Evening star., 1949-02-20
Senate Hearings Due
On Amendment 10 End
Electoral College
By ChoImers IA. Roberts

The Senate Judiciary Commit
tee this Wednesday will open
hearings on the Lodge -Gossett
Constitutional an en- dme ent to
abolish the electoral college sys-
TEN and modernize the method of
electing the President.
A House Judiciary subcommit-
tee, which already has had three
days of hearings on the measure,
is expected to conclude its work
with one-day session Friday.
The amendment would end the
present system whereby the can
didate with the most popular votes
in a State gets all the States
electoral votes. Instead, the elec-
toral votes would be divided in di-
rect proportion to the popular
votes within the State. The num-
ber of electoral votes assigned a
State would be unchanged, how
ever.
Lodge Is Senate Sponsor.
Senate sponsor of the measure
is Senator Lodge. Republican, of
Massachusetts,. The House spon-
sor is Representative Gossett,
Democrat. of Texas. Senator
Lodge already has announced that
10 Senators, seven of them Demo-
Gratis, have Joined him as CO. -spon-
sors in backing the bill.
Proponents of this major con-
stitutional chang consider con-
gressional approval in 1949
necessary if the amendment is
to be in force in time for the
next presidential election in 1852.
Two-thirds votes Of approval by
both Senate and House are nee
essary along with ratification by
three-fourths of the 48 State
legislatures. The Presidents sig
nature is not necessary.
Mr.. Truman said at a banquet
Of presidential electors at inaugu-
ration time he thought the pres
ent system has worked we'll
enough. But Senator McGratn,
Democrat. of Rhode Island, who
wants change at the time, said
he thought the President was not
referring specifically to the pres
ent method, but only to the elec-
ton system in general.
Senator McGrath, who also is
Democratic National Chairman. is
on record for a straight Nation
wide popular vote to choose the
President. without regard to State
boundaries. It is not believed
likely. however. that such an
amendment in the last Congress,
let alone win approval of State
legislatures.
Expects Early Approval.
Mr.. Gossett. himself a member
Of the subcommittee considering
the amendment, said last night |
he expects a vote of approval by
the group next week. Them he
believes, the full committee prob
ably will act without further
hearings. Mr.. Gossett was conf
dent Of committee approval.
The Texan. who won unanimous
committee approval for the same
amendment in teh last Congress.
predicted a House vote "by April
l at the latest" He said 1t might
come in March.
The House Judiciary group is
headed by Representative Walter,
Democrat, of Pennsylvania. The
full Senate Committee will con-
duct the hearings in the upper
House but Senator Miller, Demo-
crat. of Idaho. rather than Chair
man McCarran will preside. Sen
ator Miller is chairman of the
subcommittee named to handle
the amendment.
Majority Provision Changed. |
The proposal, which also won
Senate committee approval in the
80th Congress, but never came to
the floor in either house, would
abolish another important provi-
sion in the Constitution. This is
the proviso that, if no candidate
receives majority of the electoral
votes, the House shall select the
President with each State having
one vote. Under the new system,
the candidate with the most elec-
toral votes would win, regardless
of whether or not the total con-
stituted a majority.