Evening star., 1926-01-21
BLANTON AND REID
MEET UNSCATHED
Texans Threat to Thrash As
soCiate Fails to MateriaIize
Before Session Today.

All was quiet along the Potomac to-
day. when Representative Frank L.
Reid Republican of Illinois. and Rep
resentative Thomas l.. Blanton. Demo
crat of Texas met in the House Dis
trict committee room although the
threat was de by Mr. Blanton last
night at hearing before the .ubcom-
mittee on public utilities that he in
tended to thrash Mr.. Reid today.
Mr. Reid presided in place of Chair
man Zihlran. who was making 4
speech in Frederick. at the hearing
today on the bill to extend the powers
of the District Commissioners. Mr..
Blanton was late in attending the
meeting. When he entered he took
seat at the corner of the table, next
10 Mr.. Reid. who turned to him and
said:
Good morning. Mr.. Blanton."
Mr.. Blanton made no response.
The Texas Representative today is.
sued a statement auIhoritatively MAX
ing plain his side of the row last
night.
The statement said:
Text of Statement.
ignorance concerning public utility
problems upon the excuse that they
haven't time.
chairman Bell admits that the peo-
pie haven't had fair representation
either before his commission or before
the courts. and that when. in 1870. the
commission ordered fares raised to s
cents. the Capital Traction Co. did not
contend for more than the cents
authorized by its charter. Yet the law
required the commission TO compel
public utilities to conform to the duties
imposed by their charters
The Judgment of court reCited three
times that concerning the material
facts the Utilities Commission had
agreed with the corporation and this
is admitted by the corporation counsel,
showing that the people of Washing
ton were practically agreed out OF
court, for the conclusions of the court
were based upon the facts as agreed
to III the record and the peoples side
was not properly presented.
Blanton BIamcs Zihlman.
II happen to know that Chairman
Zihlman helped to kill my bill last
year when I sought to hold companies
to their charter.
When appointing the subcommittee
TO consider this subject. to which !
have given close study, he made him.
self chairman Of it and left me off.
Whom did he expect to make out a
case for the bill that he was aSainst?
Upon my insiStence. he finally put me
on the subcommittee. An impartial
examination of' his actions concerning
this bill as disclosed by the record.
will disclose that he persistently pre-
sents the other side of it
pipbi whom 7 stated that
would show by Congressman Johnson
of Kentucky. former chairman of
the committee. and by the Record
that the entire public utilities law of
IS printed pages was attached to an
appropriation hill AS a rider in the
closing hours of the SiNty-Second Con-
Gress, after Jim Mann had stated that
not a single member had read il, and
after Chairman Johnson had advised
the then Engineer Commissioner that
his committee was against it, Mr.
Bowman insultinCly stated that didn't
interest the committee.
Declares Deck Is stacked"
And instead of trying to assist me
in protecting the rights of the people
of Washington, Mr.. Reid attempted
10 hamper me in every ridiculous
way possible. just as the hearings on
the bill to protect the radio public
from the radio corporations will show
that he sought to hamper there.
When I learned that the cards are
stacked l quit the game. When l
am cold decked' ! don't play on. 1
cannot afford to waste Il month in a
hearing when the best | can hope for
is a vote of ) to 4 against the bin
Il shall not quit my fight for re-
lief for the people of Washington, but
- hof he Il
Continued on Page ), Column 6D