Evening star., 1952-03-06
10Th District Bill
Revised, Faces
Senate Again
Passed by House
With Amendment
To EquuIize Areas
" MEX n. TIeStUH
Stur Stoff corraspondont

TenW1cK reQlSCrlcClng OIL was sen
back to the State Senate today
where opponents of q new 10tl
Congressional District in Northern
Virginia will have one more sho
at it.
Proponents, under the leader
ship Of Delegate j. Maynard Ma
gruder Of Arlington, beat dowl
seven attempts to amend thu
bill and steered it over a rock,
course in the House Of Delegate
yesterday, where it emerged will
a 67-to-26 vote.
It bore one set Of amendments
offered by Delegate George s. Aid.
hizer II Of Rockingham, which
were acceptable to Mr.. Magrudel
and the bills chief patron, Sena.
tor Charles r. Fenwick Of Airing.
ton. The effect of these amend.
ments would be to reduce the
population disparity between the
largest and smallest Congressional
districts - q disparity that wa.
widely used in an attack on the
bills constitutionality.
Lacks Emergency Clause.
The biggest problem now is get
ting an emergency clause amended
to the bill so it can take effect or
passage. Otherwise it would moi
become law until late in June, anc
the filing deadline for candidate.
Tor the Democratic primary is or
April 16.
Second district members of tn.
Assembly have formed the MAR
opposition bloc and one of them
a Senator from the Norfolk area
expressed satisfaction that HI
would "get another crack at it.
when the bill returns to the
Senate for concurrence in the
Aldhizer amendments.
An emergency clause on q bill
requires four-11fths vote of both
branches which. If all members
vote, means 80 votes in the House
and 80 in the Senate. Gov. Battle
is expected to return the bill after
passage with a recommended
emergency amendment. The Gov.
ernor's appeal may be enough te
dissolve some Of the opposition
since the bill, already passed
would become effective eventually
anyway. The emergency clause
would permit candidates to file In
the new districts before the April
Is deadline.
Alternative In Background.
# the emergency clause Is
beaten-and up until now the
Norfolk area delegations have said
they would not give init is be-
lieved that administration stall
warts may resort to the last
minute introduction Of a new bill
that would make it possible fol-
Congressional candidates to Ale
for the primary despite the April
is deadline.
Still preserved in the revised
version Of the bill, as it left
the House, Is the proposed new
10th district embracing Arling.
ton, Alexandra. Falls Church anc
Fairfax. These areas, embracing
q population Of 100000, woulC
come out Of the present 9th dis.
trict.
This was the makeup Of tn,
proposed 9Th as the Fenwick bill
was passed by the Senate: Thu
counties of Loudoun, Prince vii
liam, Fauquier. Stafford, Kint
George, Culpeper, Madison
Greene. Orange, Spotsylvania
King and Queen, King William
Hanover, Goochlapd Fluvanna
Albermarle and Louisa, and tn,
cities of Charlottesville and Fred
ericksburg. The total population
would have been 277,000. making
it the States smallest.
This is what the Aldhizer amend.
ments do to the above setup: Mad
iSon would be removed to the I'll
district and King and Queer
placed back in the 1st, where i
now is. To the areas remaining ii
the 9Th, the Aldhizer amendmen
would add the Northern Necl
counties Of Westmoreland, Ian
caster, Richmond and Northum
berland. The population figur
for the 20 counties and two cite
would be $1,000.
Makeup Of 7th.
The Senate-approved bill place
these localities in the 7th District
Frederick. Clarke, Warren, Shen
andoah, Page, Rappahannock
Rockingham, Highland, Augusta
Bath, Rockbridge, Nelson and Am
herst, and the cities Of Harrison
burg. Staunton. Waynesboro. Win
chester and Buena Vista. TIL
Aldhizer amendment adds Madi
son County from the 9th, so tina
the IL counties, and five cities il
the 7thewould have nearly 200 ,00
Inhabitants. ~.
The population disparity Of tn
original Senate-approved bill ex
tended from 277,O00 inythe 9Th t
403 ID the Id The soAldhize
amendment would leave the 2
district unchanged but. woul
make the 7th, with 10000, th
smallest. 4a :
All Of the opponents struck q
this disparity as being contrar
to Q. constitutional requiremen
for equal distribution Of popula
ton as far as practicable, anon
districts.
Mr.. Magruder said the entiI
issue was created by the State
increase In population by abol
SOC. 900 over the last 10 years. er
titling it to another member {
Congress. He said that. In 1893
the population was 80 per cel
urban, while in 1850, the censl
showed 1t to be Al per cent urbal
He said that amendments
amounting to Q substitute bill
offered by the I'd district legisls
tors would have the eeffect