Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-06-28
HOUSE EXPUNGES
JOHNSON SPEECH
Removes From Record His
Attack on Member of
Senate.

The House today voted unanimously
to expunge from the Record remarks
made by Representative Ben Johnson
of Kentucky on the floor June "a. in
violation of the rules of the House.
when he referred to Senator Pomerene
of Ohio as an ohio criminal and said
that he stands as the worst Internal
enemy of the country during the war
period
The House unanimously adopted two
resolutions unanimously reported
from the rules committee. The first of
these returned Senate resolution
which the committee had decided vio-
| lated the rules just as much as the
Johnson speech had, because the SEN
ate resolution referred to Mr.. john
ond resolution ordered the Objectionable
| remarks to be expunged from the
record.
On the first resolution Chairman
Campbell of the rules committee de-
scribed the careful relation that must
be maintained between the two
houses.
Champ Clark. the minority leader.
also said that propriety and courtesy
must be maintained. He complained
the House for shortcomings and in
dulge IN similar shortcomings itself.
He mentioned the recent attack of
Senator Sherman on Mr. Mann as
De1nS just as OH enS1Se as the johnson
remarks about Senator Pomerene. In
that case, he said. there was nothing
the House could do and the Senate did
not object
He said that there are members of
both the House and the Senate who
it afterward. He said the House is
willing at all times to treat cour
teously with the Senate, but is not
willing to be lectured or dictated to.
The resolution carrying an implied
cenSure of the Senate was unanl-
mously adopted.
Chairman Campbell then presented
the second resolution, saying that the
remarks of Mr.. Johnson were clearly
in violation of the privileges of the
House
Representative Pou of North Caro-
lima democrat. former chairman of
the rules committee. paid a tribute to
the services of Mr.. johnson and cred
tied him with having made fight for
reform no other man had the courage
to tackle. He is rare character who
will die for his conviction" said Rep
resentative Pou.
Regarding the resolution, Ie said.
1.-The gentleman from Kentucky did
clearly violate the rules of the House
and there was nothing for us to do bu,
plunged"
Rules Committee Meetings.
The House rules committee has held
a series of executive meetings upon
resolution, unanimously adopted by
the Senate, in which the attention of
the House was called to Representative
Johnson's remarks.
When Chairman Campbell of the
rules committee brought this matter
up in the House today he first pre-
scented the following resolution, which
contains. a censure of the Senate for
referring to a member of the House in
language which the rules committee
believed involves a breach of priv
ilege."
.'Resolved. That Senate resolution "a
be respectfully returned to the Senate
with the advice that, without passing
upon the question as to whether the
matter therein complained of consti-
tutes, as is therein alleged, a breach
of privilege, the House must courte-
ously decline to predicate any action
upon the same for the reason that
said Senate resolution itself involves
a breach Of privilege by declaring that
language used by a member of the
House is untrue.
Chairman Campbell then presented
a second resolution ordering the public
printer to exclude from the permanent
Congressional Record the objection
able part of Representative Johnson's
remarks.