The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1922-04-07
CONGRESSMAN FROM.
TEXAS Is CALLED A
LIAR IN The HOUSE
Is Object of Attack by Repre-
sentative Garner, Dean of
Lone Star State Delegation.
DECLARES HE is A
DISGRACE TO HOUSE
Says He Is a Liability and Dis
tinct Injury to the Demo
cratic Party.
tsv The Associated Press)


WASHINGTON, April 6.-For the
third time within year the house was
thrown into an uproar today, with
Representative Blanton, democrat, of
Texas, the object of attack.
In ten minute speech, Representa-
tive Garner, dean of the Texas dele
cation, declared that Mr.. Blanton was
''as common a liar as ever spoke
word OF English in this country" Mr..
Blanton, however, was not there to
hear the characterization for he left
the chamber at the outset of the YER
bal attack, after shouting that he
would hold the gentleman personally
responsible to me if he calls me a
liar"
Standing six feet away, Mr.. Garner
had held up his hand during the con-
fusion, asking for order and request
ing Mr.. Blanton not to leave. But re-
spending to a clash of the speakers
gavel, sergeants had rushed
in to prevent what appeared to be an
open Break, when Representative
Summers, also of Texas, sitting on the
front row. started toward Mr.. Blan-
ton, shouting, +you know you are .
liar sss4ss
The trouble started while Mr.. Blan-
ton, in denouncing a newspaper re-
port of speech he had made recently
in Texas, declared that members could
not defend 'these measley items of,
petty graft" referring to mileage and
the funds allotted each session to
members for stationery and supplies.
Mr.. BIanton reiterated what he said
in the house in January, when armed
with a bag of articles from the sta
tionery store, he produced a whiskey
flask. Mr.. Garner, objecting to- this
line Of argument, insisted the impress
sion Mr.. Blanton intended to convey,
was that members got these things at
tax payers expense. II
Starting out with the statement that
the world Is full of 'tall kinds of liars,
are artistic liar, the inartistic liar and
the common ordinary liar" Garner, his
face flushed, declared that the man
he had in mind would destroy his own
family in order to accumulate wealth
or to place himself forward from po-
litical standpoint" And then speaking
as he said, for the Texas delegation,
he shouted 1--WE hang our heads in
shame and humiliation when Blanton
of Texas is referred to as our col
Ieaguer He spoke, too, he added, for
the entire democratic party when he
declared that 1--WE look upon him as a
liability and a distinct injury to our
party"
# could only suspend the rules of
the house." Mr.. Garner said, as he
moved toward his seat, Il would say
what is in your hearts, that if the
rules did not prevent would say what
430 members believe at this moment
that Thomas Blanton Of Texas is dis
grace to the house Of representatives
and ought to be kicked out"
After Representative Mondell of
the republican leader, had
made a general reply to Blanton's
charges as to 'petty graft" with the
that he could count on the
fingers of one hand the number of
house members who would stoop to
graft, petty or otherwise" the excite
ment subsided.
A moment later Mr.. Blanton re-
turned TO mis- seat, ana Wltn1n ten
minutes was making points of order on
the $4,000, 600 bill carrying appropria-
tions for the departments Of justice
and state.
One of the reasons, as explained, for
Mr.. Garner's speech: was the charge
that Mr.. Blanton in publishing the
menu at the house restaurant had
omitted the prices 'in the hope of
making it appear that the govern
ment paid for a congressman's food"
AS to the whiskey flash, Represen-
tative Barkley. democrat, Kentucky,
said the stationery room record showed
It had been ordered from Philadelphia
at Blantons request, and that the lat
ter had paid for it out of his own
pocket.