House awaits Roosevelt’s tax bill veto
Message expected tomorrow; vote may be taken Wednesday
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Congressman urges raise in draft age
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All depends on first step –
Baruch: Action is needed now for U.S. to keep rank
Raw material shortage could imperil nation’s top rating; says ‘we must act on specific matters in specific way’
By Henry J. Taylor, Scripps-Howard staff writer
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Cox: Fly seeks U.S. ownership of radio
Ohio’s ex-Governor claims FCC head plans to take over by easy stages
By Charles T. Lucey, Scripps-Howard staff writer
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In Washington –
Civil service group defies Dies group in communist probe
Commission understood to have backing of administration in refusing to produce employees’ records
By John F. Cramer, Scripps-Howard staff writer
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Soldier-vote bill bogs down
Washington (UP) –
Senate-House conferees resumed discussions on the soldier-vote bill today amid reports that the issue was so “hopelessly deadlocked” that an agreement may never be reached.
Senator Carl A. Hatch (D-NM), a Senate conferee, said he and other advocates of the federal war ballot approved by the Senate had made every possible concession to supporters of the state’s-rights plan, but were doubtful that it would help a compromise.
Rep. Harris Ellsworth (R-OR) said the best solution would be to adopt the state’s-rights bill approved by the House to give the states some specific plan on which to work.
Nazi officers kill own men on beachhead
Americans report enemy attempt to prevent surrender
By Reynolds Packard, United Press staff writer
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Mud saves Stilwell’s life in Japanese bombardment
Shells throw up only debris as enemy guns brace general on jungle trail in Burma
By Darrell Berrigan, United Press staff writer
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Simms: Dispute on news may be harmful
World War I system for correspondents could eliminate confusion for beachhead reporters
By William Philip Simms, Scripps-Howard foreign editor
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Truk’s days as navy base ended, U.S. officers hint
U.S. attack demonstrates that enemy ‘Pearl Harbor’ is no longer safe for fleet
By Sandor S. Klein, United Press staff writer
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Editorial: Where is the plot?
Congressman Rankin of Mississippi, who is the most talkative of the anti-soldier-vote bloc in Congress, says any form of simple, uniform ballot which may be devised for the Army and Navy would be “the greatest fraud ever perpetrated upon the members of our Armed Forces.”
He also claims it “might mark the beginning of the end of constitutional government in America.”
He says:
I realize that is what the Communist Party and its sympathizers want. They want to wipe out the states and set up a system of Sovietized regions.
Mr. Rankin often is tiresome, but seldom even he gets quite so hysterical.
There is no “fraud” in giving the members of the Armed Forces the right and opportunity to vote – providing the system which is adopted is honest and as efficient as circumstances will permit.
By no stretch of the imagination can a simple, uniform ballot, merely because it is set up by Congress, the constitutional representatives of the people, be construed as a threat to constitutional government. On the contrary. What is more constitutional than the right to vote?
As for the attitude of the Communist Party, it is not of consequence in this issue – or any other issue. Establishment of an emergency plan which will enable the Armed Forces to vote while they are overseas fighting a war does not in any manner smack of communism or anything faintly resembling it.
It will not wipe out the states or in any respect interfere with their normal functions. The ballots will be counted, along with the ballots cast by civilians at home, in the home districts of the men and women in the Armed Forces.
The only reason for proposing a simple, uniform ballot, to be provided by Congress, is that it is impossible for the Armed Forces to vote in any strength under existing state laws and it would be impossible for all 48 states to enact, in unison, such a ballot.
If there is any merit in Mr. Rankin’s opposition to legislation which will enable soldiers and sailors to vote, he is not developing it by resorting to such hysterical scare statements.
Mr. Rankin is either seeing something under the bed, or he is hiding something there.
There is no plot nor conspiracy in making it possible for the free citizens of the United States to exercise a right given them by the Constitution.
Background of news –
The farce of presidential primaries
By Bertram Benedict, editorial research reports
With the first of the 1944 presidential preference primaries – in New Hampshire, March 14 – less than a month away, the leading possibilities for the presidential nomination, President Roosevelt and Governor Dewey, are still not avowed candidates. If they continue to disavow active candidacies, the presidential primaries this year will be a farce. In fact, the record shows that the primaries were a farce in 1940 and in 1936.
With only 13 states now holding presidential preferential primaries by law, the results cannot go far toward determining the presidential nominations (in four other states, primaries are optional with the party organizations).
Also, in some of the primaries, delegates will be elected without being pledged to any candidate. In Maryland, Massachusetts, Ohio and South Dakota, a candidate or his official agent must authorize the use of his name before his name or the name of delegates pledged to him can be printed on the ballot.
Roosevelt silent in 1940
In 1940, with President Roosevelt silent on another term up to the very hour of his nomination, he won by default in some of the primaries. That is, his name was printed on the ballot without word from him, or his name was written in, or pro-third-term delegates were elected.
In California, Illinois, Oregon and Wisconsin, a Roosevelt slate defeated a Garner slate, and in New Hampshire, a Roosevelt slate defeated a Farley slate, but in some of these contests the anti-Roosevelt forces did not run the full number of delegates.
In Wisconsin, Vice President Garner won delegates in two districts, and in Massachusetts, the delegates were pledged to James A. Farley in case Mr. Roosevelt did not run.
On the Republican side, the winning candidate, Wendell L. Willkie, was not entered in a single primary. There were real contests in only two primaries – Mr. Dewey won over Senator Vandenberg in Nebraska and Wisconsin. Mr. Dewey was unopposed in Illinois, Maryland and New Jersey.
In Massachusetts, an uninstructed slate defeated the Dewey slate. Senator Taft was unopposed in Ohio, Senator McNary in Oregon. The theoretically uninstructed slate in New Hampshire was actually pledged to Senator Bridges. In California, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, there was no contest.
Some 1940 results
Republican primary results in certain states and votes from those states in the convention were as follows:
ILLINOIS: Dewey got most of the delegates in the primary. Most of them voted for Dewey for three ballots; on the fourth, Taft got a plurality; on the fifth, a majority. The vote on the sixth and final ballot was:
| Taft | 33 |
| Willkie | 24 |
| Dewey | 1 |
MARYLAND: Dewey won the primary, and got all the votes on the first ballot. On the second ballot, four votes broke away to Willkie, who had a majority of the votes on all following ballots.
NEBRASKA: Dewey won the primary. He received all 16 votes on the first ballot, only five on the second; on the fifth, Taft had a majority.
NEW JERSEY: Dewey got most of the delegates in the primary, and had a majority of the votes on the first ballot. On the second, most of the votes went to Willkie.
OHIO: Taft won the primary, got all votes on all ballots.
In 1936, Governor Landon won the Republican primaries in Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, South Dakota. In California, Mr. Landon lost to an uninstructed slate. Senator Borah won in Nebraska, Oregon, Pennsylvania (no other candidate), West Virginia and Wisconsin. Frank Knox won in Illinois, Mr. Taft in Ohio. At the convention, Mr. Landon’s was the only name placed in nomination.