Evening star., 1946-07-07
System Retards
Registration Of
N
Arlington Voters
COP Candidate
Coils on Tuck to
Remedy Situation

Virginia's slow system of register
Ing new voters, causing many to
leave the Arlington courthouse
rather than wait for hours, last
night led the Republican candidate
for the House from the 9th district
to announce he would ask Gov.
Tuck to remedy the 'intolerable"
situation.
Despite the wait involved at many
places, a heavy registration was re-
ported in cities throughout the State
on the final day, indicating larger
than-usual vote may be expected
In the August Democratic pri-
mary in which Senator Byrd and
SIX representatives have opposition.
Lawrence Michael, Arlington real
estate broker and COP candidate in
the 9th district said he would ask
the Governor what his so-called
State Board of Elections intends to
% to remedy this outrageous con-
dltion which has so long existed in
Arlington and other places
Machine Is Blamed.
He further charged that the con-
dltlons were "a continuation of the
Byrd-Smith machine effort to do
everything in its power to keep
people from voting"
Meanwhile, a plan of Arlington
Circuit Court Judge Walter T. Nc
Carthy to hasten registrations by
the central registrar backfired when
that official did not issue registra-
tion certificates to applicants in ad-
vance
H. Bruce Green, county clerk,
prepared printed forms listing in
formation required from applicants.
However, the central registrar said
she could not issue the forms until
the applicant was due to be inter-
viewed, a process that required 10
to Is minutes for each individual.
Maynard Carlisle, chairman of
the county Electoral Board, assisted
the central registrar late yesterday
to handle the last minute rush be-
fore the sunset deadline.
108 New Voters Register.
A total of lob new voters were
registered in Arlington yesterdav.
Mrs. Mary Moore Mcintosh, the
central registrar reported. She said
1900 had been added since the
last November.
In Alexandria so were registered
and as many turned away because
OF failure to meet residence re-
quirements or other reasons, officials
announced. The Office closed at
2:30 pm.
The custom of not purging the
registration books makes it very diff
flcult to estimate the total number
OF persons eligible to vote. Rich
mond, for instance, has approxi-
mately 72000 names on the books
but there is no means of determining
the number who are dead or who
have moved away. This permanent
registration system was started in
1904.
Byrd Support Urged.
o. r. Mcclure, 1903 North High
land street, Arlington, stepped into
the primary battle between Senator
Byrd and Martin A. Hutchinson YES
terday with an open letter to men,
bers of the Virginia bar, urging them
to back Senator Byrd and Repre-
sentative Smith with every ounce
OF energy and with every dollar we
pOSSeSS-if necessary"
Mr.. Mcclure, an attorney. asked
the bar members to help give the
C1O and its adherents the soundest
thrashing that a selfish minority
ever received in the history of Vir-
ginia.'
In Richmond, Mr.. Hutchinson
wrote Senator Byrd that he could
only conclude that your lack of
interest" in obtaining publicity for
the financial aspect of this primary
springs from the knowledge that
such an investigation would COM
pietely discredit the charges that
1 am receiving any funds whatso-
ever from any labor organiza ton. >"
1T would also show" Mr.. Hutch
mson wrote, that the amount of
money being used to secure your
denomination and reelection is far
in excess of the amount being used
to defeat you. This fact you are
apparently unwilling to bring before
the people of Virginia"
The letter was in reply to a letter
from Senator Byrd stating that any
attempt to investigate political ex-
penditures of the CIO-Political Ac-
ton Committee would be futile be-
cause the PAC is exempt from the
Corrupt Practices Act so far as DO
llt1cal expenditures are concerned