Douglas daily dispatch., 1928-01-24
.HEFL|N MAKES
BITTER ATTACK.
ON Al SMITH.
For Two Hours .AIabaman
Belabors Candidacy OF
New York Governor
PAPERS RAPED
Warns That No Catholic
Must Be Permitted To
Sit In White House

WASHINGTON Jan. % Ex-senator
Heflin of Alabama, delivered to the
senate and its crowded galleries today
and the Catholic church, and con-.
cluded by daring his democratic COL
leagues to rebuke MIN.
For two hours and twenty minutes,
with roaring voice and characteristic
gesture, ne tramped backward and
forward along an aisle which other
senators had voluntarily cleared for
him, repeating his warnings that no
Catholic must ever be permitted to sit
in the White House and broadening his
range of fire to encompass newspapers
in his own and other states, Mayor
Gunter of Montgomery, and other citi-
zerls of Alabama, and finally the s'vll-
lain" newspaper correspondents who
report his speeches from the press gal
leries.
But he did not strike one note Of
conciliation. While laughter swept the
chamber and galleries he declared ne
was only speaking in fun the other
day when he told his party leader,
Robinson of Arkansas, that if he went
to Alabama and repeated his speech
on religious tolerance, the people Of
that state would tar and feather him.
He had spoken in the heat of debate,
he said, and hadn't meant it.
The Alabama senator repeated his
previous assertions that threats had
been made against his life and said ne
had singled out 81 men throughout the
country to carry on his crusade if he
should be removed.
Mindful, apparently, of the confer
ence of democratic senators which last
week overwhelmingly voted confidence
in Senator Robinson after the party
leader had rebuked him for his speech
es on the religious issue, Heflin con-
cluded by challenging the democratic
organization itself to administer a re-
buke to, him.
"Call conference and have a roll
call on that" he shouted. II chal-
lenge you.'
Senator Heflin seemed particularly
displeased that the newspaper corre-
spondents had printed his assertion
that Robinson might be tarred and
feathered in Alabama. He explained
that many things are said in the heat
of debate that senator would not
say at any other time, adding that ne
intended s'to strike that remark from
my speech" before it's appearance in
the Congressional Record.
"Of course, they won't tar and
feather Senator Robinson if he goes
to Alabama he said, "and if I, were
down there I would not let them do
it. I hope the senator does go to
Montgomery and make a speech. /
will go with him and we can have a
Joint debate there and in Arkansas so
that our constituents can hear both
sides of this question"
Foregoing his lunch SO he might get
the floor at the conclusion of two
hour address by Senator Swanson OF
Virginia, on the question of whether
the negro IN the south is disfranchised,
Senator Heflin lost his opportunity
when Senator Bruce of Maryland OBJ
tanned recognition and refused to yield.
The Marylander held the floor for
more than an hour and when Helm
finally obtained it he assailed both
Bruce and Senator Steiwer OF Oregon,
who was presiding when the Maryland
senator was recognized. SteiWer re-
| tOrted to Heflln that he was asleep
| when Swanson concluded and could
| blame only himself.
! Vice President Dawes, who had re-
sumed the chair meantime, got into
| the discussion by saying that Steiwer
was right in recognizing Bruce, but
| Heflin disputed this, saying it had
been the universal custom for the chair
to recognize a senator who had given
notice that he would speak at a Ger
| tain time.
Senaor Simmons of North Carolina
supported Heflin on that point, but
Senator Norris of Nebraska took issue.
The crowds enjoyed this running fire
apparently and were all set for a merry
warfare when the Alabama senator
finally launched into his address.
Continued on Page Ten)