Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1944-01-22
FAIR
ENOUGH
BY WestDrook
PeoIer

LIVER since Nov. 3. the day
- after election day ] have
devoted certain portion of
each day TO a puzzle pro-
pounded Nov. 3 by my dlstin-
guished colleague Mrs. Flea
nor Roosevelt, in her column of
that day In that little essay,
done the day before, Mrs.
Roosevelt wrote:
This IL election day. One
year ago ! was I'm Great Britain
and tried very hard to get an
sentee voters ballot. How
ever. with one delay and an
other. II reached me just about
the date should hase-been=
home and 80 Miss Thompson
and I both failed I'm our civic
duty last year"
This is really a bargain pug
zle. That is to say YOU get two
puzzles for the price of one.
What does that sentence
mean 1T reached me lust
about the date / should have
been home and so Miss Thomp-
son and | both failed in our
civic duty"
Did the ballot reach Mrs.
Roosevelt while she was still
away but should have been
home and, If so, why didn't she
vote it, That one has stuck me
-se-fat- bttt am stIfi working
on II.
THE other puzzle NAV he
stated as follows "How
did Mrs Roosevelt qualify for
an absentee ballot as A citizen
of the state of New York >"
f-heiteVe this is 4 trick queS-
ton the answer beng that She
dldn 7 because the election laws
make no provision forNabsentee
voting by civilians outside tho
limits Of the United States IN
less they are in the federal
service.
Is or was. Mrs Roosevelt in
the federal service. and II so IN
what branch? Again and again
and again. 10 borrow a term
from the President himself. the
people have been assured that
Mrs. Roosevelt Is strictly an IN
dependent individual with no
official status
Yet an absentee ballot lid
reach her somewhere. some
time, which fact would suggest
she was regarded as A member
OF some federal service.
The provision for absentee
voting IN the state constitution
says the Legislature may pro
vide conditions BY which dtlah-
fed voters who are unavo.dablv
absent on necessary business
within the United States may
vote and 50 forth
THE election Law SAYS voter
who Is unaNoidahlN absent
on business within the United
states, which does not include
Great Britain, may vote as
an absentee but must first 20
through some rigmarole with
the elections officials. including
a description Of the duties aeeii-
patton or business which require
Sueh absence
Being patient and persistent
az puzzles. | went 70 the au-
thortieS for information. but
even IN Albany. where there arc
experts who know all the an
S"cr 10 the mystery renamed
Just that
Unless 7 am correct in my
guess and II is only stab. that.
like the Newspaper Guild. winch
permits Mrs Roosevelt 10 he.
onE, although ineligible. be-
cause she is so distinguished
The elections officials who sent
her the absentee ballot did so
for similar informal reasons.
Now some people are sure 70
say that II IS lmpolIte 70 dis
cusS these puzzles IN this way.
but / assure you that this is
written in admiration As well as
perpleXity because Mrs. RooSe-
Welt and those who sent her the
absentee ballot, would seem 70
have solved a problem which
'.ffas been giving Congress a great
deal Of honest worry.
That is the problem Of the ah-
Sentee vote for members IF the
fighting forces who find them
selves overseas, or absent from
home within the country in
presidential year.
All this argument could he
solved by the simple eXpedlent
Of passing around absentee bal
lots anyway whatever the state
law may say 10 the contrary.
Copyrigh' 1914. nv United Features ssnd