Evening star., 1924-04-20
DAY SET FOR VOTE
ON RENT MEASURE
House to Decide on Extension at
4 PM, April %, Rules
Committee Orders,
TWO HOURS FOR DEBATE
Blanton Defends Filibuster-Says
House Is "Bolshevistic."

a proposal to extend the present
| District rent law from May %. 1924.
until May %, 1926, is to be voted upon
in the House week from tomorrow
at pm. according TO a special rule
| ordered by the House rules committee
after a hearing yesterday.
The special rule makes the Lampert
bill to extend the life of the Rem;
Commission until August 1, 1926. the
| special order of business for the next
District day, with a proviso making
it in order to offer an amendment
fathered by Representative James T
Begg of Ohio. which would simply
extend the rent act as now in force
| for two years.
The special rule provides for two
hours debate. one hour in favor of the
kill and one hour in opposition. and
that the bill will then be taken up
| nder the five-ninute rule, at which
time the Begg resolution will be Of
fered as an amendment. The special
rule provides that at 4 O'Clock the
vote shall be taken.
The rent controversy broke loose
| again in the House yesterday after
| oon when Representative Thomas
l.. Bianton, Democrat, of Texas, who
is leading the opposition to the bill,
spoke on it for ten minutes while
the agricultural appropriation bill
was under consideration. Repre-
sentative Blanton discussed the hear.
ing earlier in the day before the rules
m r1it II
member of the House District COM
mittee had appeared in favor of the
Lampert rent commission bill. He
criticized Representative Begg, whom
be said had previously opposed rent
legislation and now took it upon him
self to lead the fight to continue the
Rent Commission.
Defends His Filibuster.
Representative Blanton defended
the flibuster which he had success
fully led in the House last Monday,
pointing out that he had operated
under the rules .of the House which
he described as the tools of the mem
bers just the same as a saw or ham
mer was the tool of carpenter.
Representative Blanton impressed
upon the House that, while no mem
Der of the District committee ap-
peared before the rules committee in
support of rent legislation. four mem
bers appeared in opposition. While
he was attempting to state the posi-
tion of Representative Charles l. I'm
derhill of Massachusetts,, he was inter-
rupted by Chairman Smell OF the rules
committee, who said that he had not
correctly stated the position taken by
Representative Underhill before the rules
committee, which was that, while op-
posed to the legislation, he thought it
should be disposed of by vote in the
House, and not through indirect meth
DDS or dilatory tactics.
When Representative Blanton was
talking Chairman Smell said, II can
hear you if you don't holler." Rep
talking to the people of the whole
United States and not to a little
handful here"
Representative Blanton had refer
red to the rent legislation as bolshe-
yistic. Representative Wefald OF
Wisconsin, FarmerLabor man.
asked Representative Blanton if the
rent bill should be passed if he would
then say that majority of Congress
were bolshevists. Mr.. Blanton re-
piled that he believed the Congress
was becoming too bolshevistic in its
tendencies, and said that Representa-
tive John NJ Nelson of Minnesota, a
member of the rules committee, was
the bolshevistic generalissimo.
Chairman Smell of the rules COM
mittee later occupied about two min
utes in clearing up Representative
Underhill's position as stated before
the rules committee.