Evening star., 1947-05-22
10 Reopen
Voter List Fails
As OAR Elects
Request Causes
Floor Controversy;
20 Resolutions Pass

Election day tension at the
the Daughters of the American
Revolution Seth Continental
Congress erupted in a floor fight
today when an attempt was
made to get the registration re-
opened so late arrivals could be
accredited to vote in the tri-
ennial election.
The heated discussion broke out
while more than 1000 delegates were
lined up in double file through the
corridors of Constitution and Me-
mortal Continental Halls to vote in
what the experts call the closest
race in recent OAR history.
Just before the floor controversy,
the members had passed 20 resolu-
tions without any discussion, includ-
ing one urging that the Womens
Army Corps be made permanent
part of the peacetime ARMY.
The floor fight started after Mrs.
Julius Y. Talmadge, president gen.
eral, reported that some delegates
wanted to reopen the registration so
members delayed by bad weather
could vote. When a delegate in the
back of the hall rose to make a
speech, Mrs. Talmadge cut her OF.
Another delegate Immediately rose
to move that the parliamentarians
rule to close the registration as OF
4:30 pm. yesterday be sustained.
Spectators Try to Vote.
Mrs. Talmadge called for a
voice vote, but the response to ayes
and nayes was so close that a count
was ordered. Confusion resulted
when it developed that alternates
and other spectators were attempt
ing to vote along with the accredited
voters.
Mrs. Talmadge ordered the ac-
credited voters to come to the front
of the hall so the tellers could view
their voters badges. The parlia-
mentarians ruling was sustained
and the registration remained closed
The mystery centered on which
candidates party wanted the regis
tration reopened. 1t was generally
conceded that the candidate who
feared she would lose the election
had inspired the move to get more
voters.
The furry died down and the
principal speaker of the session, DR..
Vernam T. Davis, director of the
neuropsychiatric service at the Ma
rine Hospital at Ellis Island, rose
to address the gathering. He began
by commenting that he had "en-
ioyed sitting here and watching
your president extricate herself
from what looked for moment like
a difficult situation"
Final Count May Be Delayed.
Balloting started at 8 am. and
returns are scheduled to be an
nounced tonight, but members were
warned that a final count might be
delayed indefinitely. The hour at
which the polls will close was to be
determined by vote of the congress
today.
The 2469 women entitled to vote
began lining up half an hour be-
fore the polls opened.
In addition to the WAC resolu-
tion, the society reafhrmed its op-
position to all legislation leading to
Government censorship, dictation. or
control of radio broadcaSting. Re-
adopting a 1916 resolution, the So
ciety emphasized that freedom Of
radio ranks with freedom of speech
In other resolutions, the society
opposed any move by private in
terests to obtain exclusive use OF
200 000, 900 acres of Western range
and forest land now in public hands:
voted per capita contributions for
continuance of OAR committees;
pledged a $4,000 gift to the Nurses
National Memorial as a memorial
to Miss Clare Benton, a charter
member of the OAR, and favored
the creation or development of four
areas as national parks or shrines.
Committee Reports Heard.
Before passing on the resolutions.
the delegates heard reports from
several of their national commit
tee chairmen. Reporting on Amer
icanism, Mrs. Charles A. Herfurth
commended the work of the District
OAR at the Americanization School.
Mrs. George D. Schermerhorn,
chairman of the American Red
Cross Committee, proposed that the
society make a project of collecting
81 800 for an conditioning unit
in the Walter Reed Hospital day
room for psychiatric patients.
In urging the speedy enactment
of legislation to make the WAC an
integral part of the Regular Army,
the OAR was following the request
of Gen. Eisenhower, who addressed
the society Monday night and ad-
mitted he was doing "bit OF lob
bying" for the WAC.
The society also voted to create a
scholarship fund at one of its ap-
proved schools, at Tamassee, S. c..
as a memorial to Mrs. John Logan
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