Evening star., 1948-09-24
Compromise 10 Place. lac!
Truman Back on Ballot.
Pressed in Louisiana
Dr. the Assee;oisd Pres.


BATON ROUGE. La, Sept. "a
President Truman today drew closer
to a spot on the Louisiana November
ballot, but without familiar identi-
fication as Democratic Party can
didate.
Leaders of the Louisiana State
Central Democratic Committee, ),
which two weeks ago ousted Mr..
Truman's slate in favor of the States
Rights Democratic ticket, yesterday
helped draft a compromise to get
the Presidents ticket on the ballot.
The compromise proposal, now
rolling through special session OF
the State Legislature, would amend
the general election law to reserve
a place on the printed ballot for 10
Truman electors. These electors
must be nominated by petition
filed with the Secretary of State and
signed by 100 qualified voters. The
proposed deadline is october S, date
of the second run-off primary elec-
ton for State offices.
General Law Untouched.
The proposed amendment leaves
untouched sections of Louisianas
general election law which prohibits
candidates nominated by petltlon
from using either the symbol or the
name of parties already legally rec
ognized.
Thus, Mr. Truman and Senator
Barkley of Kentucky, vice preSiden-
tial nominee, though Democratlc
candidates, could not be identlheo
on the ballot with the rooster, tradl-
tional seal of the party in Louisiana.
They would be denied even the use
of the word Democrat" in naming
their slate. The States Rights can
didates, Gov. Strom Thurmond OF
South Carolina and Gov. Fielding
Wright of Mississippi, remain ofn-
cial candidates of the Louisiana
Democratic Party.
AS introduced originally in the
legislative session hastily summoned
Wednesday by Gov. Earl Long, the
bill would have permitted the Ma
tional Democratic Committee to
name electors as an alternative. 1t
would also have allowed the Truman
ticket to be called the National
Democrats"
Both Provisions Dropped.
Both provisions. however, were
stricken from the bill yesterday
during a brief hearing OF the House
Appropriations Committee. Instead,
approval was given to the COM
promise proposal. which bears little
resemblance to the original.
Democratic candidates for Con-
eress and local offices, nominated
in the State primary and certified
by the State Committee, would be
listed twice on the ballot, with Mr..
Truman and Senator Barkley as
well as with Gov. Thurmond and
Gov. Wright.
Leander Perez. South Louisiana
political leader who led the Septem-
ber 10 "oust-Truman" maneuver,
told committeeman the new version
CT the bill was "the handiwork OF
persons of divergent views" who con-
ferred with Gov. Long and that it
bore the Governors approval.
This is the best bill we could
devise under the circumstances, Mr.
Perez said. II wouldn't say it is
good bill because OF my opposition
to Truman who would return carpet
baggery to the South" pa +
National Leaders Object.
In Washington, however. National
party leaders voiced strong obJec-
ton to the proposal. They spurned
the compromise, reiterating de-
mand that the Truman-Barkley
electors be designated as the regular
Democratic ticket.
Nevertheless, little opposition to
the measure appeared to be forming
in the Legislature today, just two
weeks since the Louisiana committee
bumped Mr.. Truman from the bal
lot The committees September 10
action came after the deadline for
filing nominating papers under ex-
isting law. the procedure followed
by the Progressives and States
Fighters, and relegated Mr.. Tru-
mans electors to write-in status.
Unless the bill hits snag before
the special legislative session ad-
journs on October 2, the Louisiana
ballot presumably will list five presi-
dental electcr states. Mr.. Perez in |
dicated yesterday, however, that the
States Rights ticket may be with
drawn if the amended proposal wins
al