| Show On the fhe Home Front Lucas Holds Senate Vote Plan I I I For Service Men Too Limited By James Marlow Marow and George Gorge i WASHINGTON Dec 8 UP U Senator Lucas D. D Ill I. I said Wednesday not more mare than tan 15 per percent percent cent of the te armed forces would be ie able to vote in the te 1944 elections elec elec- tons if I the te senate vote plan becomes becomes becomes be be- comes law He said the te mechanical difficulties difficulties dif dif- cules in i distributing and gatherIng gather gather- Ing ng the ballots would be too great greato geat to o permit a larger vote although the he full ful service mens men's tally might be the deciding factor in the te presidential prest- prest dental race I There Tere are two sides to the problem problem lem em legalistic and mechanical This the outline leg legalistic Last year Lucas and Senator Green Gren D. D R. R R I. I fathered a measure measure measure meas meas- ure which h became law Because of wartime that law voided in inthe i the te case of service serice men individual state requirements that a man ma must register or pay a a poll pol tax t before voting Offered Amendment This year to simplify and speed speedup up the process Lucas Luca and ad Green offered an a amendment It I provided provided pro pro- vided for appointment by the te president president president dent of a special war ballot balot commission commission com corn mission composed of two Democrat Democrats Democrats Demo Demo- crat and two Republicans to t supervise supervise su su- su- su perse soldier voting The Te war and ad navy nav departments would provide soldiers soldier and sailors everywhere with wit blank ballots balot The service serice men would simply write in the name nae of their choice for president vice president or congress or else write in the name of the party The army ay and navy were to expedite the te sending and ad return of those ballots alot through airplane priorities They Tey would be handed over to the various secretaries of state for counting The senate struggled over de details details de- de tails of the Lucas-Green Lucas proposal Late last week three southern souther Democrats Democrat Senators Eastland Miss McKellar Tenn and McClellan McClelan Ark protested Ark protested and offered a substitute amendment which was adopted I Points Out Law I Eastland said the Lucas-Green Lucas bill bi violated th the e constitution and andIn andin andin in this way Laws of a number of states states- and under the constitution states have the right to make their own election electon rules prohibit rules prohibit voting on blank ballots Thus the Lucas Green bill bi Invaded in invaded invaded In- In states' states rights Eastland said and if service serice men balloted according according according ac ac- ac- ac cording to that method the te presidential presidential dental election electon would be contested contest contest- ed and thrown trow into it the cours courts for settlement The Te southern souther Democrats have protested against invasion of states states' rights in another anoter measure pending in i congress a bill bi to remove payment of a poll pol tax t as asa asa a a prerequisite to voting Their reasoning probably went like this If states states' rights could be ignored in i giving a a. vote to service serce men me then ten the rights right of states to demand demand de de- de- de mand mad voided poll pol tax t payment could be The McKellar McClel McClel lan Ian amendment simply recommends recommends recommends mends to the 48 states that tat they enact a law lw permitting absentee service serice men to vote and that each stats make up its it own ballots for distribution by the war and nav navy departments to native sons where- where ever they tey are |
