Evening star., 1946-10-23
Spurkmun
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reelection of Speaker Rayburn as
the Democratic presiding officer.
He then could resign Immediately
from the House, hurry to the other
end of the Capitol and be sworn in
as Senator in time to vote for a
Democratic president pro tenn, and
for Senator Barkley as majority
leader.
OF course, Mr.. Sparkman still has
the little matter of being elected
himself. But, although the Re-
publicans have separate candidates
running against him both for the
House and Senate, his defeat in
Alabama would be as great sur
prise as the dropping of the first
'atomic bomb.
Time Element Puts Him in Races.
BY this time you may be Won
dering how it happens that Mr..
Sparkman is on the ballot both
for reelection to his old seat in the
House, and to fill the chair left va
cant in the Senate by the death of
Senator Bankhead early in the
summer. The answer is largely the
time element, under Alabama law.
Mr.. Sparkman was unopposed for
denomination to the House last
spring. Later, when Senator Bank
head died, Mr. Sparkman won the
senatorial nomination over two
other Democrats. Under normal
circumstances, he would have with
drawn as a House candidate at this
point.
He explained today, however, that
when the senatorial primary Was
over, there was Insufficient time for
the Democrats in his 9th district
to select another House candidate
and get the name on the November
ballot. It could have been done only
by hand-picking nominee, but Mr..
Sparkman said that course is not
favored in Alabama. "-' g
COP Would Have Won Seat.
If, under those circumstances, Mr.
Sparkman had withdrawn as the
House nominee, the 9th district
seat would have gone by default to
the Republican nominee, he ex-
planned. The eighth happens to be
one of four Alabama districts where
the Republicans have gone to the
trouble of putting candidates on the
ballot.
So on November 5, Alabama yot-
ers. will find Mr. Sparkman's name
on the general ballot for re-elec-
ton to the House in the eighth
District, and on a special ballot for
election to the Senate for the re-
manning two years of the Bankhead
term.
In the more likely event either
the Democrats or the Republicans
will win House control by safe
margin. Mr.. Sparkman will resign
from the House Immediately after
the November elections, and
promptly qualify as Senator. But
if his vote should be needed to keep
the House Democratic, there will
be a natural temptation for him
to remain in that body until it Is
organized in January.
If he gave up his House seat i'm
mediately after the elections, there
would not be time under Alabama
law to elect Democratic successor
before the new House is organized.
A runoff primary was held in
the 9th Alabama district yesterday,
in which Judge Robert E. Jones,
jr., easily defeated State Senator
James Smith for the right to sue
ceed Mr.. Sparkman in the House
after he has become Senator.
The Governor of Alabama will have
to call a special election in jan
uary at which Judge Jones, "a
year-old veteran, will stand for elec-
ton. Congress will have convened
before the election can be held.
The nearest approach to the sit
uation in which Mr.. Sparkman finds
himself occurred in 1882, when
Speaker John Nance Garner was
nominated in Texas for reelection
to the House, and then picked as
Franklin D. Roosevelt's vice presi-
dental running mate. Mr.-Garner
was reelected to, the House the
same day he won the vice presi-
dency, and then resigned from the
House.