Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

I V / “f £ , 7 1 Pape Six // THE CLINTON CHRONICLE Thursday, February 7, 1952 SINGLE BALLOT TO ALLOW SECRET VOTE IN THIS STATE IN 1952 ELECTION By W. D. W. ■' In The Newt And Courier v Columbia. — When South Caro linians go to the polls in the presi dential election of November, 1952, they will find something new in the way of a general election- ballot. For the first time in State his tory they will t>e able to vote for vice president on a truly secret, single ballot. Heretofore, each po litical party prej>ared its own bal lots for presidential electors, and the voter was confronted with the problems of rjeconciling secrecy with political conformity. If he was content to go along with the South Carolina Democratic party, he would simply pick up that party’s presidential ballot and cast it as his vote. If he wanted to vote Republican, or for some other par ty, he had either to pick up a bal lot of that party, or else pick up one each of every ballot, and there by become suspect as a non-con formist. The General Assembly of 1950 changed all that with the adoption of a new State election law. Now, the candidates of all parties for any given office are to be listed on a single ballot, provided party proce dure for designating nominees con forms with State law. It was ironic that in the 1950 elections, first ones to be held un der the new’ law, nothing was of fered the voters except the straight Democratic ticket. That odd de velopment grew out of a wrangle within Republican party ranks which resulted in no Republicans being put forward as candidates in the general elections for Congress or for State office. Assuming that the Republican controversy may be ironed out be convention of such party held in 1950." In 1948, four separate "parties” offered tickets for presidential elec tors, aside from a 1 "splif^licket” which listed Republican electors and Democratic nominees for Con gress. Those parties were the Dem ocratic party of South Carolina, which supported the States Rights ticket headed, by Strom Thurmond; the South Carolina Republican party, supporting Dewey; the Na tional Democratic group, support ing Truman, and the Progressives, supporting Henry Wallace. Under tne law, all four could have gained State recognition as political parties had they filed ap plication. As it was, however, only the regular State Democratic party went through that prescribed pro cedure. The Republicans split into twm groups in 1950. One filed ap plication and w*as certified before it had held a conyention. The other held a convention, made applica tion, and now is contesting the 1 other's certification. Neither Pro-Truman Democrats the Progressives took any or- nor U. S. Came Close To All-Out Industrial Mobilization This Winter Washington, Feb. 3.—The Ameri can public wasn’t told how close it came this winteY to embarking on measures" close to all-out mobiliaa- tiom By the time of President Tru man’s budget message a fortnight ago, the dust had settled. The mo bilization program is billions big ger, but it’s also a year or so long er. We’ll have butter with the guns throughout—barring new oiftbreaks rr 1950. If they ganizational steps in now seek standing as a political j trial .capacity, party in South Carolina, they must ! stalled. r of fighting. Much of the material which the military planned to chew’ up, in a great burst of arms expansion, had been alloted before the White House made its decision. That’s why the armed forces now are giving back perhaps 3F million pounds - of aluminum which they had tagged for warplanes and other weapons in April, May and Junel Had the Pentagon proposals gone through, mobilization officials now declare, the auto and all consumer hard goods industries would have had to shut dow r n entirely. The basic plant and materials ex pansion program, intended to pro vide Idng-run strength and indus- would have been ed'the peak of munitions spending up to seven billion dollars a month by mid-1963. The major impact on civilians would have been felt this yeari because armament materials average about nine months in the “pipeline,” Mr. Truman, supported by Mobi lization Director Charles E. Wilson, held that such a drain on resources and national credit would weaken the country’s long-term potential for waging war, not strengthen it. They chose a calculated risk — the risk that Russia would not strike real soon. Foregoing the im mediate piling-up of munitions, Mr. Truman approved a program which now looks like this: Through 1952, almost exactly the same upward curve of arms deliv eries, arriving at a peak of slightly more than four billion dollars a month next January. But then the peak becomes a “plateau,” rearma ment goes on for another 18 months or longer at that rate befdre it ta per^ off. From there on, spending will de cline. How far it will drop is any- one^-^uess. That will depend on how Congress feels about economy, on the state of international affairs, and on a determination of how much military development and output the economy will bear. The severest civilian pinch of the new mobilization program will start about April 1, mobilization officials predict. > * -7 It will last about six months. Then, around October 