Evening star., 1943-11-28
Another Cession to Virainiu

One of the "noncontrOVerSial"
local measures to be brought be-
fore the House this week is the
Randolph bill to fix the boundary
between the District and Virginia
The subject has caused plenty of
controversy in the past. This bill,
however, has the backing of Fed
eral, District and Virginia author
tiles. Its enactment would end the
anomalous condition under which
uncertainties of jurisdiction over
some areas across the river created
a mo mans land" seriously ham,
pering law enforcement.
The bill assigns to Virginia land
area which lies within the mean
highwater mark as it existed in Jan
uary, 1871, and thus under past
court decisions would belong to the
District of Columbia. 1t represents,
in a sense, another cession to Vir-
ginia, by act of Congress, of terri
tory set aside under the Constitu-
ton as the District of Columbia.
But for all practical intents and
purposes, the District would lose
nothing of benefit under the Ran
dolph bill and assignment of
criminal jurisdiction is regarded by
the Attorney General as "of vital
Importance for the United States"
The settlement now proposed is
to fix the boundary at the mean
highWater mark, across the river, as
1t now exiSts-not as it existed in
1791. This means that some of the
filled land, such as large section
OF the area occupied by the National
Airport, the Pentagon Building and
It's environs, and portions of the
George Washington Memorial High
way will be ceded to Virginia, with
the United States Government re-
tanning concurrent jurisdiction. The
details Of this jurisdiction later will
be worked out between Federal and
Virginia authorities. The Virginia
Legislature already has agreed to the
arrangement. There was DISPOSE
ton among District citizens, at one
time, to insist on local jurisdiction
over the National Airport. But as
the expense for policing that area
would then fall to the District, with
little, If any, compensating revenues,
there seems to be general agreement
now that District Ownership of the
airport would be a white elephant.
Local authorities are glad to be rid
OF a potential responsibility.
While this bill, carrying with it
the approval of Virginia authorities
undoubtedly is practical settlement
of the boundary dispute and should
pass the House, it may encounter on
the Senate side the opposition of
Chairman McCarran of the Senate
District Committee, who has his own
Ideas about how the jurisdictional
question should be decided. He has
favored placing Federal areas in Vir-
ginia under jurisdiction of the Dis
trict as regards public utilities, police
and fire protection. There is some
thing to be said for his point of view.
The construction of Government
buildings across the river has
brought new problems to the en-
ployeS who live in Washington,
especially as regards higher trans
portation costs to and from work.
and who can hope for no remedy
until this interstate transportation
is brought under one regulatory
agency
While the Randolph bill does not
touch that problem, it settles others
and has the benefit of presenting to
Congress a bill which has been
agreed upon in advance by the
parties to the boundary dispute. The
McCarran bill, while it might supple
ment the present measure later on,
first would have to overcome the
opposition of the Virginia author
tiles. They are skeptical about it
now.