Evening star., 1952-03-02
Units
Kill Redistrict
in Virginia
Nearby Areas Lose
Hopes for More
State Represen otion
BY Alex R. Preston
eiaF SieiF eeFFssp0ndeni

any hopes Northern Virginia To-
calitieg may have had OF getting
more representation In the State
Legislature.
A House committee killed the
proposition outright. A Senate
committee reported bills which
make only token changes as q
gesture toward Q constitutional
requirement for yeappointment.
Key political leaders in the
House and Senate Privileges and
Elections Committees have sue
cessfully bottled UP legislation
designed to carry out q study
commissions recommendations to
readjust representation in the
General Assembly more nearly In
line with population shifts during
the last 10 years.
One County Transferred.
Instead. the Senate committee
reported bills which merely trans
fer Powhatan County from one
senatorial district to another and
slightly revise the arrangement
of four counties In House Dis
tricts. It passed over bills carry
ing out the commissions recon-
mendations.-
The House Privileges and Elec-
tions Committee soon afterward
voted 6 to 4 to kill the commits
|sion's identical bills which had
been held before both committees
since January Is.
AS matters now stand, the State
legislature reapportionment ques-
ton probably will be entangled
with the question Of redistricting
the State into 10 congressional
districts. A rediStricting bill by
Senator Charles r. Fenwick of
Arlington, already has passed the
Senate and now awaits House &C
ton. It would place the new 10th
district in Arlington, Alexandria,
Fairfax and Falls Church, but q
strong fight has been promised
when it comes up for floor debate.
Nearby Area Affected.
The reapportionment legislation
would have increased Northern
Virginia representation in the As
Sembly. At present Arlington has
one Senator and Alexandria, Fair
fax, Falls Church and Prince
William are represented by one.
The commission would have given
Arlington one Senator. Alexandria
one and Fairfax and Falls
Church one.
At present Arlington has two
Delegates. Alexandria one and
Fairfax and Falls Church one. The
commission would have placed
placed Falls Church with Airing
ton for three Delegates, given
Alexandria two and Fairfax two.
Constitutional Requirement.
The State Constitution required
"a legislative reapportionment in
the year 1853 and every 10 yeaas
thereafter.
Delegate Delamater Davis of
Norfolk, one Of those seeking to
|get the commission proposal re-
ported from the House commit
tee, declared:
Since we had our last reap
portionment 10 years ago there
has been a tremendous shift in
population. It has been clearly
shown that one delegate now rep
resents only $4,000 persons while
another delegate Edwin Lynch
of Fairfax) represents more than
100000.
If that Is representative gov
ernment then we might as well
give up and admit we're not a de-
mocracy."
But Delegate Cecil Taylor of
Lynchburg said it is too late in
the session to give proper con-
sideration to the plan of the study
commission which was headed by
the committee chairman, Roy B.
Davis Of Halifax.
Chairman AbandOns Bills.
Mr.. Davis abandoned the rec
concentrations of his own COM
mission and voted against report
ing the bills, Of which he was
chief patron.
II have no pride in this mat
ter" he said.
Despite pleas from Delegates
Armistead Boothe of Alexandria,
J. Maynard Magruder of Airing
ton and legislators from the Nor
folk area, the House committee
has, for the last three days, re-
fused to vote on the commission
bills. r
Reaction Is Bitter.
Northern VirginianS reacted
with bitterness to the actions of
both the House and Senate COM
mitteeS.
Senator John A. K. Donovan
Of Fairfax said he would try to
amend the token" bills which
will come before the Senate so as
to give the Washington area more
representation in the Assembly.
He represents a senatorial district
with population of 10000, &C
cording to the 1850 census. Sena-
tor j. D. Hagood of Halifax, rep
resents a district Of 41,0O0.
Mr.. Magruder said the develop
ments were very disappointing. /"
Senator Charles r. Fenwick of
Arlington, expressing "keen dis
appointment" indicated that ef-
forts would be made to give his
area added representation.