Should D.C. Be Md.?

The local Pooh-Bahs of Washington share a consensus in favor of statehood for the capital. Congressional Democrats nominally support creation of "New Columbia," which would have two seats in the Senate and one in the House, all certain to be filled by Democrats. But Republican opposition and the district's propensity for comic-opera government keep statehood low on the agenda.

Congressman Ralph Regula of Ohio recently proposed an alternative: returning the city to Maryland, which donated the land 199 years ago. That idea got scant attention until Governor William Donald Schaefer surprised everyone by saying he would accept "retrocession." But black leaders such as Jesse Jackson have denounced the proposal, Schaefer has backed away, and congressional insiders say forget it. Thus, Washington is likely to remain what statehooders call the last colony for the foreseeable future.