Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1944-01-21
FAIR
ENOUGH
BY Westbrook
{ Peqler

LIVER since Noy. 3. the day,
II after election day, l have
devoted certain portion Of
each day TO "A puzzle pro-
pounded Nov 3 by my diSlln-
gulshed colleague. Mrs Flea
nor Roosevelt. in her column of
that day. In that little essay,
done the day before, Mrs.
Roosevelt wrote:
This II election day. One
year ago was in Great Britain
and tried very hard To get an
sentee voters ballot. How
ever. with one delay and an
other. il reached me just about
the date l should have been
home and 50 Miss Thompson
and l both failed i'm our civic
duty last year"
This is really a bargain puZ-
gle. That is to say you get two
puzzles for the price of one.
What does that sentence
mean 1T reached me Just
about the date l should have
been home and so Miss ThomD-
son and ! both failed in our
civic duty
Did The ballot reach Mrs
Roosevelt Whi!e she was still
away but should have been
home and if so, why didn't Inc
vote IT. That one has stuck me
SO Ear but l am still working
on II.
I'VE other puzzle may he
L stated as follows How
did Mrs Roosevelt qualify for
an absentee ballot as a citizen
OF the state Of New York ."
! believe this is trick ques-
ton the answer being that She
didn't because the election laws
MAKE no PROVISION Tor absentee
voting by civilians outside The
limits Of the United States I'M
less they are in the federal
service.
l., 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 did
reach her somewhere. some
tyne which fact would suggest
she was regarded as a member
OF some federal service
The provision for absentee
Al1-n.--lI!--t!4G--s 49,: ALL. -.
sass the Legislature may pro-
vide conditions by which quail.
ned voters who are unavoidahlv
absent on necessary business
within the Unted states may
vote and so forth
THE election law SAYS a voter
L who is unavoidablN absent
on business within the United
States which does not nclude
Great Britain, may vote as
an absentee but must first GO
through some rigmarole with
tho elections officials. including
2 description Of The duties occu-
patton or business which require
such absence
f5CTT7C TarTCrT- ard UCTyTyr57Y1r
a. puzzles | Went 10 the au-
thorilleS for information. but
even IN Albany where there arc
experts who know all. the an
s"er 10 the mystery remained
Just that.
Unless 7 am correct in my
guess, and u is only stab. that
ike the Newspaper Guild which
permits Mrs Roosevelt 10 be-.
long although ineligible be-
tFtFISt' sire II 50 ciIStIuEUTSfICG
the elections officials who sent
her The absentee ballot did so
for similar informal reasons.
Now Some people are sure 10
say that il is Impolite 10 dis
cuSS these puzzles IN this way
bat ] assure YOU that this is
written IN admiration As We'll as
perplcNty because Mrs RooSo-
Welt and those who sent her the
absentee ballot. would seem 10
have solved problem which
has been giving Congress a great
deal Of honest Worry.
That is the problem OF the an
Sontee vote for members of the
fighting forces who find thcm-
selves overseas. or absent from
home within the country in a
presidential year.
All this argument could be
solved by the simple cNpsdiont
OF passing around absentee bal
lots anyway whatever the state
law may say 10 the contrary
& -l.nEhi Iqif hl TINTED Feaiures. S M