The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1897-04-10
CHAMP CLARK'S SPEECH
His Closing Speech on the
Dingley Bill.
DECLARES lOR FREE TRADE.
A Characteristic Assault OF the Mis-
SOaiIan ON High Protection.

WASHINGTON, April 4. There is ;
brisk demand for Champ Clark's con
cluIng speech on the tariff bill. II i,
regarded as classic by the tariff
refurmrrs. Fifteen letters from Mis-
somri democrats asking for copies o
the speech were received at the ST
Louis Republic bureau yesterday AN,
today. As Mr. Clark had bul five min
ules 10 express him- his SPEECH wa
necessarily brief, but 1t is. we'll wort
printing. Here II is:
"Mr. Chairman: After nine days o
sore travail, at least one truth has beer
brought forth on the republican side OI
Il is house, and that by l.inney of Nortf
Carolina, when he said that / woul,
destroy every custom house in America
He is entirely correct. III ! had my
wav today | would tear them all dowT
from turret TO foundation stone, fol
from the beginning they have been moth
ing bnt dcns of robbers. am not il
favor of free whisky rs is the gentle
man; neither have | any sympathy fol
the mOonshiners in his district who
shoot down the revenue officers in the
legitimate discharge of their duty a
though they were so many dogs.
81 repeat, so that all men may hear,
that | am a free trader, and proudly
take my stand with Sir Robert Peel,
Richard Golden, John Bright and
Henry George. may be an humble
member of that illnstrious company, bul
1t Is better To be Il dOorkeeper IN the
house of honest free traders than tC
dwell in the tents of wicked projections
lists.
ssCheap clothing is preferable tC
cheap whisky. l observe, however,
that one of the things included in the
deceptive scheme OF reciprocity con.
tanned in this bill is whisky. So, when
ever President Mckinley concludes thai
the governor of North Carolina was
right when he remarked on a certain
historic occasion to the governor oi
South Carolina, 'lt's a long time be-
tween drinks he can make trade and
secure free whisky for thirsty republi
cans. My entire plan for raising money
enough TO run the government, eco
nomically administered which is the
old Jeffersonian measure of taxation, i:
Q) TO levy interal revenue ON all proper
subjects-high on luxuries, low or moi
at all on necessaries; (2) to so amend
the constitution that = fair and equit'
able direct tax can be levied, and pas:
law in pursuance thereof which would
cause the people 10 closely scrutinizt
their tax lists and would prevent jobs
and stealing here; (3) to levy grad
uated income tax, which would force
the aggregated wealth of the country
to bear its just proportions OF the pub
lie burdens. Sooner or later thl:
scheme will be accepted as the settled
policy of the country. Then prosper
ity will come with healing in its wings
eff Charles Dickens of blessed mem
Ory could revisit the pale glimpses oI
the moon long enough to take cogniz.
ance of what is going on in this cham
ber, he would revise Oliver Twist by
striking out the name john Dawkins a:
the artful dodger' and by substituting
in lieu thereof the names of the repub
lican members of the Ways and Mean:
committee IN this house.
"Whenever any attempt is made to
abolish trusts you republicans squlrm
like skinned cells in hot skillet and
resort TO every parliamentary trick evel
devised to protect them from oul
assaults. Clearly you defend the trusts
on the principle that 'the OK knoweth
his owner and the ass his masters crib.
A beastly majority in 1896, secured by
means forbidden in morals and dan
gerous TO our institutions, hath made
you republicans mad. But you will be
brought 10 your senses when the people
again get a shot ut you in the year ol
our Lord and Master, 1898. Then yoU
will be in the condition of the man out
of whom the devil was cast, and afteI
his soul was swept and garnished the
devil returned, bringing with him seven
other devils. The Bible says that the
last state of that man was worse than
the first.
"By the eye of faith can see a mil.
lion bicyc!ers, with pneumatic tires,
riding down protection liars because
you are putting up the price of bicycles
30 per cent. The women of the land,
God bless them, will make their hus
bands, sons, brothers and sweeihearts
vote against you because under The
DIngley bill they can only have one
dress, where they had two under The
Wilson German bill.
s'Seven million farmers will dig you
up with their hoes, plow you up with
their plows, beat you with their mauls,
hackle you with their harrOws, hammer
yIu with their sledges, rake you with
their curry combs, pnlyerize yon with
their disks, cut you down with their
axes, split you 10 pieces with heir froes,
ride you on their barbed wire fences,
toss you with their pilchforks, smite
you with their pile drivers, grind you
through their sausage mills, NOW you
down with their reapers, bind you up
in great bundles, run you through theiI
thrashing machines and scatter you as
worthless chaff because you aIe raising
the price of all farming implements by
40 per cent.
''Every patient forced TO endure G
surgical operation will lOathe you be-
cause you have increased the tax on
anaesthetics. Every lover of learning
will detest you because you have laid
n prohibitIve tariff on books, thereby
shutting the gates of knowledge so far