The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1921-11-01
BLANTON SAVED
FROM EXPULSION
TEXAN PUBLICLY REPRIMANDED
BY SPEAKER
Bare Eight Votes Margin on Motion
to Gust Him From, ;he
House

Washington, Oct. 27.-Saved from
being thrown ont of the house of rep
resentatives by bare margin of eight
votes, Thomas A. Blanton (Demo-
crat) of Texas was publicly repri-
manded late today by Speaker Gillett
in accordance with a resolution OF
censure against which no man cast a
single vote.
Then moment later as he walked
out of the chamber with all eyes upon
him, he toppled over in heap. Some
of his colleagues who had voted to ex-
pei him, picked him UP and placed him
on a lounge. But he did not stay
there long, Rousing himself, he stum-
bled out, the tears streaming down his
cheeks and as he walked away he was
heard to express the hope that he
might never see, the house again.
There was no doubt of the fact, as
members expressed it, that the Texan
was utterly crushed and worn by his
experience of the day, an experience
that seldom comes during the life of a
-n1an m congress For an hour and ten
minutes, with hostile eyes upon him:
he fought to defend himself from the
charge that he had transgressed the
law by putting into the Congressional
Record document described as Gun
speakabiy vile" Before he got up to
speak in his own behalf, it was the
view of Republicans and Democrats
alike. that action upon the resolution
to expel him would depend upon his
own attitude. He, sat with folded
hands as Representative Mondell Of
Wyoming, the Republican leader,
pleaded earnestly to have him cast
out. And then, pale and smiling, he
stepped briskly to the front, as the
leader sat down.
His voice vss hoarse and broken.
He Touched rapidly upon the charges.
and then his old time fighting fire re-
turned. Right at the beginning he
said he knew the house was prepared
to expel him:
Question and Reply
Refusing at first to yield for ques-
tions, he permitted Representative
Longworth Republican, of Ohio to
ask him something and Republicans
asserted tonight that the reply had
turned the, tide against him. The Ohio
member wanted to know if the report
was true that Mr.. Blanton had de-
claredy an intention to mail 100000
copies of the undelivered speech with
its offending affidavit, after the house
had ordered it stricken from the rec
ord.
Only a>laek of money, he said, pre-
vented its mailing to every voting
man in the United States. Instantly
half a dozen representatives were on
theirsfeet, trying to break in. Repre-
sentative Blanton had reiterated that
the publication had been sent out IN
a lust cause" and no law had been
violated. Dramatically he pleaded
with the house, for the sake of his
wife and children to put back into
the record his own undelivered speech
in which he declared there was not
one word calculated to give offenSe.
But Republicans objected. AS the fire
of questions started, Mr.. Blanton
abruptly closed his speech, with 20
minutes still due him, and shot out OF
the house.
The vote to oust him, 203 to 1873,
with Summers of Texas, an old polltl-
cal riva!, voting present" upset the
calculations of some Democrats and
Republicans, who earlier in the Gay
had predicted that the Republican
leader was waging a losing fight.
They agreed that the leader, like
man stalking all on the turn of a card,
was determined that Representative
Blanton should go.
A substitute resolution by Repre-
sentative Garrett of Tennessee, Dem
ocratic leader, censuring the Texan
for printing Language so indecent,
obscene, vulgar and vile" as to rem
der the record unmailable, and direct
ing the speaker to "reprimand and
censure him" at the bar of the house,
was thrown out on point of order,
prior to the vote on expulsion.
q