The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-05-09

house in January by Congressman Democrat.
 It lay quietly in the bin. gather ing dust, all winter, and nobody paid much attention to it. Now, however, Congressman Magnuson has re- quested that the Judiciary Con- mittee hold hearings on it; and, simultaneously, the idea that this might be timely, popular and use- ful measure is beginning to take hold in several quarters.
 ALTERNATIVE FOR
 LUDLOW AMENDMENT
 The bill itself is simple enough. It would amend the Constitution to provide that no person who is draft ed into military service could be re- uuired to serve outside the territo- rial borders of the United States un- less the people by referendum vote approved such service.
 One reason why the administra- tion people are beginning to look on it with a kindly eye is the argument that it might provide useful counter -irritant for the Ludlow anti war amendment.
 That bill would amend the Con- stitution to make a declaration of war (except in case of new world invasion impossible unless ap- proved by a referendum vote. The administration is dead set against 1t, fears that 1t will presently come to a vote in the House, and hates to think of the amount of support it is apt to get.
 So now it is beginning to occur to divers administration leaders that the conscription referendum propo- sition might be good thing to plug, on the theory that 1t would win the support of all the clements that are backing the Ludlow amendment and would take some of the sting out of the administrators opposition to that amendment
 CLAMPS DOWN
 ON CONSCRIPTION
 There is also the thought that the conscription-referendum idea might make the administrations foreign policy more palatable to the citizenry as whole. That argument runs like this: If every citizen knows that no matter what happens he can't be forced to go overseas and fight without first having chance to vote on it, he will be less likely to be skittish over an aggressive for eign policy.
 Still another thing which makes the plan timely is the current Brit ish conscription move. With con- scIiption talk in the air, it is sug- gested, the people might welcome an amendment which would remove forever the chance that they could be drafted to serve in an overseas war without their consent.
 Congressman Magnuson believes that the amendment would fully meet the administration objections to the Ludlow amendment (which he opposes). Those objections are, principally, that the Ludlow amend ment would tie the governments hands in its conduct of foreign pol icy and that the country's vital in- terestS might be endangered at critical hour by the delays neces- sitated by the taking of nation wide referendum.
 WOULD NOT HAMPER
 
 Under the conscription-refere dunn amendment, he points out, the traditional method of handling for eign affairs would be left undisturb- ed. If the nation became embroiled in an overseas war, 1t could use its navy as freely as the circumstances required. It could send its army overseas-but the army would be composed of volunteers.
 The delay incident to holding a referendum on the overseas service of drafted men would not be harm ful, he thinks. In any case, there would be a considerable delay in getting the machinery of the draft in motion, and no valuable time would be lost.
 If any citizen is so full of pa- triotism that he wants to go over seas and fight, there'd be nothing to stop him." he says. Meanwhile, the people would know that they couldn't be forced to fight outside of their own country unless they themselves voted for it."