Evening star., 1952-11-28
Virginia Cites Clash
With Country Areas
On Reapportioning
By Alex R. Preston

mount today against proposals tt
reapportion representation in thu
Virginia General Assembly.
Two assembly committees have
drafted bills for introduction al
the special session Thursday tt
give urban areas two additional
seats in the State Senate and five
more in the House of Delegates.
Urban interests, for the mos1
part, feel that additional strength
given them is not enough, while
rural representatives contend thai
too much has been taken ava,
from them in the rejuggling tt
comply with population shift.
since 1910.
Opposed in Alexandria.
In the nearby area, a proposal
to place Arlington and Alexandris
within the same senatorial dis.
trlct. was drawing the most fire
AleXandrianS. in particular, felt
that this would place them at 8
disadvantage because of Airing.
tons 2-to-1 voter registration ma.
jority.
1--WE would never be able ts
elect a Senator" said ex-Stats
Senator Andrew w. Clarke, whs
formerly represented Alexandris
in the upper branch.
At present Arlington has it.
own Senator and Alexandria is ir
another district with Fairfax
Prince William and Falls Church
A bill drawn up Wednesday
would give Arlington and Alexan.
dria two Senators, Fairfax anc
Falls Church one and place Prince
William County in another sen.
atorial district.
Suggested by Arlington.
Last year the Arlington legis-
lative delegation proposed that its
county retain one Senator to it.
self and elect the second Senator
as a "foater" from Arlington and
Alexandria. This is the plan
which is disliked most by Alex
andrians.
State Senator John A. K. Dono-
van and Delegate Armistead
Boothe, both of whom now rep
resent the city. said they would
fight such proposal to the limit.
If they cannot obtain q separate
Senator for Alexandria, they said,
they will insist that the bill, as
drafted. remain unchanged in this
particular so that Alexandria and
Arlington would elect two Sena-
tors as a single district.
Mr.. Clarke said he would 20 to
Richmond Monday to talk with his
former colleagues to see if he
can't improve the situation for
Alexandria. First, he said he will
try to have the second Senator al
loted the area assigned to Alex
andria alone
May Offer Amendment.
II that fails. he said, he will
seek an amendment to the DILL as
drafted to prohibit two Senators
from the Arlington-Alexan
district from being elected from
the same county or city, thus as
suring one from each jurisdiction.
Senator Charles r. Fenwick of
Arlington, commenting on this
said: "You might lust
as well give Alexandria it's own
Senator and let Arlington keep it's
own"
Senator Fenwick commented on
the plan to include Arlington and
Alexandria in one senatorial dis
trlct and to give Arlington a third
member of the House. He said:
"The plan does nothing more
than give us another Delegate
when our population entities us
to two more and takes away our
own Senator for the right to elect
two with Alexandria"
Senator FenWick, who has been
away since the proposal was made,
returned today and said he needed
more time to study the proposals.
Mayor Voices Surprise.
Alexandria Mayor Marshall j.
expressed amazement at
the proposal.
Alexandria has a population
Of nearly 10000 now. The citi-
zens of Alexandria want and are
to their own Senator.
We should have two Representa-
tives in the House.
alexandria is one of the oldest
cities in the Commonwealth. It
Is entirely different from Arling-
ton. where a great majority Of the
population is made up of Govern
ment workers. The whole plan
Just doesn't make sense"