The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1939-1949, 1944-04-13
News ( q
BEHIND
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BynUL MALLON

GeHoS10Q OV01 0OAAASA WAVE
mn. Roosevelt's quaint quest for
sojdier-vote advice among the
tate governors mostly republican
outside the South may have
sounded off-hand like a big-heart-
ed attempt to be more than fair
about this thing. But it did not
so appear to the governors.
frankly, in the true political at
!. rosphere of the congressional
AkAkrooms, the move also was
gx&mized as an effort to put the
Republican governors on the sold
ier-vote spot, to make them Shout
der responsibility for whatever
vote the soldiers get, making Mr.,
Roosevelt appear to be the cham
pion of the soldier against state
and congressional resistance.
II did not work out that way
The governors apparently sensed
what was afoOt and gave him re-
plies which left the only spots of
the problem before his eyes, not
under their feet.
In effect, majority told him
they were going ahead with plans
| for state voting of soldiers it
the army and navy would CO.
operate in distributing the ballots,
| implying that both he and the
COMPRESSION bill were Of consid-
cradle importance to them.
The depths of his resulting diff
ficulty is evident in the action of
his congressional leaders. They
| held back the bill five days after
| its final enactment. This extend
ed to Is days his opportunity of
musing over the governors replies
and making up his mind whether
| to sign or veto.
How Will They Vote?
Now the solitary truth of all
this backing and pulling is that
no one actually knows much about
how many soldiers are going to
vote, or for whom.
From Mr.. Roosevelt's actions to
date, you would judge he expects
them to vote for him, and that
|more will vote for him if he col
ylects the ballots than if the gov
hrs do. There is some evidence
I'd 5zstain this belief, but nothing
conclusive.
recently saw a letter from an
officer in the South Seas who said
rs percent of the officers were
against Roosevelt, IS percent of
the privates for him. It may
stand something like that, although
the army seems extremely critical
Of labor and left-wingers, who are
the backbone of the fourth term
movement so far. IL I'D. ss.;Ea5
/ do not know, and cannot
find any political authority here
who even pretends to. s. =
Personally, I suspect more de-
Ponds on the army and navy gen.
erals than on what kind of a law
applies. If they actively 60 out
and furnish ballots of any kind to
soldiers and collect these, large
numbers will vote; otherwise, no
law will get in that vote in bulk.
Perhaps the most important fea-
ture of the bill was an unobserved
provision. 1t would restrict any
service officer or executive Of
fetal from issuing campaign
speeches to soldiers, and forbid
broadcasts sponsored or paid for
BY the government concerning po-
lltcal argument or material.
In fact, all news reports of po-
lltical speeches and activity would
have to be divided even between
all presidential candidats entered
in six states or more. The pen
atty for violations would be $1,000
ne and a year in jail. This would
9ainly hamper materially the
needom of fourth term campaign
ers IN charge of soldier news dis
tribution. 80. ..