Pueblo chieftain., 1921-11-06
BY FREDERIC j. HAsKIN


| Washington, D. c.. Nov. S--The case
| of Representative Blanton, who recent
| ~ was censured. after a resolution Of
| expulsion against him had failed for
! the kind of language he caused TO be
printed in the Congressional Record.
seems TO be the first OF its kind in the
history of the United States congress.
Many members Of congress have
been forced out of congress back to
private life by the votes of their COL
leagues, but the offense has nevel
according to records compiled by Tyler
| Page, clerk of the house, been exactly
that charged against Mr., Blanton.
The house is the judge of its own
membership. Even tho congressman
might he elected by the unanimous
vote OF his constituents the other
members of the house could, II they
chose. bar him from taking his seat,
or throw him out after he was in
stalled as a member. Twice in recent
years. duly elected member of con-
gress was prevented from taking his
seat and assuming his duties This
man, too. was a former congressman
Victor Berger. of Milwaukee.
Berger was barred on the ground
that he was under sentence for COM
mitting a crime. AT the time Berger
tried to defend himself on the floor,
but not having been allowed to take
the oath OF office, he was not recog-
nized as member and had no rights.
Berger, who was out OF Jail on an ap-
peal, was elected again by the people
of his district, but was aot permitted
10 take his seat, the house voting
again 10 bar him on the same grounds.
THE FIRST CASE
The first effort by the house of rep
resentatives 10 tnseat one of its mem
bers was made in the Fifth Congress
in 1897. Williams BIount. of Tennes-
see, was accused of high misdemean-
or by his colleagues of the house On
July sth of that year. a resolution of
expulsion was voted upon. and the
Tennessee congressman was deprived
of his seat
During the same congress. but the
year following, two congressman got
into a fight, which led to resolutions
of expulsion being introduced. These
men were Roger Griswold. OF Connec-
ticut: and Matthew Lyon. of Vermont
In this case neither congressman was
unseated. both resolutions failing of
the necessary two-thirds affirmative
vote.
John Smith, a congressman from
Ohio, was accused OF completely with
Aaron Burr. This occurred during the
life of the Tenth Congress, in 1905. Mr..
Smith was tried by the senate. and a
resolution eNpelling him was voted on
April 3. 1905 This resolution failed to
adoption. Mr.. Smith holding his seat.
However, Is days later Smith offered
his resignation as a member of the
congress and this was accepted.
The records in the possession OF the
clerk OF the house fail to show any
other efforts to eNpel members of con-
Sress from the time OF the Smith case
until 1851. when the Thirty-seventh
Congress was in session. Two mem
bers of the congress. William X Sc
bastian and Charles 3. Mitchell, were
expelled on July 1Ith OF that year,
charged with being unfit for member
ship because of participating in the
rebellion of the South against the
Federal Government Of the United
States Sixteen years later, when the
bitterness OF the great inter-sectional
struggle had died down somewhat the
senate revoked the RESOLUTION OF the
expulsion pronounced against Mr.
Sebastian.
On the same date as the expulsion of
these two men. others were expelled
for sympathy with the rebellion.
various members were expelled on this
account
John c. Breckenridge OF Kentucky,
was the best known OF these men.
jesse D. Bright of Indiana, met the
same fate. The others were Henry c.
Burnett OF Kentucky, Trusten Polk OF
Missouri. Waldo Porter johnson Of
Missouri. John W. Reid OF Missouri.
Thomas l.. Clingman OF North Caro-
lima, James Chestnut Jr. of South
Carolina, Alfred o. p. Nicholson of
Tennessee, and John Hemphin OF
Texas
John T. Deweese of North Carolina.
was accused OF selling an appoint
nent TO the Naval Academy during
the Forty-first Congress. On March
I. is1O, the house passed resolution
condemning Deweese for accepting a
pecuniary consideration for the ap-
pointment, and Dewee-a resigned his
seat. retiring to private life.
EXPELLED FOR SELLING
APPOINTMENTS
During the same congress one B.
Franklin Whittemore of South Caro-
lima. was accused of accepting pecuni-
airy considerations for appointments
TO both the military and naval acade-
mics. While resolution OF expulsion
was pending, MIR. Whittemore resigned
his scat. Despite the fact that he was
no longer a member of the congress
the house passed h condemnatory
resolution on February 2ith, 1870.
Whittemorc sought to clear up his
TnnAVJc ANNUVyEnc AnVrc