Naples bombed by Germans
Heaviest enemy blow in months reported
By Eleanor Packard, United Press staff writer
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House passes soldier vote to Roosevelt
Measure adopted, 273–111
Washington (UP) –
The House today approved the compromise soldier vote bill and put it up to President Roosevelt for signature or veto.
The House adopted the long-disputed measure by a vote announced as 273–111.
Administration sources said Mr. Roosevelt was still undecided and that there was no unanimity among his advisers as to what he would do. He has indicated his primary consideration will be whether the bill would permit more soldiers to vote than could do so under present law.
Worley urged acceptance
The House vote, which ended months of wrangling among its members and between the two houses of Congress, came after only two hours of debate, contrasted with the two days of argument that preceded the Senate’s vote of 47–31 yesterday.
Chairman Eugene Worley (D-TX), of the House Elections Committee, urged acceptance of the conference version of the bill. He had led the fight in the House by New Deal supporters for a federal ballot for all servicemen and women. But the final bill, adopted by an overwhelming coalition of Republicans and Southern Democrats, put many limitations on the use of such a ballot and apparently would prevent any voting by service personnel from Kentucky and New Mexico.
Federal ballots can be used only by persons overseas, only if states agree to accept them and count them, and only if the voter is unable to get a state ballot. These provisions satisfied Rep. John Rankin (D-MS), leader of the states’ rights bloc which so violently opposed the original federal ballot proposal.
‘Best we could get’
In debate on the bill, Mr. Worley told the House he felt the conferees “could have done better,” but said the agreement was reached “in the true democratic spirit and in the spirit of compromise.”
He added:
I am firmly convinced that this is the best compromise we could get out of Congress.
Rep. Karl M. LeCompte (R-IA), ranking Republican on the committee and member of the Senate-House conference that drew up the final bill, likewise contended that “vastly more” soldiers would be able to vote under the bill than under the existing statute.
Sabath charge protested
Two Republicans vigorously protested a statement by Rep. Adolph J. Sabath (D-IL), first to speak in opposition, that “the Republicans want this bill because they feel more men will be deprived of the right to vote than under the present law.”
Mr. Sabath said:
The Republicans are afraid most of the soldiers will vote for President Roosevelt.
The two Republicans – Reps. Ben F. Jensen of Iowa and Homer A. Ramey of Ohio – withdrew their protests as Mr. Sabath’s time expired and he returned to the Democratic side of the aisle amid boos from Republicans.
Senate vote is 47–31
The Senate passed the bill by a 47–31 vote yesterday.
Some observers believed they had a clue to the President’s decision in the fact that Senate Democratic Leader Alben W. Barkley of Kentucky, after conferring with Mr. Roosevelt Monday, opposed the bill yesterday.
Two other factors will enter into Mr. Roosevelt’s consideration of the bill: A Republican warning that a veto would make him subject to charges of having made it impossible for soldiers to vote, plus the fact that Kentucky and New Mexico servicemen away from their home states may be disenfranchised if he signs the measure.
State approval needed
The Kentucky and New Mexico Supreme Courts have held that state soldier vote laws are unconstitutional because their constitutions require that voting be done in person. However, soldiers of those states got the right to cast absentee ballots under the 1942 Soldier Voting Act which, as a federal statute, superseded state laws.
The new bill provides that federal ballots can be used only with the approval of state governors and legislatures – but New Mexico and Kentucky probably cannot grant such approval because of their constitutions.
The bill provides that the federal ballot be made available to overseas servicemen whose state legislatures and governors have certified by July 15 that they will accept them. The serviceman using it would be required to certify that he had applied for a state absentee ballot by Sept. 1, but had not received it by Oct. 1. Those in this country would have to use state absentee ballot forms.
War Ballot Commission
Thus far, only California, Minnesota and North Carolina have agreed to accept federal ballots. Some administration sources feel most states will follow the cue of Governor Thomas E. Dewey, who says New York will not accept them.
The bill calls for a War Ballot Commission, composed of the Secretaries of War and Navy and the
The present waiver of poll tax and registration as prerequisites to voting, as provided in the 1942 law, would be retained for those voting from overseas. Those within the country, however, would have to meet state regulations.
States still requiring poll taxes are Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.
4th term deplored at White House
Washington (UP) –
Thomas Rhea, prominent Kentucky Democrat, said today after a conference with President Roosevelt that the Chief Executive does not want to be a candidate for reelection.