1, the squeeze should lessen somewhat, although military output will con tinue to rise for a time thereafter. Mr. Truman made up his mind shortly before Christmas. He told the military leaders he would ac cept their enlarged armament goals but would insist on stretching the program over four years instead of three. Meantime, however, the produc tion agencies had braced t h e m - selves for rough going. Materials were allotted to the armed forces for the Apri-June quarter at a rate about half-way between the origi nal schedule and the proposals of the all-outers. S. C. Has 46,777 Driver Increase Columbia, Feb. 3. — A total of 510,498 motor 'vehicle licenses for 1952 have been issued in South Carolina. • The state highway department announced this today, noting the total is 46,777 more than for the same date a year ago. The figures were compiled through December 31. The entire 1951 licensing period saw 627,968 sets of tags issued. This was 44,774 more than in 1950. Of the licenses issued so far for 1952, 406,474 have gone to automo biles. Trucks account for 94,560 of them, trailers for 6,261, and motor cycles — this includes motorbikes and motor scooters—3,203. SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHRONICLE "The Paper Everybody Reads” OFFICE SUPPLIES Complete Unf, all the little Items needed for the office. CHRONICLE PUBLISHING CO. apply for such on the basis of a pe tition carying the names of 10.000 or more registered electors. That is a formidable undertaking, and to date there is no indication that any political faction is planning such action. Consequently, it appears that the question of presidential electors will be decided by the groups which succeed in controlling the Democratic and Republican parties in the State. The exact format of the presi dential election ballot has not yet fore election time, South Carolina | taken shape, and will not until the voters likely will find a general; interested political parties express election ballot carrying the presi dential electors of the South Caro lina Democratic party and of the South Carolina Republican party. Under the new elections law, it will be difficult for any other party to obtain State recognition as a party. Here's What the law says on that point: i ^A political party, organization or association which offered candi dates for presidential and vice their wishes. The law requires a single ballot on which will be list ed all recognized presidential elec tors. The nominees of each party are to be listed in a vertical column J Instead, Mr. Truman’s decision will mean somewhat easier going for civilians, both consumers and businessmen; less acute shortages; more moderate inflationary pres sures; and fewer layoffs in non defense industries. The mobilization go£|ls of a year ago—rwhich the Joint Chiefs of staff and the National Security Council have now decided were in adequate to guarantee safety—were these: Within three years, a 95-wing Air Force, ground forces of 18 Arrriy divisions and 2 1-3 Marine Corps divisions, a Navy enlarged mainly by de-mothbellyig, and a total of 3,500,000 men under arms. ^ The new-look mobilization calls | for: In four years, a 143-wing Air under the name of the particular ^ p orcei 21 Army divisions and three party. The names of the candidates Marine divisions, a Navy of 408 ma- for President and vice president to j or combat ships and 16 large car rier air groups, and 3,700,000 men in uniform. . j The old schedule called for a 'step-up in munitions deliveries; be supported by a slate of electors “may be printed above their names if so.requested in the certification t _ or petition under which they are presidential electors in the general | pl ac cd on the official ballot. ! costing two billion dollars a month j election herd in the year 1948 shall; Preparation of those ballots is a ■ by the end of 1951 and a peak of, be entitled to be certified as a po-1 responsibility of,’ the secretary of about four billions by the end of litical party by the secretary of State. 1952. This rate of outlay, would *. • have lasted some six months, then SAY: j tapered off. State upon the filing with him at any time during the year 1950 of an application for such certifica tion—duly authorized by the State “I SAW IT IN THE CHRONICLE” j The Pentagon proposals brought THANK YQU -• ifarward last fall, would have shov- THE FINEST IN ELECTRIC COOKING AT A PRICE YOU CAN AFFORDI the Firestone ‘Deluxe ELECTRIC RANGE Compan It with ffOMMS Stffjftf for $350 mrf ooorl 279.95 A RANGE FOR EVERY PURSE... As Low As $2.75 week APARTMENT SIZE ELECTRIC STANDARD ELECTRIC ... $159-95 $199-95 Cox^Home & Auto Supply 201 N. Broad St. Customer Satisfaction Guaranteed’' Phone 12 «• a a «> Opening Permanent Location in Laurens w & CONCRETE Jjt I 8 E. G. WILSON Ready-Mixed Concrete W. W. LEDFORD 8 4> :: «v I « •> tv •V 9 4# • 4 4> ♦ 4 We Will Deliver Ready-Mixed Cement ANYWHERE in Laurens County and Neighboring Areas Phone 23416, Laurens ■ s.y .• ^ •• . v.- : Certitied Concrete To Meet the ASTM ^ Requirements * • * • Serving Both Laurens and Clinton For Same Prices - ■ A EAST MAIN STREET... Behind Phinney Oil Co., Laurens, S. C We j l ’ • 1* In Concrete For STREETS SIDEWALKS DRIVEWAYS FOUNDATIONS CURBS & GUTTERS FLOORS /* r~