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                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, April 18, 1993                   TAG: 9304200396
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: B-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

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D.C. STATEHOOD: AN UNBALANCING ACT

NOW THAT we have a united Democratic Congress and executive branch, Washington, D.C., stands a very good chance of becoming a state in spite of the fact that most Americans oppose it - 62 percent according to a recent poll conducted by Citizens United.

Dismantling the nation's capital and creating a state out of a city threatens our federalist system of government. Representational democracy in the United States was achieved by "the Great Compromise," which protected the rights of large populous states by proportional representation in the House of Representatives and the rights of small rural states by equal representation in the Senate.

Granting statehood to a city a fraction the size of Rhode Island and with a population smaller than 47 states could disrupt this balance. There are many other cities with greater populations and resources than Washington. If they were each allowed to petition for statehood, a fundamental shift in representation would occur, favoring urban areas and virtually silencing rural states. LILLY B. CRIST FINCASTLE

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