After first saying that the President had told him as much, Mr. Rhea then said that this was only his personal impression.
Mr. Rhea, prominent in Kentucky politics for a number of years and a delegate to the Democratic conventions in 1932 and 1940, was asked this question as he left the President’s office: “Did you get a line on 1944?”
Mr. Rhea replied:
He says he does not want to be a candidate.
“Did he tell you that?” a reporter asked.
Mr. Rhea said:
Now, wait a minute – I don’t know that he said that. My impression is that he would like to get out of the whole thing. Now, don’t misquote me – the President did not make that statement.
I think he would like to go home if conditions warranted.
Mr. Rhea followed this by saying that he did not discuss “politics” with the President.
Under further questioning as to exactly what the President said, Mr. Rhea remained steadfast in saying that he had not discussed a fourth term with the President, but that if Mr. Roosevelt was a candidate, he would carry Kentucky. Mr. Rhea said he hoped the President would run.
Still breaking windows –
Commando Kelly is quick on trigger on radio, too
Congressional Medal of Honor winner talks with family over network
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Willkie leads New Hampshire primary slate
Dewey is second in first vote test
Concord, New Hampshire (UP) –
Complete returns from New Hampshire’s “first-in-the-nation” presidential primary showed today that six of the state’s 11 delegates to the Republican National Convention will be supporters of Wendell L. Willkie.
Two will be pledged to Governor Thomas E. Dewey of New York, while the remaining three will be strictly unpledged.
In the 19-man contest for seven delegate-at-large seats, unpledged pro-Willkie candidates, two, and a Dewey-pledged candidate, one.
In contests for the two district delegate seats in each of the state’s two Congressional districts, unpledged pro-Willkie candidates won two while a Dewey-pledged aspirant and an unpledged candidate won the others.
The Democrats elected a complete slate pledged to President Roosevelt for a fourth term.
Marines win new foothold in northern New Britain
By Don Caswell, United Press staff writer
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First WACs arrive in South Pacific
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GOP leaders stay in Senate
Washington (UP) –
Senate Republicans today voted unanimously to retain their present temporary organization until after the November election in which they hope to gain a majority in the Senate.
They retained Senator Arthur H. Vandenberg (R-MI) as acting chairman, Senator Wallace H. White (R-ME) as acting floor leader, Senator Kenneth S. Wherry (R-NE) as whip, and Senator Harold H. Burton (R-OH) as secretary.
They also confirmed the nine-man steering committee appointed by Senator Vandenberg. The committee members are Mr. Vandenberg, Mr. White, Mr. Wherry and Senators Robert A. Taft (R-OH), John A. Danaher (R-CT), Styles Bridges (R-NH), C. Wayland Brooks (R-IL), Harlan J. Bushfield (R-SD) and Eugene D. Millikin (R-CO).
Count Sforza belittles Red recognition
Says it doesn’t change his stand
By Eleanor Packard, United Press staff writer
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WLB interest in public good challenged
Frequent split votes of members cited
By Fred W. Perkins, Pittsburgh Press staff writer
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WLB can’t alter formula, steel industry maintains
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Victorious handsome Harry is banished from screen
Actors who can switch from good to ‘bad’ roles in demand now!
By Jack Cooper
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Editorial: The bobtailed ballot
The Republican National Committee is making capital of the soldier vote issue by distributing widely its version of the “bobtailed ballot” called for in the compromise Congressional bill, now in its final stage.
The ballot covers only the presidential, senatorial and Congressional races. This, the Republicans say, means that the Armed Forces “would be partially disfranchised in that they could not participate in state, county and local elections.”
There has been a suspicion that some Republicans are bleeding less over the possible disfranchisement of the soldier than over the danger that he will instructively write in the name of his Commander-in-Chief rather than that of Mr. Dewey, Mr. Willkie or whoever the Republican nominee may be. Be that as it may, recipients of the GOP’s “sample ballot” should bear in mind that–
Under the Congressional bill – to which the Senate gave its final assent yesterday – the “bobtailed ballot” can be used only by overseas servicemen whose states have certified acceptance of the federal ballot, and who have applied for but not received state ballots.
The onus for any disfranchisement of the troops is thrown back on the states, whether or not President Roosevelt vetoes this bill.
It is to the governors and the legislatures that the serviceman must look for an opportunity to cast either a full state ballot or the short federal ballot.