The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1907-01-11
FISTS NEARLY FLY
ON HOUSE FLOOR
Gaines Makes Rush to Chas-
tise Mahon and Is Forced
Back Into His Seat
CLASP HANDS LATER

WASHINGTON. Jan. 1O.-Late this
afternoon Gaines Of Tennessee and
Nahon OF Pennsylvania, Congressman,
were prevented from meeting in per-
sonal encounter only by the interven-
ton Of members on the floor of the
House. Gaines was. making a speech
on his bin 10 dock members pay for
( absence from the House and was being
! twitted by both sides of the chamber
10 his evident embarrassment. During
/ his speech he charged MahOn with be-
ing absent from the House IS per cent
OF the time.
Previous TO this sweeping assertion
j Gaines had read excerpts from the
Record in relation TO the Withholding
Of pay in the Fifty-third Congress and
the part Mahon had played at that time.
Mahon remained silent throughout
J Gaines speech, with the exception Of
interfering a remark or two at the
beginning. When Gaines had cOnclud-
ed Mahon rose. He explained that in
4 the Fifty-third and Fifty-fifth Con-
I crosses he had $1,000 due him, and that
I Speaker Crisp gave him an order on
the sergeant alarms for the amount
which was paid. Then. coming to the
crux OF Gaines charge. MahOn thun-
dered:
4 ing away from this House IS per cent OF
the time tells an untruth."
Gaines started down the aisle from
his seat NO man can tell me 1 lie" he
exclaimed.
Mann of Illinois. who was in the
chair. ordered both men to their seats
Mahon obeyed the command, while
Gaines stood two seats away from the
center of the chamber. shaking both
fists and head at the Pennsylvania.
when order had been restored Mahou
rose again Having been cautioned by
the chair that il was against the rules
{ 10 address a member in the second
/ person. he measured his words, saying
( he would speak in the fourth person
He then said:
The charge Of the gentleman from
Tennessee that am away from this
House IS per cent Of my time is a de-
Hberate falsehoOd"
With a rush Gaines reached the cen
ter OF the chamber. making directly to-
ward the Pennsylvania, insisting as
he went that no man could call him q
liar without personal chastisement
The House was in an uproar by this
time. Mann adding to the noise, if not
TO the confusion, by pounding the desk
with his gavel. His efforts finally
caused the head Of the gavel to fly OF
and il bounded into the body Of the
House. almost striking one OF the
members.
The rush Of Gaines upon his adver-
sary brought a dozen members before
the Speakers desk. ollie James Of
Kentucky, Taylor Of Alabama, Bell Of
Georgia. Williams Of Mississippi. the
minority leader, and Stafford Of Wis
consin grabbed Gaines, who. resisting
vigorously. was forced back into his
seat
Mahon seemed to wait for the impact
which never came. With Gaines back
IN his seat the Pennsylvania made his
speech of explanation as to how he be-
came connected with the invoking Of
an old statute compelling members to
forfeit pay for the time absent from
the House. He said the charge that he
was away from the House IS per cent
Of the time was lie on its face, and
that he was there 95 per cent OF the
time
A reconciliation was effected by
friends of the warning Congressman
and they shook hands.