HARD WORDS AT WASHINGTON

Evening Post, Volume CIII, Issue 141, 17 June 1922, Page 10

HARD WORDS AT WASHINGTON

CHARGES AGAINST CONGRESSMEN. In th»^House-of Representatives a few weeks ago, .Representative Blanton, of Texas, was publicly denounced by his colleague, Representative Garner, as a "common liar, a cowardly creature, a disgrace to the House,, and a humiliation to the Statß of Texas. '•' Mr. Blanton's chastisement resulted from, the speeches he had made, declaring that Representatives ate at the House restaurant at the expense of the Government, and indulged in many petty graft transactions, such as buying a whisky flask and other personal things out of the stationery allowance. Representative Garner described Representative Blanton not as a man, but as a mere creature who would destroy his own family to accumulate dollars and advance himself politically. "We repudiate Blanton as our colleague," said Mr. Garner; "we look upon him as a liability, and he should be kicked out of the House." Representative Summers also from Texas, said : "Blanton is not only an inartistic, but a common, garden, or ordinary liar, likewise a damned liar."

Representative Blanton, explaining hie speech to the reporters, said that his charges against Representatives of "dead-heading" on the Government had been exaggerated. He did not say that Congressmen were shaved free; he did say they received all sorts of special allowances for office expenses and travelling, which should be stopped. Mr. JBlanton mentioned tho case of a representative whoso wife asked the manager of the Government Stationery Department to buy her a ton of coal out of her husband's stationery allowance; another member's wife asked to have her shoes hali-soled and charged to her husband's account.