The Washington times., 1922-05-14
.FOCHT IN FIGHT
To CONE BACK
FOR NEXT TERM
District Boss Flags Reformers
on Eve Of Primary Contest
In Pennsylvania.
By FRANCIS p. DAILY.

By FRANCIS p. DAILY.
The boss OF the House District
Committee In In the midst Of his Gus.
tomary biennial political battle.
Congressman Benjamin X. Focht
represents the Seventeenth Pennsyl-
vania district. a .rock-ribbed Repub-
lican stronghold, where Democrats
may be made but are seldom born.
Focht has acquired a habit of COM
ing to Congress with such regularity
that he believes his campaign to
stage a comeback this time Is mere
iy going through the motions Of poll
tics"
The chairman OF the House com.
mittee that initiates most Of the i'm
portant Legislation for the deaf and
dumb voters Of the Nations Capital
hates reformers.
Tomorrow. in the wind-up of his
campaign before the primaries on
Tuesday In Pennsylvania. he will tell
the voters what he thinks about his
millionaire opponent for the Congress.
sional nomination, who is running on
a so-called reform ticket.
The District boss. who succeeded
to the mantle OF Congressman Ben
johnson of Kentucky, when the
Democrats were evicted from con.
troll of Congress and occupancy OF
the White House. not only rules his
committe with an iron hand. when
he finds II necessary to curb the
tactics of some OF it's opstreperous
members, but also minces no words
when a witness with reform pro.
clivities is before the committee.
F1ays Reformers.
On the eve OF his departure for
Lewisburg, Pa. the seat Of his
district, Congressman Focht paid
his respects to the reform element
In no uncertain language.
The quicker this country set.
ties down to a good old-fashioned
way of managing it's affairs, and
stops listening to what the self
anointed reformers. radicals, and
so-called liberals have TO say al
every opportunity that presents
itself for them to break into the
limelight." he declared, "the
sooner all OF US will get into q
better state Of living, with peace OF
mind and less TO worry about "a
we get older.
The country has been running
rampant with prohibitory legtsla'
ton, with the result that I don't
believe that the people want any
more you shalt not laws. As
soon as Congress gets down to
brass tacks and takes care Of what
the people really want, and not
what the reformers want them to
have, the United States will be q bet
ter place in which to continue living
according to the way size 1t up.
las for District legislation, the
committee OF which I am chairman
tries to do the square thing, and
while we have many contrary things
to consider, / am pretty sure that we
have accomplished the job as good
as any other legislative committed
could do under similar circum
stances
Opposes Rent Act.
Evidently you didn't think much
Of the bill to extend the Ball rent
act," Focht's interviewer suggested
IL voted against reporting out the
measure" he replied, because
honestly believe that it has too many
legal ramifications that will mean
that IL the House enActs the bill into
law the courts will still get cloggec
with cases arising from appeals oi
the rent commission and that there
will be endless confusion that will
prove unsatisfactory to both the ten
ants and the landlords in dispute
with one another.
The proposed rent law Ia another
outstanding illustration of the ten
dency to enact thou shalt not leg
isla ton. It's like locking a dog in
room and then telling him he cant
bark. Conditions as far as the rent
ing situation 10 concerned in the Dis
trict. firmly believe, will adjust
themselves to the satisfaction OF
everybody concerned and there will
be less pickering and hsggling In
the next two years than there has
been in the last four years"
Chairman Focht returned to his
desk on Thursday, after a two
weeks absence in his home dis
trict where he did whatever
political fence-mending that was
required. He got back to Wash
ington in time to preside at the
final session of the House District
Committee which had been wrest
ling with the rent bill.
When the vote was taken on the
question OF reporting out the meas
ure to the House, he made nc
effort to conceal his displeasurs
over the way II had been redrafteo
and promptly cast his vote against
the bill.
For nearly forty years Congress
man Focht has been a political
power in his bailiwick. He served
three terms in the Pennsylvania
Assembly which 10 known as ar
incu bator for hard fighting politics
and then he moved into the State
Senate in which he served -four
years.
But the people Of his district
began to think that he could serve
them better at Washington. So In
1907 he made his debut in the
House, and with the exception oi
two years, has been answering roll