Evening star., 1954-01-15
Assembly Gets
Bills 10 Tighten
Absent Voting
Virginia Legislators
Recess for Week End
Poll Tax Repeal Asked
By Alex R. Preston
Stcr Stoff Correspondent

by Alex 4. FTeSron
Stor Stoff Correspondent
RICHMOND. Jan. 15.-Vir-
ginia's absentee voting practices
now being investigated by the
FBI. would be revised by legisla-
ton pending before the General
Assembly.
Members of the Legislature
were home today after voting
yesterday for a long week end
recess before resuming business
on Monday.
Two bills to carry out reforms
recommended by the Virginia
Advisory Legislative Council
were introduced yesterday.
Fenwick Has Plan.
But State Senator Charles R.
Fenwick of Arlington is working
on another plan, which would
put more teeth into the law.
His idea is that all absentee
voting machinery should be
handled by the State Board of
Elections, rather than by the
local electoral boards.
The FBI now is probing the
disappearance of voting records
from the clerks Office in Russell
County in Southwest Virginia.
Senator Harry Stuart of Rus
sell said, without knowing about
Mr. Fenwick'S plan. that he
would support the councils rec
concentrations.
Delegate Harry B. Davis of
Princess Anne County, who
headed the councils subcommit-
tee. introduced the bills.
THE alleged abuse of the alb
sentee ballot has been due to the
certainty with which votes can
be delivered" said the council
report.
Battle Urges Reform.
Gov. Battle. who goes out of
Office on Wednesday, has told
the Legislature that the absentee
ballot statutes should be made
fraud-proof or repealed entirely.
The councils legislation would
rewrite present statutes to permit
a voter to void his own absentee
ballot by showing up at the polls
on election day and by voting his
ballot in person and in secret.
Mr.. Fenwick was a candidate
for lieutenant governor in 1945
and was the apparent winner
against the late Lt.-Gov. L. Pres
ton Collins until court ordered
that all the votes in a South
west Virginia county be thrown
out because of fraud.
Under his plan, all applica-
tions for absentee ballots would
have to be cleared through the
State Electoral Board.
Senator Stuart, meanwhile,
said he would support the coun-
ellis recommendations unless
they were altered so much that
he would feel compelled to offer
legislation of his own.
Poll Tax Repeal.
In other business, the entire
10th District delegation joined
in sponsoring a resolution by
Delegate Walter Page of Nor
folk, calling for a constitutional
amendment to repeal the poll
tax. All of the Delegates and
Senators from the 10th District
had promised that during the
campaign.
In addition, Delegates John
Webb and Omer Hirst of Fair
fax. joined Mrs. Kathryn Stone
of Arlington in sponsoring a bill
to make it easier for counties
to sell bonds after the voters
approve. The object is to fore
stall delaying tactics caused by
lawsuits.
A resolution calling for an
nual sessions of the Legislature,
sponsored by Delegate j. May
nard Magruder and Mr.. Mann,
was introduced yesterday. It
had some 80 co-patrons, includ-
ing the 10th District delegates.
The three-member Arlington
House delegation disclosed plans
to sponsor a new bill to add two
consumer members to the COM
mission, which regulates retail
and wholesale milk prices.
Delegate Maynard Magruder
said the bill probably would be
introduced next week when the
General Assembly plunges into
the serious task of making new
laws and revising old ones.
Mr.. Magruder said he expect
ed the bill to enlarge the milk
commission, which has the back
ing Of the two other Arlington
delegates. Harrison Mann, and
Mrs Kathryn Stone, would have
the support Of many urban law
makers.
One Of the first to announce
his backing of Mr.. Magruder's
measure was Delegate Ralph
James Of Hampton, who spon-
sored similar bill in 1852 which
failed to come out of committee.
Mr.. Magruder said the con-
sumer deserves adequate repre-
Sentation on the commission,
whose present makeup consists
Of one producer representative,
one distributor representative
and q third rannrnhnr ,.,lao 4;