Evening star., 1944-01-23
Mailing State Ballots
Would Hinder War,
Stimson Declares
By ], A, OJEARY.


Secretary OF War Stimson tole
Congress yesterday it would inter.
fere with effective prosecution O.
the war; to give mail priority tt
State ballots for servicemen for ust
in primaries extending from Febru.
ary to October, and in the Novem.
Der election.
Unless there is a last-minutt
change in sentiment, however, the
House Is expected to pass this Weel
the Senate-approved State-ballo
plan. in preference to a simplifiee
uniform Federal ballot confined tt
voting for President, Senators ane
Representatives. The State ballot.
would cover both national and Stat,
tickets.
The Secretary's comment was
made in a letter to Chairman Worley
of the House Elections Committee
who said, nevertheless, he would
offer his bill for a uniform Fedora
ballot, with permissive use of State
ballots, as an amendment to the
State ballot bill.
Advocates of the uniform Fedora,
ballot also received a setback last
night, when Senator Taft, Republi-
can, of Ohio expressed fear that
use of such voting procedure in
place of the regulation State ballots
might throw the whole election into
a legal -tail-spin" growing out OF
contested returns.
Sees Bill Improved.
When the Senate adopted the
Eastland Rankin State controlled
plan December 3, by vote of AZ to 81
Senator Taft voted with the sup
porters of the Federal ballot. He
said yesterday the House Committee
has improved the Senate version
and he now sees no reason why the
State ballot system would not be
effective.
The new Green-Lucas bill, which
retains the Federal ballots but leaves
any question of their validity to To-
cal determination, has won over the
support of several Senators who
were against the earlier version on
December 3. But Senator Taft in
dicated there may be several
switches in the other direction in
support of State ballots because
he said, the Federal ballot was the
most important question in the bill
Some supporters of the simplified
Federal ballot had hoped to get
another vote in the Senate early
this week before the House acts, but
this seemed unlikely last night. This
means that, if the House on Wednes-
day or Thursday passes the East
land-Rankin States-rights plan, the
last chance for inclusion of the
Federal ballot idea will come when
the House amendments are brought
back to the Senate for submission
to conference.
At that point Senator Lucas,
Democrat, of Illinois is expected to
make a strong effort to have the
Senate reverse its action in reject
ing the Federal ballot.
StimsOn Explains Stand.
Secretary Stimson's criticism was
centered on provision in the bill
giving priority to mail containing
ballots and voting instruction.
He explained that 'it would be
difficult to give such priority even
in connection with the uniform,
lightweight, small-sized Federal
ballot to be carried by air in bulk
in relatively few shipments under
title l of the bill. But it is a very
different matter to require this
priority as to many individual mail
ings of bulky State balloting mate
rial over several weeks or months"
He added that if the mail prior
ity provision for all State ballot
ing material is enacted. it might
seriously curtail or entirely shut
off" for considerable periods of
time the receipt by soldiers over
seas and by families in this coun-
try of regular mail.