New Britain herald., 1928-01-06
BECK DEFENDS HIS
 SEAT IN CONGRESS Representative Maintains He's
 Resident Of Philadelphia
 ADMITS VOTING IN JERSEY Opposition To Giving Pennsylvania Member Oath On Grounds He Is Not . Resident Of State He Repre-.

Washington, Jan. { (UP)-Ap- bearing before . house elections committee. Rep. James NJ. Beck. rep. Pa.. today defended his right to . seat in the house. which has been challenged on the ground that he is not . resident of Philadelphia. After hearing Beck and Rep. Garrett, Tenn, democratic floor leader who brought the charges. the committee will decide whether to institute an investigation.
 The former solicitor general of the United States, who is attorney for Senator Ware of Pennsylvania in his contest for | senate seat, told the committee he now maintains an apartment in Philadelphia. hts na- tive city, which is occupied from time to time by himself and family and that he has been identified for many years with tho life and activity of the city.
 Garret Opposes Oath
 Garret. charged in the house when he opposed giving Beck the oath of office that the Pennsylvania member only recently acquired the Philadel- phia residence and that he did not live there.
 My chief purpose in renting my Philadelphia apartment" Beck said. Twas not to obtain . seat in con- greas but to reidentify myself with ny native city and commonwealth as . citizen.
 This apartment my family and ' have occupied from time to time and one member almost continuously. Excluding the summer months, am in Philadelphia nearly every week."
 The people Of Philadelphia, he said, recognized his lifelong identi- fication with the city in the over whelming majority they gave him in the election. He cited 1s clubs and organizations of Philadelphia with which he is identified.
 Admits Voting in Jersey
 Beck pointed out that he had vot- ed in New Jersey where he has a summer home, from 1920 to 1924, but that he now Is trying to sell that residence. in which he has spent very little time recently. He stopped voting in New JaSsey in 1924. he said. in order to resume his Philadelphia citizenship.
 Public service of various kinds has kept him from returning to Phila- delphia to live. he explained.
 Thousands of public officials in Washington. he said, live here most of the year but retain their citizen- ship in their home states.
 If denied his seat, he said, he would feel no resentment. recognize ing that the question is not free from difficulty and that Garrett, in bringing the contest, was actuated by no partisan motive"
 Washington, Jan. 6 OP - George Washington and Benjamin Franklin were rallied today to the defense of Representative James NJ. Beck. re- publican. in . statement he filed with q house elections committee denying charges brought by democrats that he was not q resident of Pennsyl- vania Ut the time of his recent elec- ton to congress.
 He said that Washington from the time he was made general of the Revolutionary army to the end of his second presidential term. a per- iod of Is years. was "very rarely at Mount Vernon. but no one would ever question that he was an in- habitant of Virginia" Franklin, he added. was in Paris for 10 years and his citizenship of Pennsylvania was not questioned.
 Born In PennsyIyania
 Beck, . former solicitor general Of