Perth Amboy evening news., 1909-08-12
HOWELL DENIES
WASHINGTON
STORY
Congressman's Friends Is
sue Statement in Contra
diction of Report.
NOT ARRESTED AND DID
NOT TRY TO LEAVE
Declare That Representative
Has Been Very Faithful to
Duty and Is No Shirker.

The report spread in certain guar
ters that Congressman Benjamin F..
Howell of the Third District had been
arrested recently while trying 20
leave the national capital before the
adjournment of Congress has reused
the representative friends. An in
vestigation has been made and the
result is complete and absolute
denial of the yarn.
Mr.. Howell himself vas ayeFse to
paying any attention to the rumor
but those close to him felt that come
thing should be done 10 yindicate
him of the charge of snirkins his
duty, and they have issued the fol-
lowing statement:
Statements which have appeared
in a number of newspapers to the ef-
feet that Hon. Benjamin F. Howell,
Representative in Congress from the
third congressional district of this
state, had been arrested while at
tempting to leave Washington before
the adjournment of congress, are alb
solutely untrue and without the
slightest foundation. Naturally, the
friends of MIR. Howell are displeased
that such statement has been going
the rounds of the newspapers with
the apparent purpose of injuring him
in the eyes of his constituents.
When the members of the House
of Representatives were summoned
to return to Washington for the con-
sideration of the final report on the
tariff bill, after that measure had
been disposed of in the senate, Mr..
Howell was one of the first to re-
spond, and he was in his place the
day that the bill was taken up again
in the House of Representatives. He
made no plans to leave Washington
until congress was ready to finally
adjourn. He did not go to the rail-
road station, as was stated In some
of the reports, he was not arrested
by direction Of the sergeant-at-arms,
and therefore, the reports to that ef-
feet are absolutely false, and calcu-
lated to place him in a bad light.
"In ell the years Mr.. Howell has
represented the third congressional
district he has never once neglected
his duty. In fact in the House OF
Representatives he is one of the con-
gressmen who Is always ION the job
as the expression goes, and it is
largely due to this fact that he has
received such substantial recognition
for his devotion to duty-for such II
is-in the continued appointment as
chairman of the committee on immi-
grafton and naturalization. His
continued presence when the house
is in session has also given him that
splendid standing with the leaders
that enables him to obtain so much
for his district, when the occasion
arises.
1.-The man who shirks his duty
even In a body like congress soon
loses his standing among his col
leagues. Mr.. Howell is no shirker,
never has been and he never will be
as long as he remains as the con-
gressman from the third district. IT
is not in him, and those who know
him best, and know how faithfully
he works in behalf of his constitu-
ents, know that he is not the man to
neglect his duty even though 1t may
impose great inconvenience upon
himself. While the fight on the tar
off bill was in progress Mr.. Howell
spent more time in Washington
than was actually necessary Just be-
cause he was anxious to be on hand
to help any of his constituents, II
there was any possibility of doing
So