The Caledonian-record. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1920-current, 1921-11-04
|BLANTON
| EPISODE In
| THE HOUSE
His Action May Result In
Changing Rules for
Printing Speeches
(Our Washington Correspondent

bows with the Lone Star represen-
tativcs, and at times solons from
widely divergent territories find
their best-l2id plans running alto
gether to cross purposes. There
fore few reflections on the late
Blanton episode may not be so out
of place in these columns as might
otherwise be considered when it is
remembered that it was Blanton
of Texas who played leading
role in that little strategic sketch
SO staged a few weeks ago so to
set at naught oil the efforts of Col
Dale and other leaders in the
movement to fix the membership
of the House at four hundred and
sixty.
Briefly to refresh the recollec-
ton thereon, be it stated here that
almost at the end Of the day of de-
bate on the Seieel bill providing
for the re2ppointment of mem
bers from the States, after a rea-
sonably safe margin in favor of
The AGO proposition had been kept
together the day long. and i'll COM
mittee of the whole the House lad
. once voted favorable action on the
measure, Blanton demanded that
the "engrossed bill' be presented
to the House. This required the
printing on the bill at the Govern
ment printing shop, and at late
hour such an emergency took
of time. Time, indeed, was what
Blanton and the opponents of the
bill were fighting for and here was
plan for gaining it. The inter-
val of an hour or more before ~.le
"engrossed bill'' could be laid be-
fore the House was so utilized by
foes Of the measure as to swing
over just enough votes to defeat
the bill in the House proper oy
about the narrowest OF margains
and to cause its recommitnent TO
the committee.
Now that the Texas member
has been heavily sat upon bv as
colleagues in the lower branch of
Congress and has barely missed
being ousted altogether from tat
body because he caused to be
printed in the Congressional Re-
cord most Objectionable material
unfit to be circulated through the
mails, there is much speculation as
to what effect his disciplining will
have on the political situation in
his neck of the woods, and also
how the episode may influence pro-
ceedings of the House.
1t is now generally regarded as
the part of wisdom that the House
did, not Danish Mr.. Blanton from
the chamber for good and all, for
good and all, for the reason that
down in that immense common
wealth adjacent to the Mexican
border such action might be mis-
construed into a form of persecu-
ton Of one of the states favorite
sons, and result intimately not in
his political finish but in further
honors at the hands of the voters.
Martyrdom invariably carries Its
powerful appeal to the public, and
it is conceded that no Texan would
be better able to present to SYM
pathetic constituency the pathetic
picture Of political Stephen with
apologies to the Sainted creator of
the role) driven from the House
by the bombardment of his col
leagues than the subject of such
punishment.
Although in his "defense' Con-
gresham Blanton denied that ne
had authorized the announcement
that he was to be a candidate for
the United States Senate TO sue
ceed Senator Culberson of Texas,
yet about the Capitol it is quite
generally believed that he has
been casting longino eyes at the
desk in the uppr house now occu-
pied by the enfeebled and totterng
gentlemen from his home state and
would be by no means averse TO
making the run for the nomlna-
ton. which, of course, is equlva-
lent to the election.
What effect will his recent eX-
perience have upon that ambition,
is the query uppermost in the
minds of the would-be prophets.
Right at this point, however,
there promises to enter into the
problem a factor to which even
Blanton himself has probably not
vet given due consideration. This
element is none other than the pri-
vately circulated announcement
last week at the Capitol that Sen
ator Culberson does not yet re-
gard his public service at an end
and is preparing to enter the list
for denomination for another SIX
year term. From source winch
must be regarded as reliable the !
writer has it that the Texas Sena-
tor feels that he has alreauv taken
on a new lease of life literally, and
now proposes to extend that reju-
venation to his political longevity.
Senator Charles A. Culberson is
not an old man as ages are rated
in the Senate, being at the present
writing sixty-seven. His physical
condition, however, has given rise
to the belief that he had long pass
ed that milestone. For a number |
of years he has been a sufferer
from a form of palzy which causes
his hands to be constantly in mo-
ton and prevents him from walk |
ing to his seat in the Senate with :.
out assistance. Nevertheless 5 |
friends say that he is every whit |
as alert mentally as when he first !
came to Congress back in 1899, !
following two terms as Governor.
1t is now declared that he of late |
showed very marked signs Of i'm