The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-02-14
CHAMP CLARK ON ROOSEVELT Tells All About the
 President. REGULAR FIGHTING EXECUTIVE lis Comments Provoked Much Laughter and Applause. He says Reoseveit Is Not a Democrat Despit. The Fact That He stole
 Part Of Democratic
 Platform.
REGULAR FIGHTING EXECUTIVE

Champ Clark of Missouri occupied the attention of the House of Representa- tiyes today for over an hour. in an ao- dress upon the Presidents recent spe- cial message to Congress, the nnanclal disturbance of last fall. and the tarin question. It was q characteIlstiG .a.A and aroused the interest Of the House to a high degree ~
 In opening, Mir. Clark asserted that a reasonable view should be taken m matters touching the President, but that 1t had not been done as rule.
 "He is such beIligerent personage: he declared, that his lightest word IS challenge to combat
 The President, he said, could not ex- press his views upon any question un- der heaven, ''even on such subJect so prosaic and threadbare as the pro- spective state of the weather, without precipitating a row. his extreme adne- rents swearing that there never had been such weather prophet on earth since Adam and Eve were driven from fine Garden of Eden with !. flaming swords from Paradise. and his extreme enemies voctferating that he knows no more about the weather than does ground hog" The Presiaenss Wnole public life, said Mir. Clark, had been one long succession of spectacular fights. No man had been more vicious W assailed by men of his own party, and none was ever, while still m Ine flesh, so lavishly lauded by some of the opposing party"
 aBut." he said, "the truth Is that this extraordinary man has waxed stronger and stronger by waging his battles Even defeat he declared, /had made him larger and more commanding figure.
 ..so." he said, .'amid the swirl of things, the deiuge of words. the shout Az hoo fvsr 0Ff fnF4 toms, the groans of chipplied Repub1i- cans. the yelIs of friend and foe" one who was personal friend of Theodore Roosevelt, the man, but a political op- ponent. the politician or statesman. sA'.'s M. WIG llA l'cs oe RslnFr heard in this NlE EbRX 3f *o4ceS q ~ @ ss <
 FAnfts "a chnFaneer.
 Mr. Clark. however, insisted that he would have his way. He spoke Of his personal liking for the President, and that although, after the manner of strong men. the President had pro- nounced virtues and giaring faults oe character. and never had abused him nor had grown hysterical in admira- ton of him, but he had supported him when he was right and fought him '.tooth and nail" when he was wrong. He believed that was the way the President wanted to be treated
 "He must indeed said Mir. Clark, "entertain inefKable contempt for the invertebrate syncophants who srovei before him on all occasions and Whos no matter what he does or says, throw high their sweaty caps in the air and shout 'To triumphe."
 MT. Roosevelt was better than his par ty, which fact" he estimated, easily could be without running any imme- diafe danger of being translated after the manner of Elijah, in chariot Of ire by reason of his goodness"
 But he said, whatever the Presidents virtues or faults he was not Demo- crat. Occasionally, he said. the Prest- dent very much to the delight of Demo- crats and the confusion of Republicans, appropriates or absorbs, borrows or seizes a Democratic idea, and from his high coign of vantage urged 1t with tremendous forces, for. he said, the President obeyed to the letter, at least, one scripturaI injunction: 'Whatso- ever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might."f 1t was the heavy hand, or "big stick" of the President, he de- clared, that had driven so many Re- publicans, ''pell mell into the cave of aduIlam, where there is weeping ana waiiing and gnashing of teeth and much profane swearing, and, he add ed, "so far as he has advocated Demo- cratic ideas, so far as he has mauited wicked Republicans with his maulted
 
 has deserved the unstinted praise Of all lovers of our country"
 No one knew, continued, MT. Clark, whether or not the President was a great man. He quoted from an old saying, count no man happy till he is dead" and said it was safe and sane rule to pronounce no man great until he was in his grave. We have not enough perspective necessary to fix his status in history" and 1t is folly to attempt it..
 Wishes Roosevelt We'll.
 Individually, he wished the President we'll until March {. 1909; when he hoped the President would quit for ever, flor no President will ever be elected to third term till the republic is on it's last legs" Every one could be honest, he maintained. even if he could not be great, and he added 'tf you Republican big wigs would be can did, you would confess that you are not half so much enamored of the President as you seem to be-" The Re- pubIicans he declared, grew red in the face lauding the President to the skies" for he is still the dispenser-in- chief of pie. Ask the man bereft of the pie, he said. was "a spectacle to make the angels weep" but, he said, when he saw Republicans trying to apohesize him by mere Tip service" it seemed to him, the lady Koki protest too much.
 Referring to the last campaign. Mir. Clark charged that "Sundry Republi- can representatives" sought and ob- tained from the President certificates of Republican good character" to help them pull through. So doubtful were the Republican managers of results in the last campaign, said Mir. Clark, that the President was induced to write "the famous letter" to my dear MT. Watson" which he said was blanket endorsement of all Republican candi- dates for Congress- except the untor- tunate MT. Wadsworth. Notwitn- standIna that letter. he said, the Re- publican majority in the House had been reduced from 114 to 55. He de- picted Speaker Cannon, to whom he referred as Uncle Joe" studying the returns and repeating the sad ex- when. surveying a hard won field" he