Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-09-05
House Delays
Work on Draft,
Upset by Fight
Bills Buckers Revise
Estimate of Passage
Margin Downward
BY the Associated Press.

by the Assoclated PreSs.
With the spectacle of a fist fight
on the floor to testify to the short
ness of some tempers. the House
today delayed temporarily the start
of its final drive for a decision on
the Burke WadSWorth compulsory
military training bill.
Two days of general debate over,
the chamber was to consider the
measure, section by section, and to
act on the scores of pending amend
ments as soon as a conference report
on the $3.50, 000, 900 defense appro-
priations bill was disposed of. The
vote on CONSUMPTION was expected
tomorrow night or Saturday.
Sponsors OF the bill, rechecking
their strength, made sharp down.
ward revisions in earlier predictions
that it would pass by $50 votes. Al
though still insisting it would not
be defeated, they said they now
expected the bills margin would be
from so to rs votes.
The tense feelings engendered by
the CONSUMPTION debate burst out
into the open last night when the
epithet traitor" was spoken and
the House beheld Representative
Vincent, Democrat, of Kentucky
and Representative Sweeney, DEM
ocrat, of Ohio, throwing punches at
each other in the well of the cham
Der while the galleries looked on.
The fight followed a speech by
Representative Sweeney, in which
he assailed CONSUMPTION and &C
cused President Roosevelt of seeking
to embroil the United States in war.
In the course of the speech, Mr..
Sweeney, who is SIS, mentioned that
the slogan during Woodrow wilson's
1916 campaign was: He kept us
out of war"
And the people believed it," he
said, land they returned that in
dividual to the White House.
Then they were brought to their
senses five months later when he
put us into war"
Representative Sweeney returned
to a seat besides Representative
Vincent, five years his junior, and
abruptly the fare-up occurred.
Each Representative landed hard
blows to the face and kept slugging
until colleagues interviewed. One
grappled with the stocky Sweeney
and rolled over a seat with him be-
fore he pinned him down.
Withdraws Traitor" Charge.
q tiua
quently apologized to the House.
Representative Vincent at first re-
peated his charge of traitor
but later withdrew it at the per-
suasion of friends. Each gave the
House his version of the alterca-
ton.
Representative Sweeney's ac-
count:
'As resumed my seat, the gen.
tleman with whom I had difficulties
called me a traitor. He repeated
it again and you know what hap
pened."
Representative Vincent's account:
Il served in the World War. -"
To say that my President of that
time brought on that war to me
was an untruth. The whole state
ment that the gentleman made here
I resented very much.
when he came down to sit with
me, got up and moved. and I shall
continue to move as long as I am
member of the Congress of the
United States and he is a member
of Congress.
81 said I did not want to sit by
traitor to my country. Then he
attacked me, and you know what
happened"
Shouts of Throw Him Out"
When Representative Vincent con-
cluded there were some cheers, but
more boos and Kisses and loud shouts
of throw him out" Representative
Vincent retracted the traitor"
charge a few minutes later and it
was stricken from the record, despite
objections
The House debate last night lasted
almost until midnight, with con-
scription alternately praised and de-
nounced.
Discussing the outlook for the bills
passage, one Democratic strategist,
who spoke optimistically last week
of 2-to-1 victory by $50 votes. TOLD
reporters that the may" votes in
both parties apparently were going
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