Evening star., 1925-07-19
BLANTON DEMANDS
/ SHERRILL HEARING
Challenges Director to De-
fend "CzaristiC Regime"
Instead of Hollow Laugh"


statement which is virtually a gesture
and hollow laugh" said Representa-
tive Blanton last night after reading
Col. Sherrill's curt comment upon the
27-page pamphlet Representative Blan-
ton compiled and made public yes
terday in exposure of Col. SherrilIs
'czariStiC regime"
He says I am misinformed," con-
tinued Mr.. Blanton. Isn't 1t possi-
BILE that he is the one who is misin-
formed? And SO I challenge him TO
hold a hearing, and if he will allow
me to swear and examine l2 wit
nesses l am willing to leave the de-
cision to the judgment of three rep
resentatives of Washington news
papers"
Attacks Engineer Corps.
Declaring that he intends ito wage
determined fight to force the Gov
ernment out of private business,
Representative Blanton quotes the
Democratic party. the Republican
party, President Coolidge and Secre-
tary Hoover in support of such a
policy and then attacks the Engineer
Corps of the Army for accommodating
$50.000,0O0 worth of construction
equipment wasting millions hiring
day laborers and constantly enlarging
and pushing into the field of private
endeavor" He cites the big engineer
ing p ojects done by commissions of
whicl Col. Sheriff. was executive and
distressing officer, and expresses a
susT-v.ion that much of the S14,750, 900
for t1e Arlington Memorial Bridge lis
10 be wasted" On this subject he
said:
Concerning the Sl4,750, 900 Airing
ton Memorial Bridge which is to span
the Potomac from the District of Co
lumbia to the State of Virginia. II
any one worked harder for this meas
ure than the Virginia Representative
into whose district IL is to be built,
1t was you, and you were finally sue
cessful and able to overcome the fight
I made against it for three years.
This should have been called The
Sheriff. Bill" When it was pushed
through in the closing days of Con-
gress with practically no debate l
then called attention to the elaborate,
expensive propaganda booklets that
were opportunely distributed to each
member on the floor. I would like to
know just how much they cost and
who paid for it?
AssaiIs Bridge Work.
IF your Army Corps of Engineers
are SO economical. why didn't you
have them build this bridge? Why
did you take it away from them?
How does your Government equip
ment compare with their $50 900 900
construction facilities? You did pro-
vide in the act that when you deemed
their services necessary the president
could detail such of said engineers as
were considered necessary. And this
peculiar act further provides that you
are hereby authorized to employ the
services of such engineers, architects,
sculptors, artists and other personnel
as shall be determined to be necessary
without reference to civil service
requirements.
tWhy employ private engineers at
big salaries when we already have our
big Army Corps of Engineers on the
pay roll with $50 0.000,0 900 construction
facilities? With reference to the Nir-
ginia, shore this act provided that you
were only authorized TO buy ap-
proaches. Yet the press reports tnaI
YOU have already contracted Tor
body of land on the virginia slue
which YOU intend to make into park
Neither our Constitution nor our
statute laws have ever contemplated
that the District of Columbia shouid
be further extended over into Vir-
ginia. Yet the press reports that
within the past week you nave olleu
with Virginia and Maryland repre-
sentatives discussing further plans OF
extension at;
s14 75O, 600 is to be wasted in huge
salaries to engineers, architects
sculptors and artists, and IN the IN
different service most day laporers
render when they are being pald with
Government money. When renefn-
her that the magnificent franclS
scott Kew Bridge was finally finished
at total cost of 81, $50 900, am won
dering Just how all of this Sl4,foU'o0o
is to be spent. Congress already mace
81 preliminary appropriation OF Szo'ooo
several years ago Tor plans.
Promises MANS Fight"
Promising a mans fight in the
coming Congress to retain the Whlte
bathing beach in its present location,
Representative Blanton said:
'iBy the act of June 20, 1922, Con-
press appropriated $4,000 to con-
struct a bathing beach for the col
ored people. 1t did not direct you
where to put it. And you spent S14'-
819 attempting TO put II IN the same
Tidal Basin pool with the white peo-
Dle's and YOU asked Congress to give
Won an additional $4,000, which 1t did
in the deficiency act of December D,
1924 not knowing OF your plan 10
thus mix up the two races. When l
remember that during your work on
this colored bathing beach you did
not remove any Oh Illc tlCSot
but merely boxed them up to prevent
injury by the workers, and let them
continue TO grow In the ground right
where they were, | cannot escape the
conclusion that you expected Con-
gress to stop you. And Congress dld
stop you, and gave you TO understand
that it did not want a coiored bathing
beach in the same pool with the white
bathing beach. and in the contro-
tha chairman nf
the appropriations committee sue
ceeded in passing an item of $4,000
to remove both beaches. Notwith
standing the fact that you have until
June 30. 1926 to remove the white
bathing beach, and members OF the
legislative District committee have
assured you that they will push iegis-
lation to retain the white beach where
1t is and to authorized you to build
en- adequate colored beach wholly
commensurate with the white one in
every detail somewhere else, you are
threatening in the press to remove 1t
at once and thus waste almost $780,
600 the Government has spent on
same, and you are proposing to ask
Congress for 100000 more to build
new beaches somewhere else. That
IS not Coolidge economy, and | prom
3se you a mans fight against your
plans"
In substantiation Of his claims that
special consideration was shown by
the park police under Gel. Sheriff. to
his brother Army and Navy officers,
Representative Blanton quotes a num-
Der e.: Specific cases. He also includes
In his pamphlet affidavits of two park
policemen, both of whom served hon
orably in the Navy. One of these dis
cusses the K. K. K.-Cathohc friction
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