The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1906-06-14
NEVER. no m PRESIDENT.

-
NEVER. 10 IN PRESIDENT.
Champ C,sr,, ass..sota,s s..,e.-,.,. r..i
0sFs.G fer Natssaslf 91saers-A soy tsl
Hear HIN Speal4 1
Champ Clark wAnts to be President
Of the United States.
Really. you know. one Of the most
amusing members of the lower House
Of Congress Is without doubt Champ
Clark. Of Missouri, Representative OF
the Ninth Congressional District Of that
State. There aree some men to wtoca
You instinctively give, q title, duojing
them Captain" Major" Colonel" or
,SsH a and e. sve e y you do not call
face your addressing them by Mr."
Now. you don't do this with Champ
Clark. man who knows him rhe
least little bit in the world says "Hello,
Champ" and he is usually greeted with
the same cheerful familiarity on the
part Of the Missouri member
Now. let me tell you. this is not a
familiarity that breeds contempt, not
by q whole Houseful Of Representa-
tives and then some. Champ Clark is
a man to be liked. man. mind
you. A great. big. wholesouled. genera
Ous-hearted. sentimentalistic. braii,v
man who deals in logic with sledse-
hammer blows, talks blank verse.
spouts Latin classics, yanks out Greek
roots, and quotes Homer, Horace, zip
ling, Dryden. Wordsworth. Whittier.
and Bret Harte to you I'm the homeliest
idiOms, with the most absolute "darky"
infection and pronunciation that YOU
ever heard outside OF the plantati On
negro's cabin. While he uses. a. times.
the purest OF English with the most ex-
QuiSite application, and has q COM
mand of language that approaches the
phenomenal. he has no more regard for
grammatical construction Of certain
takes direct cut to anything that he
wants to say. and 'aint" suits him 100
per cent better than aren't" because
he can say it quicker. "Aint" is fav-
orite word with him.
And yet, as been stated. Champ Clark
has an education to be proud of-pup-
lie school, university, college, and end
ing finally in course in the fine Gin
cinnati Law School. 1t isn't that he
"bloomin' can't" speak with perci sion.
but that he "bloomin' won't" you SEE.
There is not extant finer example
OF idiomatic English, quaint compare
son, and vigorous expression than that
found in a speech made by Champ
Clark at the unwilling Of the John j.
ingalls, statue in Statuary Hall. Jar
uary, 1905. Here are parts OF that
speech. read 1t and Judge for yourself.
1t is a fair sample Of all his finer eff
forts.
Address Of Mr.. Clark, Of Missouri.
'In the very heart OF the con-
tinent, lying side by side. are the
magnificent Commonwealths Of Mis-
souri, and Kansas. Neither Northern
nor Southern, neither Eastern nor
States Of the Union. A circle with
Kansas City for its center and with a
radius of 800 miles would contain moro
land OF the richest quality than any
other circle Of equal size on the habit
able globe. Within it's circumference
can be produced all the necessaries and
most OF the luxnrieS of human life.
Cultivated 20 .cientiacally as Belgium
or Holland, Missouri and Kansas could
sustain a population Iequal to that Of
the entire Republic at the present time.
1T is, however, ,hiotun their phenom-
email wealth Of material resources and
possibilities that these two States are
most lavishly blessed, c but in their su-
perb citizenship. II u,
I'm the early day Missourians and
Kansans. inheriting from the fathers al
bitter, irrepressibie, historic quarrel
for which they were in no way respon-
sfble, were at dagger points. and led
the strenuous life.,os Now, acting on
the noble phiiosophy1tha Peace hath
her victories no iess renowned than
war; they are Illustrating the virtues
OF the simple life M - M
''Nissourians and r,Kansans are riy-
ais now. only in gpafriOtisn@4-in intel
lectual, moral. religious. and material
achievement they are leaders in the
Nations triumphal progress. the true
story Of which Is more marvellous than
any tale out Of the Arabian Nights.
1T was a matter Of ineffable pride
with the people west of the Mississippi
that for many years the two most bril-
liant speakers In. the Senate OF the
United States lived on the sunset side
OF the great river-GeOrge Graham
Vest. of Missouri. and John James In
gals, OF Kansas.
They were the opposites OF each
other In almost everything-in nativ-
ity. In lineage. in methods OF thought,
in style OF oratory. and in politics. In
gals boosted that he was a New Eng
land Brahmin.' whatever that may be.
Vest was fine sample Of the Ken
tuckian. caught young enough and
transplanted to the rich alluvial soil Of
Miss Ouri.
Both had classical Quotations Both
delighted in the wisdom Of the ancients
and the mOderns and both reveied in
the poets
"Ingalls's speeches were composed
largely Of aqua FORTS. dyna mite, and
Greek fire; Vests were a mixture oil
vitriOi. sweet oil. rosewater, naphtha,
and gun cotton.
"Danton's motto was: Laudace,
Laudace! Toujours Paudace!' Ingalls,
weapon was Sarcasm! Sarcasm! al
days sarcasm In that regard he ranks
with Tristan Burgess. John Randolph
OF Roanoke. Thaddeus Stevens, and
Thomas Bracket Reed. Vest temper
ed his sarcasm with genial humor
which cured The wound which he had
inflicted.
Each welded the scimiter OF Sa-
ladin rather than the two-handed
broadsword Of Richard Occur de Lion
I'm the strictest acceptation Of the
term. Vest was never popular in Mis-
souri, and ingalls, was never popular in
Kansas. They had q wondrous hold on
the admiration. but not on the affec-
lions. Of their constituents. Thinking
OF Vest, man Is proud to call him
self q Missourian. Thinking of In
gals, another is proud to call himself
a Kansan. Thinking of either Of them,
one Is proud to call himself an Ameri-
can.
Each, through sheer brilliancy of
intellect and soul-stirring eloquence,
aroused intensest enthusiasm amongl