Evening star., 1934-04-24
PENSION PASSAGE
APPEARS UNLIKELY.
BIanton Threatens to Fill.
buster Bill to Death
at Session.

Passage Of the Norton old-age
pension bill for the District at the
current session Of Congress appeared
unlikely today as result of threat
Of Representative Blanton, Democrat.
Of Texas, to filibuster it to death.
Blanton, aided by Representative
Taber, Republican. of New York Sue
ceeded yesterday in preventing House
action on the measure, which can
not be reconsidered now until the next
District day. three weeks, hence. That
probably will be the last District day
of the session.
Uses Many Tactics.
Blanton, In his determination to
prevent House approval of the bill,
resorted to all of the parliamentary
tactics at his diSposal-he raised
points Of order, caused several quorum
calls and insisted on unlimited debate
instead of an hour of debate requested
by Chairman Norton of the House
District Committee.
Mrs. Norton explained to the House
that Blanton's reason for opposing the
measure was due to the fact Texas
had no old-age pension law and he
didn't want the District to have one
because 1t would be embarrassing to
him at the approaching primary.
But. said Blanton: II made no
such statement. never have been
afraid of votes back home since I
have been a member of Congress. If
this Congress is in session when my
primary comes up you will find me
still here. very busy, and working hard
on this floor, 1000 miles away"
Several times Blanton aroused Mrs.
Norton's ire and she appealed to the
House to help her end the filibuster.
To-day" she declared, Il think we
have been subjected to the most un-
fair treatment that has ever been
witnessed in this House and I appeal
to the membership to sustain the
committee on the District of Columbia
and to give this bill a chance to be
voted up or down upon its merits"
Opposes P. w. A. Loan.
Blanton, however, continued his
filibuster, and in the course of an
hours speech. not only reiterated his
intention to fight it to the end be-
cause it is bad legislation" but de-
clared he proposed to offer to just as
vigorous resistance to the plans of the
District Commissioners to borrow
S20.000,000 from the Public Works
Administration for needed public
improvement. And, he added, II will
never permit the District to borrow
money to waste on the municipal
center"
Mrs. Norton told the House the bill
Is Of primary Importance to the Dis
trict. In % States of the Union at
the present time" she said. there
is similar bill, and in every State
which We have investigated we have
found that it costs less to keep the
people in their own homes and give
them this so-called pension than it
does to send them to institutions.
This bill merely provides s35 a
month in order to keep these people
in their own homes"
Blantor, however, declared there
are fewer INDECENT persons in the Dis
trict than anywhere else IN the
world"
Join In Defense.
Representatives Black of New York
and Palmisano of Maryland, both
Democratic members of the District
Committee, Joined Mrs. Norton in de-
fense of the bill
"It is true. probably" Black said,
"that the national old-age pension bill
should have come before this one as
far as some members are concerned,
but it Is no fault of the aged of the
District and it is no fault of the tax
payers of the District that they have
to get their legislation from the Con-
gress and that Congressman come
from States which have no old-age
pension systems. However, the fact
that Texas does not have an old-age-
pension system should not keep the
Congress, because 1t has Congressman
from the State of Texas, from legis-
lating along advanced sociological
lines for the good of the District Of
Columbia"