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The Commoner
APRIL, '1914
21
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Canal Tolls Debate in the House
CHAMP CLARK'S SPEECH
(Continued from page 11.)
The democratic leaders of this
house led in the long, bitter and suc
cessful fight in the sixty-first con
gress which elected a democratic
house in 1910 and set in motion the
forces which put a democratic presi
dent in the White House, gave us a
democratic senate and a democratic
majority of 144 in this house. It is
a proud record, and yet the New
York World has the gall to charge
that those same leaders are trying
to split the democracy. I can stand
here now and point out 50 or 60 men
;who would never have sat within
these historic walls had not the
democrats and insurgents made that
fight in the sixty-first congress.
. DENOUNCED AS SLANDER
Farther along in the aforesaid
World article occurs this" passage:
"The ship subsidyists are seeking
to spring a great' surprise when the
vote is taken. When debate upon
the repeal is finally opened on the
floor they hope to uncover one trump
card that will turn the tide of de
feat. "This trump card is to be Speaker
Champ Clark. Thus far Mr. Clark
has carefuily avoided stating his
position on the question. The World
correspondent learned today that Mr.
Clark is wavering against repeal. He
did not vote when the bill was
parsed originally, and therefore he
has none of the fears of changing
his vote that appear to be uppermost
in the minds of many democratic
politicians.
fmi -.li .itnt1n 44-siArt4M Yinnn
Hit? tiUip BUUBlUy IUICICDIB uCO
to get Mr. Clark to make a thunder
ing 'speech against repeal. ,If he can
be. induced to come out and" announce
that he is in favor of 'nailing the
Stars and Stripes to the canal,' as
one anti-repeal man expressed it to
day, some members believe many
votes may be changed.
"With Mr. Clark, Mr. Underwood,
Mr. Fitzgerald and Mr. Kitchen urg
ing their followers to oppose the bill,
it is conceded that a most remark
able spectacle will be staged .upon
the floor of the house."
That is another base and false in
sinuation. If any man here believes
that slander, let him stand up here
and now, so that he may be seen by
these hundreds of witnesses.
In another World article those of
us who stand for American rights as
against British domination are as
sailed for "bolting the president."
Merciful God! What an idiotic
phrase! I have heard of men bolt
ing platforms and of bolting nomi
nees, but whoever heard of anybody
bolting a man in office?
We are denounced by the pluto
cratic World as bolters because we
stand by the platform, which surely
is an astounding way to bolt.
I refuse absolutely to have my
democracy measured by the weather
cock World.
DEMOCRATIC ALL HIS LIFE
I have been a democrat all my
life. . I expect to die in that jCaith.
I "never bolted a democratic nominee
or platform in my life. When I was
a boy down in the Kentucky hills,
there was prevalent a disease called
"intermittent fever" that is, the
fever came up every other day. The
plutocratic World is an "intermittent
democrat."
; The World's insinuation that I
am influenced by ship subsidies is too
contemptible for consideration.
Everybody, including the World,
knows that from my first entrance
here I have fought all ship subsidy
propositions tooth and nail. On one
occasion J led. .th. fight which de
feated a ship-subsidy proposition by
one vote.
Not satisfied with the foregoing
slanders, it attributes the fact that
I am standing on the Baltimore plat
form to the f.act that I have not for
gotten the Baltimoro convention.
How can - I forget a performance
which nobody else In America seems
able to forget,' including the' NeW
York World? It, along with every
editor in America who Tiopes to be
ambassador, minister plenipotentiary
consul general, or to hold some other
fat and juicy job, has been endeavor
ing to place mo in antagonism to the
president oven slnco the election.
Theso papers declaro that I am op-'
posing this surrender to Great
Britain as an opening gun in my cam- j
pa'gn for president in 191G. It may'
surprise these obsequious courtiers
to know that I never hinted to any '
human being that I would be a presi- j
dential candidate in 1916;, and that
I am not a' candidate. Consequently
their slander has been a gratuitous
mental degradation.
It will surprise these limber
backed incense swingers still more
to know what I have uniformly told
those who have suggested my candi
dacy in 1916, and it is this: 'If
President Wilson makes a success of
his administration he will be re
nominated and re-elected in 1916;
but If he makes a failure, which God
forbid! the nomination will not be
worth having.'
ENTERTAINS NO ILL-WILL
I never entertained the slightest
ill-will toward the president about
the Baltimore convention. I wish
Tiim well. I did all I could to elect
him, far more than some of those
who so vociferously and fulsomely
praise him now and for wliom deep
down in his heart he must entertain
supreme contempt. I have steadfast
ly supported him until we are called
upon to bolt the platform. I abso
lutely refuse to do any such thing.
