Evening star., 1942-11-20
bi|bo Warns BarkIey
10 Withdraw Motion
~@ As
On Poll Tax Vote
O'Mohoney Declares
Constitutional Chance
Needed to Effect Bill
Earlier Story on Page A-l.)

Earlier Story on Page. A-1.) .
Senator Bilbo, Democrat, OF
Mississippi said today that "all
negotiations are of" for ending
a f1libuster against anti-poll tax
legislation, and that debate
would continue until January 3
unless Majority Leader Barkley
withdraws his motion to put the
measure before the Senate for
formal action.
Senator Bilbo told a reported of
the development while Senator
OMahoney, Democrat, of Wyoming
told the Senate that the measure to
abolish poll taxes as q prerequisite
to voting in Federal elections would
change the fundamental constitu.
tional law Illegally.
Strategy Conference.
Senator O'Mahoney spoke with
the consent of the hlibustering
Southern members, interruptirg a
speech which Senator Bilbo started
yesterday, and the Southerners held
a strategy conference at which the
new decisions were reached to plan
for debate to continue until the
measure dies with adjournment of
the present Congress.
THE discussion of this important
question is going to continue until
January 3 unless Mr.. Barkley sees
mt to withdraw his motion to call
up the bill" said Senator Bilbo.
Senator O'Mahoney said his per-
sonal view is that poll taxes should
be abolished but that Congress does
not have the constitutional power
to do it by mere majority vote,
without amending the Constitution.
What I have to say has nothing
to do with the merits of the poll tax
qualification said the Wyoming
Senator. Il have been an advocate
of universal suffrage, including
woman's suffrage. l am moved only
by deep conviction that the Con-
stitutional questions involved in this
debate are about as important as
any presented to Congress in the
long life of this country"
Underlying Principle.
After pointing out that the foun-
ders set up a dual form of Federal
and State Government, he said they
created IAN indestructible union OF
indestructible States, and this body
would not be in existence If it were
not for the adoption of the under
lying principle that the States were
to be sovereign and equal entities,
no matter how large or small In area
and population.
Senator O'Mahoney said the
founders took another step against
the exercise Of power by a majority
to overwhelm a minority, when they
required a two-thirds vote In Con-
gress and ratification by three
fourths of the States to change the
Constitution.
Departing somewhat from the
pending bill, Senator O'Mahoney
expressed alarm over "a trend toward
Capitalization of Government that
has been in progress for more than a
generation, that has come upon US
almost without our noticing it,
Citing the long list of bureaus
that have been added to Federal de-
partments, the Senator said some of
these were necessary and that he
voted for some of them because
prior to the time Washington step
ped in to control the economic life OF
the people, there was centralized
financial power doing the same thing
from New York"
Fears Abuse in Control.
He said the question arises, how
ever, whether I'VE are not now
heading toward abuse in the other
direction" of centralized contro
over the people.
AS an illustration, he said that
when a group of Senators en-
deavored to find out yesterday how
much gasoline a farmer would be
given to run his truck for essential
war production, they found the
problem divided between the Once
of Defense Transportation, thu
Office of Price Administration anc
Rubber Administrator William JET.
fers.
He charged that the United States
Is now governed by appointive
officials running the affairs of the
people from ocean to ocean. anc
there is no way for people to VOTE
against that except by voting against
members Of Congress"
The Senator interpreted the recent
elections as pointing to the need "to
re-establish direct control between
the people and the officers who en-
force the law"
In their seventh day of f1libuster-
ing against consideration of the bill
Southern opponents said privately
that unless some move was made
soon to fix a time for test vote on a
curtailment of debate, they would
abandon any efforts to get together
with administration leaders on this
question and gear their fllibuster to
last until this session of Congress
ends and the bill dies automatically