So
to-40 vote amendments by Dele
gate Emmet H. Poindexter of Louisa
County which practically strip the
original bill and committee amend
ments of beneficial effects to areas
which have increased in popula-
tions during the past decade.
There were strong indications,
when the House reconvened last
night, that an effort will be made
today to kill the Poindexter amended
bill by either voting against it when
it comes up for final passage, or
by recommitting it to the Privileges
and Elections Committee.
Observers predicted that if the
latter move is successful, that COM
mittee would permit the bill to die
and let the issue lie dormant until
it received a bill from the Senate
dealing with the redistricting OF
Senate seats. In another effort to
have the House seats reapportloned
on what it considers more eqult-
able basis, the committee presum-
ably would add an amendment to
the Senate measure carrying out
the original provisions of the House
bill as it stood before the Poindex-
ter provisions were added.
Senate Considers Bill.
At about the same time the House
was acting on its redistrlctlng bill
the Senate was considering the leg
islation virtually carrying out all of
the Fuller Commission recon-
mendations, which, among other
things, would exclude Arlington
from the present 29th senatorial
district, giving it a Senator of It's
own and leave the remaining por-
ton of the district. comprising Alex
andria and the counties of Fairfax
and Prince William, unchanged.
A minor amendment added by
Senate puts Bath County with the
counties of Allegheny, Craig, Bote-
tourt and Rockbridge instead of
with Highland and Augusta Counties,
as proposed by the redistricting
commission.
One of the effects of the Poin-
dexter amendment to the House bill
is to add fifth Delegate from Nor
folk and take away the proposed
second Arlington member.
BY adopting Delegate Poindexter's
amendment the House limited re-
districting changes to nine districts,
instead of IS as recommended by
the committee and % as originally
provided in the bill
An effort to pass the bill was
made yesterday after adoption of
the Poindexter amendment at con-
cluSion of a three-hour debate. but
the vote to suspend constitutional
reading was SO to SO. whereas a
four-flfths majority. or rs votes,
was needed. The House voted, 55
to 81, however, to refuse to recon-
slider advancement of the amended
measure to third reading This
means that the bill can only be
passed or killed hereafter.
There had been an 'unwritten
agreement" before yesterday that
the Senate would confne its re-
districting action to the seats in
that body and the House would do
likewise with its own reapportion-
ment bill. In the event of passage
OF legislation as it now stands Ar
llngton would be the only area in
Virginia where the Senate district
comedies with the size Of the House
district.
In approving the Poindexter
amendment the lower legislative
body overrode the votes of its
Speaker, Thomas B. Stanley. and
Democratic Floor Leader G. Alvin
Massenburg, who is chairman of the
Privileges and Elections Committee.
Nearby Area United.
Almost without exception, the
Northern Virginia delegation op-
posed the amendment depriying
Arlington of additional representa-
tlon. Those voting against the
amendment included Delegates
Charles R. Fenwick of Arlington.
Maurice D. Rosenberg of Alexandria,
Robert j. McCandlish, jr., of Fair
fax, L. Lake Triplett of Fauuuier
County, who was a patron of the
original bill; Howard C. Rogers of
Loudoun County and E. Blackburn
Moore of Berryville.
Delegate C. G.. Quesenberv OF
WayneSboro was among those who
approved the amendment.
Among those not voting were
Delegates Edgar R. Conner of Prince
William County and Burnett Miller
Of Culpeper.
During debate on the amendment.
Mr.. Fenwick declared:
1T was not until this morning that
learned that Arlington would be
affected by the amendment by the
gentleman from Louisa CMr. Poin-
dexter. I want to tell this House
that the people of Arlington are not
fiy-by-night people. We are human
beings and we are entitled to ade-
quate representation. We are en-
titled to vote in this LEGISLATURE as
much as any one else in Virginia"
The Arlington delegate severely
criticized an appeal made to dele
gates from the rural areas to limit
Arlington to one member of the
House. He said that whether the
question be decided upon popula-
tion basis alone or from the view.
point Of the amount of revenue
provided the State, Arlington would
be entitled to an additional member.
Delegate Robert Whitehead of