The Seward gateway., 1922-05-05

BLANTON ACCUSES CONGRESS MEN
 IF GRAF TING

" "AoIll4NN oIN, U. C., May 0-COH-
 gress is den grafters, according to Representative Blanton of Texas, in
 speech in the House. He asked the
 question:: How long will the people stand for it?"
 Besides their fancy salaries, the members are pulling down thousands of dollars in prerequisites" from pet ty larceny size to that of grand larceny and many of them employ their wives
 or other members of the family in po- sitions where more prerequisites" can
 be obtained.
 Barber shops are provided free by the government, likewise bath rooms, with fanc wages for the barbers and body-rubbers.
 In their splendid offices each mem- Der is supplied with a secretary and clerk, at the expense of S3200 per an- mum, with $480 bonus added They are supplied with the finest furniture and carpets, typewriting machine, toilet ar ticles and their carpets and rugs often renewed, cost many thousands Of dol lars. The latter, for one committee room recently cost s1124.S0. The car pet on the floor in the House which IS much abused by members, cost SlO,0io For each of the countless Wilton rugs in the many offices the government paid s191,75.
 Each member is credited each ses- sion with s375 and upward in the sta tionery room, ostensibly to buy paper pens and ink and each is permitted to draw this down in cash, or to buy any thing in the big store called the sta- tionery room, ana cllaIsv it to the std tionery account The Treasury runs the stationery room and pays the tlock of clerks to wait on the congressman.
 A stock of whiskey is kept there TOT members, Representative Blanton de- clared in his speech, charged up as sta tionerv. and the members are supplied with whiskey flasks, covered Wlth oS- trich-skin leather.
 Other articles purchased as station- cry as public expense include ladles fine bags, covered with ostrich skin leather: fine leather covered poker sits playing cards of the finest kinds; ladies' exquisite manicure sets, all paarl covered; sets of carving knives, forks and steels, expensive copper chafing dishes; large hunting knives. The members buy these and many more such things at wholesale prices and charge them up to the government as stationery" Representative Blan- ton declares it is graft of the most con temptible kind and that it ought to be l stopped.
 i The wives of the members even or der their coal, by the ton, at the sta- tionery room charging it up to the pub lie. One woman sent her shoes to the stationer to be half-soled.
 The mileage books of the members
 rln into millions.
 eve must stop this graft" said Elan ton, "else the people are going to. find | i. out and hell will pop" His remarks evoked only laughter, however. Representative Blantou declared he knew this exposure of graft by the congressman would get him into trou- ble in the House. Addressing the mem bers he said:
 "A distinguished member warned
 me that all the members would dislike
 me if exposed this graft. I am ready l to accept their dislike. I came here to | serve, not you, not my collegues, but my 314,000 confiding constituents in the. State of Texas. My first concern l is their interest If this loses me the friendship of every colleague here, 1 am ready to lose it. You all have learn l ed that if you ever expose such graft you are called hypocrite and den,a-
 ggogue, you take the path of least re- sistance and say nothing"