Evening star., 1960-01-28

plan FOR court referees to pro
tect voting rights is a recondi
toned version of a reconstruc
ton era law that Congress
repealed in 1894.
The Senator said the mail
difference is that the old. Law
referred to election super
Civil Rights Bill Moy Sink UnIes
House Gets It Soon. Poee 81
visors" instead of referees.
1t provided that whenever tw'
citizens of good standing in ;
town Of 10000 or more, or II
citizens in a Congressional dis
trict made known in writinl
to a United States Circuit
Judge their desire to have 6
registration or election scru.
tinized the Judge was required
to open court 10 days prior
to the registration or elec.
ton.
Two Supervisors" Chosen
The court would then appoint
for each election district two
citizens of different politlca,
parties to be known as super.
visors of the election. The
law instructed them TO attend
the places of registration tc
EXPOSE the improper or wrong
full removal therefrom or addi-
ton thereto of any name"
They also had the authority
to observe voting at the polling
places on election day.
In recommending repeal oi
this law in 1893, a House COM
mittee said in part:
In many of the great cities
OF the country and in some
rural districts. under the force
of these Federal statutes, per-
sonal rights have been taken
from the citizens and they have
been deprived of their liberty
by arrest and Imprisonment.
Some Of the statutes referred
to also provided for appoint
ment of special deputy mar
shalS and for the stationing OF
troops at the polls.
Query by Robertson
Senator Robertson, Democra,
Of Virginia, asked Senator Tai
madge; "1isn't it true that this
old law was used in New York
to keep Republicans from vot.
ing?"
1T was" replied Senator
Talmadge. and that was one
Of the reasons why it was re-
pealed."
Under the Rogers proposal
Federal court-appointed ref.
erees-instead of Federal regis.
trarS as the Civil Rights Com
mission proposed-would check
into violations of voting rights
II the referee finds votine
rights have been deprived, the
court could order election su.
perviSors to permit the watel
to cast a ballot.
In one respect the Roger,
plan goes further than the ole
statute by protecting voting
rights in State as well as Fed
eral elections. The old law ap.
piled to elections for Federal.
Other Developments
In other civil rights devel-
opmentS in the Senate today:
/. Senator Stennis, Demo-
crat of Mississippi. went be-
fore the Rules Committee tc
oppose the Federal registrar
plan Of the Civil Rights Com
mission, for which the court
referee proposal was offered as
"a substitute by Attorney Gen.
eral Rogers.
2. Senate Democratic Leader
Johnson called for a night ses-
sion Of the Senate today in the
hope Of acting this week on an
other civil rights measure, to
repeal the poll tax by constitu-
tional amendment.
Southerners are not expected
to wage a serious fight against
the poll tax repeal, because il
is being offered as a constltu-
tional amendment. But indica-
tionS are fight will be made
against a substitute proposal
by Senator Javits, Republican
OF New York, and 90 other
Senators to abolish the poll tax
by law.
Informed observers predicted
today that if the Javits motion
is defeated, the constitutional
amendment will pass.
The vote on the issue may
not come until tomorrow.
The move to get rid of the
poll tax by constitutional
amendment was made by a
Southerner, Senator Holland OF
Florida. and joined in by more
than so co-Sponsors.
1t is being proposed as ar
amendment to another Con-
stitutional amendment by SEN
ator Kefauver, Democrat of
Tennessee, to prevent Congress
from being put out of opera
ton in time of atomic attack.
The Kefauver amendment