One more word on this head: I
do not believe that the fact that I
lead on twenty-nine ballots at Balti
more, receiving a clear majority on
nine, and that I got a majority of
over 300,000 over the president In
primary elections where he and I
competed, precludes me from dis
charging my duty or exercising my
rights as a representative in congress
and as speaker of the house to stand
up for America against Great Britain.
Finally, the New York World says
that I am to be defeated for speaker
as punishment for "bolting the presi
dent." So be it. The World tried
to beat me for re-election to the
speakership; but nevertheless I re
ceived every vote in the democratic
caucus. At that rate I would be
older than Methuselah before it will
defeat me.
The New York Sun practically
nominates th,e gentleman from Ken
tucky (Mr. Sherley) for speaker.
Here is its exact language: "Reports
have it that already the. 'little lead
era'
Now, I resent for. my distin
guished friends-the title of.. 'little
leaders' r they, are big-bore leaders;
but the Sun says:
"Reports have it that already the
'little leaders' have decided that
Representative Carter- Glass of Vir
ginia would be a good man for floor
leader, and that Representative
Swager Sherley of Kentucky would
make an ideal speaker."
Kentucky has furnished many
speakers among them the greatest
of them all, Henry Clay, 'Harry of
the West,' 'the Millboy of the
Slashes,' who through his long career
pf mingled victory a,nd defeat was
followed by a great multitude of
Americans who loved him with tho
intonslty and enthusiasm of tho old
guard for Napoleon.
It has been often wondered why
this marvelous man was elected
speaker on his first day of service in
the house. Some months ago I
searched it out. For . ycarB the
British had been committing gross
outrages upon our ships and seamen,
and tho American people rose in pro
test against it. Tho administration
was not disposed to force redress, j
do in xoxi xienry vjiay, in me prune
of his splendid powers, came over
the mountains loudly demanding that
the wrongs and outrages on our ship-'
ping and our sailors bo redressed.
Tho people were with him, the house
was with him and he was triumphant
ly elected. Ho is one of the im-!
mortals.
I have this to say: The fact tha
I am making this fight for our plat
form pledges may end my public
career. There are many things worse
than being defeated for congress or
defeated for the speakership or even
worse than to bo defeated for the
presidency, and one of them Is to
repudiate the platform on which you
are 'elected. j
NOT NECESSARY TO HAPPINESS
I can be happy without tho presi
dency. I can bo happy without the
speakership. The happiest hours of
my congressional life were spent on
the floor of tho house engaging free
ly in tho parliamentary struggles,
great and small, which rage In this
largo and energetic body. If my con
stituents who have stood by me wjth
unshaken fidelity should retire me
to private life, I can still he happy
in the love and affection of my wife
and children, in my books and in
cultivating flowers and trees.
One thing dead sure, when I do
go out of public life, whether next
year or twenty years hence, it will be
with my Integrity unimpaired and
my self-respect intact. I will not
leave my children much property,
but I will leave them the rich. legacy
of a, good name, wHich King Solomon
says is more precious than rubles.
Why have the plutocratic World
and others of its kind made these
false statements, these base insinu
ations, theso ugly threats? To bully
and browbeat me into helping to do
an un-Amorican thing an utterly
unjustifiable thing a thing which
will excite the scorn and derision of
the civilized world. It cannot be
done. I' have sense enough to know
ray duty, and courage enough to do
it as becomes a members of this
house and the speaker thereof.
I have no criticism to make on
the democrats who are going to vote
for repeal. I have co-operated with
them so long, we have lost and won
together so often, that it is "with
genuine sorrow that I cannot see as
they see. I entertain a genuine af
fection for the members of this
house. Some of them have said
things about me which they will re
gret when their fever cools down,
but I pass them by. Tho gentleman
from Texas (Mr. Henry) and the
gentleman from Kentucky (Mr.
Sherley) became extremely heated
because I exercised the right which
they reserve to themselves; that is,
of voting as it seemed to me was
right.
NO CRITICISM FOR OPPONENTS
I have no word of criticism for
mjrxlemocratic friends who are going
to vote for the repeal. We have
worked together too long; we have
fought shoulder to shoulder, heart
to heart, too often; we have mourned
together in defeat for sixteen years,
but never were disheartened; we
have rejoiced together in our vic
tories duripg.tbe last f ouiyears andj
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