Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-14
MAY MAKE AMENDMENTS
Committee on Judiciary Must First
Act on the Resolution.
DEBATES MAY BE LENGTHY
Many Arguments Will Be Presented
Against Giving States Con-
troll Of Elections.

Inc 0lfeCt eiect1On OF senators feSOiu-
ton. which was passed by the House
yesterday, will pass the Senate this ses-
sion.
That is the prediction made today by
several senators who have been urging
this change in the federal Constitution.
They say they have strength enough In
the Senate to put the resolution through
with the required two-thirds vote. and
this strength, they declare, will be
shown in the Senate committee on jul
dietary, which must first pass on the
resolution.
1t is not so certain that the resolution
will go through the Senate In the same
form in which it passed the House, al
though some senators think that IS proba-
BILE The House adopted what is known
as the Borah resolution, providing that
the control Of the times, places and man.
ner Of elections shall rest with the states
instead of with the United States. That
is also the form In which the resolution
was reported from the Senate judiciary
committee last session.
When 1t came to a final vote, however,
it had been changed by the Sutherland
amendment so that 1t provided that Con-
gress should retain control of the times,
places and manner of holding the elec-
tions. In that form 1t lacked only four
votes Of adoption, and ten Of those who
voted against adoption are now out Of
the Senate.
Depends on Committee.
Dependent upon the attitude Of the
Senate judiciary committee is the an
swer to the question whether or not
the resolution will receive action in the
Senate this session. Two known op-
ponents Of this change in the federal
constitution are on the committee
Senators Dillingham; and Brandegee-
and more may be put on in the place
of those who were retired March
last, Senators Depew, Piles and War
ner.
With the democrats on the committee
standing together for the measure as 1t
passed the House, and with three re-
publicans standing with them, 1t Is
pointed out. the resolution can be re-
ported out Of committee promptly. Sena-
tor Borah is on the committee and is
known to favor the resolution passed by
the House. Senator Brown Of Nebraska
is expected to get place on the commit
tee, and he probably will vote to report
1t out of committee.
Senator BOrah and others who cham
pioned the measure In the last session
have announced they will do all they can
to bring the question to q vote In the
means they must work to get 1t reported
from the committee, as well as to push it
to a vote in the Senate.
Fight to Be Over Form.
When the resolution gets into the SEN
ate for action the chief fight will be
waged over the form of the resolution.
That was the fight in the last session
and it dragged along for weeks. Against
the resolution as it passed the House,
which gives the states control over the
elections, some senators will urge that it
gives the sanction of Congress to laws
disfranchising the cOlored men Of the
south, and they will put forth an amend
ment, like the Sutherland amendment Of
the last session, intended to let Congress
retain control Of the elections. That
amendment was adopted at the last ses-
sion. and the closest vote on the same
question is indicated at present for this
session.
Several. of the senator's who are sup
porting the resolution as passed by the
House, giving the states control, urged
its passage in the same form by the
Senate, because they look forward to the
ratification of the amendment by three
fourths of the state legislatures. They
point out that the states cannot object
to the amendment if it leaves them en-
tire control over the elections. Many
states, they think, would object II the
amendment gave Congress control over
the elections.
The southern states would object, for
fear that Congress would nullify the
negro disfranchisement laws in those
states. Other states might object. on the
ground that Congress might impose the
burden of separate elections and of pc
culiar election systems upon them for the
senatorial ballOting.
Arguments Of Other Side.
Those who are against giving the state
control OF the elections will answer by
contending that all the states except the
southern states will object to an amend
ment that In effect grants to the south
ern states the power to exclude the col
ored men from voting for United States
senator's.
The House passed the direct election
resolution IN one day, but no such ex-
pedition will be shown I'm the Senate
There will be much debate and many
speeches that will drag the session along
until summer.