Dispute over Items in Rayburn Library

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BONHAM, Texas - Some congressmen say legendary House Speaker Sam Rayburn "confiscated" a few items from his power days in Washington and put them on display in this small community just a stone's throw from the Oklahoma state line.

That doesn't sit well with folks who believe the controversy isn't a legitimate issue and insults the late Mr. Rayburn.

At issue are a handful of memorabilia items shipped here by Mr. Rayburn in 1957, when the library and museum bearing his name was opened. He died in 1961.

Congressional officials - for the record, anyway - aren't claiming that the items were stolen by Mr. Rayburn or his henchmen. They only say that the …