Evening star., 1936-06-18
BLANTON CENSURE
FAILS IN HOUSE
0NPO|NT OF ORDER
Resolution Charging "Integ-
rity Violation" of Law
7 makers Is Ruled Out.
TEXAN LEADS IN MOVE
T0DELAY CONSIDERATION
Keller Proposal Lost When Fuller
Says Representative Exercised
Gown Judgment"
BY JAMES E, CHINN.

D1 JANIEo Z. SHANN.
A privileged resolution calling on the
House to cenSure Representative Blan-
ton, Democrat, of Texas for sending
a questionable on religious, political
and economic beliefs of WaShington's
5000 public school teachers was killed
today on point of order raised by
Representative Fuller, Democrat, of
Arkansas.
The resolution had been introduced
about As minutes before by Repre-
sentative Keller, Democrat, of Illinois.
The resolution declared that Blan-
tons action in sending questionnaires
to the school teachers had lessened the
dignity and violated the integrity of
the House. Immediate consideration
of the resolution was blocked Tempo
rarily by Blanton himself, who raised
a point of no quorum, forcing a roll
call of the House.
Blant0n Threatened Action.
Immediately after the roll call Blan-
ton threatened to make a point OF
order against the resolution on the
ground that it did not have a privi-
legged status. but said he would not
force the point of order because he
wanted to hear what Keller had to
say and he wanted to make a state
ment himself
Fuller, however, made the point
OF order and pointed out that the
resolution did not reflect on the in
tegrity of the House because Blanton
had exercised his own judgment as
chairman of the Subcommittee on
Appropriations in sending out the
Questionnaires.
Speaker Bankhead, after citing the
various questions of privileges under
House rules, ruled that the resolu-
ton was subject to a point of order
and thereby killed it. Many mem
bers of the House applauded his
decision.
Personal Privilege.
Blanton then rose to a question of
personal privilege, claiming the last
four clauses in the resolution contained
allegations that reflected on his stand
ing as member of the House. The
Speaker this time held Blanton's argu-
ment did not constitute a question of
personal privilege, thereby denying him
an opportunity to discuss the uues-
tionnaire,
Blanton, however, said he would in
clude the remarks he intended to make
on the QUESTIONABLE in the appendix
of the Congressional Record and de-
clared:
Il want you gentlemen to read what
] put into the Record"
The Keller resolution contained
copy of the QUESTIONABLE and pointed
out that Blanton had sent it to the
teachers in a franked envelope re-
quiring no postage, tog6her with an
other franked envelope for return of
the information. 1t also specifically
called attention to the language of the
Introduction to the QUESTIONABLE
which read "To obviate a hearing
and to save you the time and in
convenience of coming before us in
person, I request that you kindly give
us the following information.
"VeiIed Threat" Charged.
The resolution declared that such
language constituted a veiled threat
that failure to answer the question:
naire would result in the issuance of
a subpoena hauling the teacher be-
fore the subcommittee handling the
District appropriation bill"
The resolution then reads:
Whereas, The subcommittee does
not have authority to force the at
tendance of anybody at a hearing;
and
Whereas, There has been no con-
gressional action giving this subcom-
mittee that power; and
Whereas, The action of the gentle
man from Texas, Mr. Blanton, in di-
recting this letter to the teachers in
the aforementioned manner might
lead some to believe that the subcom-
mittee and the House of Representa-
tives were joining with the gentleman
from Texas, Mr.. Blanton, in demand
ing this information in this threaten
ing manner; and
whereas, the spread of this belief
might tend to greatly lessen the dig
nifty of the House of Representatives
and violate the integrity of this House
by assuming an authority which had
not been delegated to him;
Therefore. be it resolved, That the
House deplores the action of the gen.
telman from Texas, Mr.. Blanton,
which was not authorized by the
House of Representatives nor by any
competent agency thereof, and that
his action shall not be construed as
being an act authorized by the House
of Representatives nor any competent
agency thereof"
George E. Sullivan, chairman of