The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1920-06-17
BLANT0N HASTENS
TO CORRECT ERROR
REPUBLICAN LITERATURE SENT
OUT TO VOTERS.
Byrnes Also Suffers.
South Carolinian Embarrassed By
Empty Envelopes Being Sent
Constituents.

Washington, June 13.-If you had
been making speeches in congress for
the las two years in favor of the ad-
| ministtation until you were blue in
the face and ready to consign to
Hades any one who opposed you and
then found that when you mailed your
speeches, many thousands of them as
you thought, to your Democratic con-
stituents, they had received in lieu
thereof speeches of Uncle Joe'' Can
non or other Republicans denouncing
President Wilson and his party, what
would you do? Hunt for the man
who perpetrated this miserable trick
upon you and expose him or hasten
home to explain to your constituents
how it all happened; that you are not
a Republican, and that you are as
much of Democrat as you ever were
in your life?
This is no fiction. 1t is exactly
what has happened to two Democratic
members of congress during the last
two weeks, Byrnes, of South Carolina,
and Blanton, of Texas.
Mr. Blanton, who has been profess
ing loyalty to the president through
out his administration, having strong
opposition for reelection, had 100000
copies of Democratic speech printed
to send to his district Out they went
and Blanton dreamed glorious dreams
of success and two more years in con-
gress. Then he chanced to look over
a few of the mail bags which had for
some reason been delayed and found
to his dismay that his speech had
been bound with others of Republican
members bitterly criticising the pres
ident.
Every manner of abuse was heaped
upon President Wilson, his admins
tration and the Democratic members
of congress in these speeches, and
through the adroit manner in which
the scheme was handled Blanton goes
on record as having made these
speeches and indorsing their senti-
!! m ents by sending them out with his.
What did Blanton do? There was
only one thing for him to do when he
discovered what had been done. He
hoped a rattler for the west just as
quick as the fast trains going that
way could take him. He will have
much explaining to do to his Demo-
cratic constituents as to why he sent
them all that lot of Republican stuff.
Mr.. Byrnes, although he had the
same trick played on him, it was in
a little different form. His secretary
sent number of addressed envelopes
to one of the departments with in
structions to have certain documents
inserted therein and then mailed,
House employees sent the empty en-
velopes to Byrnes's constituents, mi
nus anything whatever inside.
Mr.. Byrnes said today that in his
case it might have been an honest
mistake but that he would have less
doubt on this point if he had not had
similar experience with the appro-
priations committee. There he called
for a statement of the expenditures
made by the Republicans in the many
Investigations they have been con-
ducting. At the same time "Uncle
Joe" Cannon called for a similar
statement of expenditures when the
Democrats had control Of congress-
When the hearings were printed it
had the expenditures of the Demo-
Gratis but not those of the Republi-
cans and Republican employees claim
ed it was a mistake.
Other members have similar COM
plants and it is almost certain that
if the house were now in session there
would be thorough investigation Of
this alleged 'smistake" of the Re-
publican employees especially when
such mistakes work against members
who have of late been actively prod
ding the Republicans for their short
comings.