In Washington –
Deadlock bogs soldiers’ vote in conference
Taft compromise for count by states given new consideration
Washington (UP) –
Prospects of a hopeless deadlock between House-Senate conferees on the soldier vote issue today revived interest in a compromise plan – already rejected three times by the Senate – placing the emphasis on state absentee ballots.
The conferees were expected to begin Wednesday their attempts at a compromise, but a stalemate appeared in the making because five of the 10 conferees were string supporters of the state ballot while the other five were equal ardent backers of the federal plan.
Plan another look
The conferees indicated that they would take another look at the thrice-rejected plan of Senator Robert A. Taft (R-OH), allowing use of a federal ballot by overseas service personnel only if they are unable to get their own state voting blanks.
Senator Taft’s plan was in the form of middle ground between the House-approved plan, which calls for use only of state ballots; and the Senate’s Green-Lucas bill, which provides that federal ballots for President, Vice President and members of Congress be used generally overseas.
Martin’s challenge
Meanwhile, House Republican Leader Joseph W. Martin Jr. (R-MA) challenged President Roosevelt to make the soldier vote fight an issue in the coming presidential election. Recalling that the President had denounced the states’ rights bill as a fraud, Mr. Martin said:
The Republicans will meet the issue head-on. We won’t run away – and we don’t fear the result.