The U.S. Senate is likely to stage a debate before its August recess on a bill that would grant Washington, D.C., full voting status in the House of Representatives in exchange for giving Utah an additional seat.

We envision the actors in this bit of political theater -- a group of senators, all honorable men -- strolling importantly onto a stage set to evoke ancient Rome. There is an enormous colonnade. Each senator is dressed in a white toga. Some conceal knives.

Suspended at Center Stage is a huge reproduction of the Constitution.

After some perfunctory debate about the rule of law, each senator in turn approaches the document to render his decision. Some salute, others slash. In the grand climax, Utah Sens. Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett move up together. They seem to be hiding something in their togas. We are horrified as they pull out their blades. The great document flutters to the floor.

Et tu, Orrin. Et tu, Bob.

As we leave the theater, we are relieved to remember that the scene has not yet taken place. But it's about to.

There are, in fact, 515,000 people who live in the District of Columbia who do not have representation. And so a constitutionally dubious deal has been hatched to give it to them.

There is just one problem: the Constitution is clear that only states may have voting members of Congress. The privilege does not extend to federal districts or territories.

While it may be unfair that a group of taxpaying Americans lack representatives, this problem comes down to constitutional structure. And that sort of problem does not fall within the scope of legislation. A bill is no substitute for a constitutional amendment.

Utah should not make itself a party to a trade in which a national treasure is slashed for short-term gain. It's not worth it.

The thinking behind the trade is that the District of Columbia would almost certainly elect a liberal representative. Utah's fourth vote -- likely conservative -- would maintain political equilibrium in the House.

But why trade when we can have the whole cakefi In just three years Utah will claim its fourth House seat unambiguously by clear weight of population growth, so there is no need at this time for a quid pro quo with the District of Columbia. A deal will only result in the establishment of a power vector that moves against what the majority of Utahns want for the nation.

Moreover, America does not need a city state. Those went out with ancient Rome. A genuine state, as envisioned by the founders, is a more diverse place, with a variety of interests to act as a check on factional forces. Unlike genuine states, the District of Columbia would be a monolithic voting bloc.

Representation in Congress is determined every 10 years with the U.S. Census, and Utah was denied a fourth seat last time around because LDS missionaries serving overseas were not counted as residents.

But look around. We seem to have weathered the decade just fine, so why trade at this late datefi We can afford to wait a little longer if it avoids violating the Constitution.

Many senators, Republican and Democrat, don't like the idea of doing an end run around the Constitution. Some of them are likely to filibuster. Proponents, including Hatch, claim they have the 60 votes needed to break it. "It would be pathetic if we didn't go through with this," he said.

No, senator. What is pathetic is the failure to go through the front door when it comes to the structure of government.

The people of the District of Columbia have other options for getting representation. They can file for statehood, for example, or they can petition to separate themselves from the district and become part of Maryland, from which the district was originally cut.

Or they could ask for a constitutional amendment.

Admittedly, persuading the legislatures of 38 states to go along is tricky. But that's exactly the point. The political difficulty posed by the amendment process is the reason that proponents want to finagle representation by means of legislation.

Utah should not be a party to this shameful political tactic. The important thing is to protect the Constitution from political meddling, no matter how well intended.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A5.