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

DATE: SUNDAY, November 12, 1995                   TAG: 9511150011
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: E-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

DISTORTIONS

In the flush of re-election victory Tuesday night after a hard challenge from gubernatorial ally Trixie Averill, House Majority Leader Richard Cranwell of Vinton said Virginia's election laws should be changed to prevent campaign distortions of opponent's records - with "a civil or criminal penalty connected to a finding of `reckless misrepresentation.'"

The remark presumably was offhand, and not a declaration of a 1966 legislative goal. Let's hope so, anyway: As a serious policy proposal, it's an uncommonly bad idea.

Memo: NOTE: Please see microfilm for text.

by CNB