Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-02-12
Is Arlington, Va, Really
D. C.'s Southern Borough?

again in a claims case James us.s
United States involving the juris-
diction Of certain District of Co
lumbia courts. In this instance q
unanimous U. S. Court Of Claims
commented:
THE 10 miles square thot might BY
eession Of particular Stotes and the &C.
eeptonee Of Congress become the seat
OF Government wos meant to be as
permanent as the Stotes from whose
boundaries the square wos to be token.
The scot Of Government. unlike territory
acquired by conquest. treaty ond eession
wos not 70 be denoted or accepted os
transitory boundary. II wos part Of the
constitutional scheme to provide for the
perpetual use Of enoaeh territory free
from Stote control to meet the demonds
Of permanent notionol scot Of Govern
ment."
So what does Arlington do now
If 1t should want to 60 back to the
District?
How to Do II ....
The going would be tough. But 1t
has been suggested. however ia
cetiously, by Charles E. Green. Bed
ford County delegate to the Vir-
ginia Legislature; and there may be
several possible avenues Of APP
proach.
/. Petition to Congress. The peo-
pie of Arlington, basing their act
on the ground that the county's
retrocession to Virginia is void in
law, might petition Congress for
recognition of their status as part
of the District. OF course, unless
Virginia were in an agreeable frame
Of mind, Congress would not be apt
to risk considering such poten-
TALLY explosive coup.
.. Petition to Richmond. The cit
i2ens Of Arlington or the county
board, using q sort Of reverse in
terposition. might ask the Virginia
Legislature to recognize it as part
OF the District. The grounds for
such o request. in addition to legal
ones, would no doubt be that Ar
lington has much more in common
with the District than with the
rest of Virginia-and that its eras-
ure from the State would solve
many of the political headaches
which the Legislature now claims
are brought on by Arlington's nom
conformity.
3. Lawsuit. A lawsuit resulting
from conflict between the school
segregation practices of Arlington
and the rest of Virginia might
again raise this question. The
argument would be that since
Arlington is. legally, a part of the
District, 1t has no reason to delay
school indignation because of con-
trary State policy. If this hap
pened, though. the courts would
probably apply what lawyers call
the doctrine of "laches" and decide
too much water has now gone over
the dam to permit reopening the
issue.
AS q practical matter. even If
developments in Virginia reach
point where Arlington definitely
wants out, 1t is unlikely that Vir-
ginia would 60 along. For Airing
ton, which has only "a of Virginia's
10000 square miles and only 150.000
of Virginia's 81 million population.
contributes about Is per cent of
the States total income tax take.
If, however. Arlington should
prove such thorn in Virginia's
side as to make the State willing
to let 1t 60. Uncle Sam would doubt
less welcome the prodigal little
county back with open arms. The
District needs money just as badly
as Virginia does.
In the final analysis. the con-
trolling element In all this Is likely
TO be the money, not ths principle
Of the thing.