The Caledonian-record. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1920-current, 1921-11-04

intends to run again for the Office
to which he has already beer
thrice elected. If he does become
a candidate land can succeed IL
convining the people of Texas tina
he is rapidly recovering it is believ
ed tina tany opponent seeking the
nomination would have slim
chance. Therefore should MIR
Blanton elect to enter the lists fol
the Senate, it would seem likely
that he will find himself handi'
capped at the outset by the pop
ularity of the present incumbent
which would be UNNECESSARILY ELI
HANGED by his rather spectacular
physical comeback.
Faced with such situation
what, it may be asked, becomes OF
the martyrs" plea? True, Blan-
ton may find it, expedient to at
tempt to succeed himself in Lac
House, although in that body MS
position is TODAY most unenviable
and well calculated to embarass
any man not endowed with the
skin of pachyderm.
AnoLAer and wholly .-nerent
question is presented to students
of legislative procedure as an out
growth of the Blanton case. 1t
affects the privilege enjoyed by
members of the lower branch
and be it said very seldom abused
hitherto-of getting "leave to
print or, in other worus, eX-
tending in the printed Congress
sional Record remarks begun, at
least in theory, on the floor Of the
House. This practice has long
prevailed on the House side, but
is not a prerogative accorded to
Senators, who are OBLIGED to make
their speeches in person on the
floor before they can be printed in
the Record. Doubtless the size of
the House has had something to
do with this method of getting the
views of members before their
constitunts, for it would be mani
festly Impossible for all the mem
bers to give extended vocal utter
ance to their opinions on all phas-
es of legislation.
That the practice, however, IS
open to the possibility of the
grossest abuse is clearly indicated
by the recent episodes. In this
instance Congressman B-anton
asked and obtained from the
House the usual leave to extend
his remarks on improvements in
the Government Printing Office
1t was granted perfunctorily. as it
usually is. 1t was not, however,
for a number of days that Blanton
exercised the right thus accorded
him, and when he did send to the
Public Printer the manuscript
which contained the offensive ma
terial it was on a Saturday night
after both houses of Congress had
adjourned for the week end. There
was none to whom the Printer
could appeal as court of super
vision of such stuff. There was no
official "press censor" authorized
to O. X. or disapprove the mate
rial furnished by a member of
Congress. Accordingly, it went
through as Blanton had offered J.
debated slightly as to the BODY of
the forbidden words, but clearly
recognizable by their initial let
tiers and following dashes. 1t was
in the form Of an affidavit purport-
ing to detail the nauseous CONVEX
sation INDUCED in by two of the
Government. Printing Offices force
and leaving nothing unsaid, it
would appear, at least on one de
of rumpus, that could be uttered
by way of unprintable epithets.
Since it is an i'll wind that never
blows any good, however, it may
be that out of the unseemly case
may result some improvement in
respect to the use of this privilege
of extending remarks in tn print
ed page. Already it is heard on
many sides that some new method
of handling such material should
be desived; some new rule adopt
ed that would establish some form
of supervision under which if nee
essary a censor could lawfully use
his authority to safeguard the
Governments greatest newspaper,
and prevent, as the law now pro-
vides, the introduction of such
printed stuff as the Blanton con-
into the homes and libra
ries of this nation.
HENRY M. BARRY,
Washington,
GA 1905