The Washington times., 1938-04-06
ROUND BY ROUND.
DESCRIPTION OF.
SENATE BATTLE.
Mcclellan May Face
Contempt Charge
By THEODORE HUNTLEY

II
When one United States Senator
calls another United States Sen
ator a g" low-life.
lying so-and-so," and means it,
What happens next?
With what dramatic critics
would call absorbed interest, If
not with bated breath, Washing
ton and the Seante awaited the
answer to this question today in
the aftermath of the one-sided
battle of epithets which brought
last nights session of the worlds
greatest deliberative body to an
abrupt and profane close,
EXPUNGING LIKELY
Only half Of the language, the
better half, got into the Congress
sional Record. And even that will
have to be expunged if the Sen
ate has any regard (Which Sena-
tor Copeland seemed to think a
bit questionable) for its rules.
1t was Senator Copeland, wear
ing his customary carnation and
striding the Senate floor In digni-
fled indignation, who was called
the names.
It was Senator Mcclellan Of
Tennessee, whose seat on the Sen
ate floor is in the same row and
within 10 feet Of Senator Cope
lands who made 1t a story.
RINGSIDE ACCOUNT
Here's the way it went--an eye
witness account from ringside
seat in the press gallery:
Both battlers were debating the
War Department Appropriation
bill. Senator Copeland was fight
ing for the forty-two-million-d ollar
appropriation added in the Senate
Appropriations Committee for
new ordnance materiel, including
anti-aircraft artillery to make
American cities safe from attacks
by air. Senator Mcclellan, thumb
ing through the hearings printed
the night before to find quota
lions (and a few stray factsl to
be used against it, said some I'm
kind, but permissible, things about
the Senators who had put the
item in the bill-Senator Cope
land among them.
Gong!
ROUND BY ROUND STORY
Round Senator Copeland
led with a remark to the effect
that in all his service in the Sen
ate, no other Senator had ever
said anything so uncalled for as
statements by Senator Mcclellan
aspersing him. Senator Mcclellan
shadow-boxed and retreated to- his
seat.
Round Senator McKellar
rushed from his corner to say
that Senator Copeland had made
a statement which was absolute
ly false and untrue" Senate:
Copeland swung with a right fore
finger in the direction Of the Of
ficial reporter, demanding tlat
the language be taken down. It
was.
Round three-S enator Nc
Kellar, getting redder and redder,
began to mutter. Suddenly spec
tacular language, even for the
Senate, shot out Of both sides OF
his mouth.
COPELAND STAGGERED
It hit Senator Copeland in his
dignity, but failed to floor him.
The round ended when Senator
Lister Hill of Alabama, baby men,
Der of the Senate, acting as ref
cree, ordered all senatorS-Mc-
Kellar included-to take their
seats.
1t didn't stop the flow of abuse
from Tennessee in the direction
of New York. 1t simply made
Senator Mcclellan talk in a lower
tone-but one which could be
heard by half the Senate and the
entire press gallery. -s
Senator Burke of Nebraska,
thick-chested and broad Shout
dered, stood between the pair.
60 way somewhere and cool
off, Copeland tainted.
you're a -" as quoted
above, Mcclellan repeated.
Bulky Bennett Clark Of Missouri
came over. AS the Senate recessed
and Mcclellan started around the
desk after Copeland, the Mis-.
Sourian pinned his arms behind
him and led him. from the
chamber.