Evening star., 1950-02-02
Truman Halls Change
In Electoral College
As Voted by Senate
By Joseph A. Fox

ApPIUVeQ PTOpOSdl 10 Change CQt
method of electing Presidents
The President called the plan 8
forward step. #
The Senate yesterday voted, 81
to 27, to submit a constitutions,
amendment to the States thai
would scrap the electoral college
and give each presidential candi-
date electoral votes in proportion
to the number of popular votes he
gets in a State. House supporters
expect quick approval there.
MIR. Truman told news confer
ence he had made several sugges-
tions to Congress for framing the
legislation, which was sponsored
by Senator Lodge. Republican, of
Massachusetts, and Representa-
tive Gossett, Democrat, of Texas.
He added that he believed they
had been adopted.
When reporter wanted to know
If the President thought the
change would help him get
elected in 1882" Mr.. Truman re-
sponded that the law would not
be effective at that time.
Must Be Ratified by States.
He pointed out that even though
the Senate and House approve the
plan. three-fourths of the States
must ratify the proposed constitu-
tional amendment before the 163-
year-old system now in use could
be replaced.
In stressing his approval of the
change, Mr. Truman pointed out
that the President had no veto
power over the resolution which
would submit the amendment to
the States.
Under the present plan the en-
tire electoral vote of a State is
cast for the candidate getting the
majority of the popular vote.
Under the Lodge plan. if can
didate got two-thirds of States
popular vote. he would get two
thirds of its electoral vote as well.
Priest Expects House Approval.
Representative Priest, Demo-
crat, of Tennessee, assistant Dem
ocratic floor leader in the House.
told a reporter who asked about
the amendments chances there:
II would say the prospects were
fair for a two-thirds vote"
Representative Gossett was more
optimistic. He said he thought
the House would approve the
amendment before the end of the
month.
The House Judiciary Commit
tee last April approved an amend
ment offered by Mr.. Gossett iden-
tical with the one originally in
troduced in the Senate.
Before adopting the Lodge pro-
posal yesterday. the Senate ap-
proved an amendment offered by
Senate Majority Leader Lucas.
Winner Must Get 4OE of Votes
1t would require that a win
ming presidential candidate get at
least 40 per cent-or a total of
212.4-of all of the Nations 53l
electoral votes.
Each State now has an electoral
vote equal to the total of its
United States Senators and Rep
resentatives. That would not be
changed by the Lodge amend
ment.
If no candidate got 40 per cent
of the States electoral votes, then
under the Lucas provision the 531
members of the Senate and House,
voting as individuals. would elect
the President from the two high
est candidates by majority vote.
AS originally introduced, the
Lodge amendment would have
eliminated any possibility of a
presidential election being left up
to Congress.
Lucas Helped Amendment.
The Constitution now provides
that If any presidential candidate
fails to get a majority-currently
266 of the 531 electoral votes
the House-with each State get
ting one vote-shall name Presi-
dent. The Senate would elect o
Vice President in the same man
ner.
MIR. Gossett said he thought the
House would go along with the
Lucas provision.
The Lucas amendment was
widely credited in the Senate with
tipping the balance in favor OF
the Lodge proposal. Some Sena-
tors said it provided the safe
guards they thought the Nation
should have.
Senator Lodge said the Senate
action speaks for ITSELF"
"It is a great chance to in
vigorate, enhance and promote
our two-party system by extend
ing it to the whole country" he
told reporter.
Senator Taft, Republican. o1
Ohio, Senate COP policy leader
took an opposite view. He told
the Senate prior to the ballotina
that the proposed amendment
would give "a tremendously dis.
proportionate weight" to one
party States in presidential elec.
tions.
This was direct reference tt
the States in the so-called "Solie
South" which traditionally vots
Democratic.
Senator Taft mustered the sup
port of % Republicans and
Democrats-Senators Byrd of Vir'
ginia, Edwin c. johnson of Colo
RADIO. Robertson of Virginia ant
Elmer Thomas Of Oklahoma-ir