Weekly Watertown leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1908-1909, 1908-12-04
CHAMP CLARK TO
LEAD De MOCRATS.
MISSOURI REPRESENTATIVE is
SLATED TO SUCCEED WILLIAMS
AS MINORITY LEADER.
HAS LITTLE OPPOSITION.
Missourian Has Many Friends Among
Democrats and Will Have Sup
port of Williams.
COLLEAGUE DE ARMOND MAY BOLT.

WASHINGTON, d. c., Dec s.
Especial. Though the congressional
mill will not begin to grind until next
week, the usual preliminaries in the way
Of committee meetings and conferences
are already well under way. OF these
preliminaries by far the most interest at
taches itself to the caucus of the Demo
cratic members of the House, which has
been called for Saturday to choose a
leader to succeed Representative John
Sharp Williams of Mississippi. who re-
tired from the minority leadership last
spring upon his election to the Senate
Clark in the Lead.
There is little room to doubt that the
leadership will fall to Representative
Champ Clark of Missouri. Mr.. Will
Hams and his friends are supporting the
Missourian. There is little opposition
to Mr.. Clark, although the name of Rep
resentative Henry of Texas has been
mentioned as a possible candidate for
the leadership. MIR. Clark's colleague,
Representative De Almond, is understood
to be opposed to Mr.. Clark. Mr.. De
Almond has aspired to the leadership for
number of years, and his defeat for
that honor by Mr.. Williams was one of
the causes OF the enmity between the
Two which eliminated in a personal en-
counter or the floor of the House last
winter.
Ialks with leading Democratic mem
bers who have arrived in Washington in
dictate that Clark has virtually a sure
thing of the leadership. 1t is claimed to-
day by the Clark supporters that neither
De Almond nor Henry will develop any
cOIlSlGprnh n no
A Well Known Figure.
Champ Clark is probably the best
known figure on the Democratic side and,
without much question, the most popular
one. For several reasons his elevation TO
the minority leadership is worthy of no
tee. There promise to be some phases
OF his leadership that will be in marked
distinction to the leadership of John
Sharp Williams. Many Democrats be-
Heve, and in this number are some of
the best friends Of Mr. Williams. that
Clark will make more effective leader
than did the noted member from MisSis-
slppi. For one thing the Missouri repre-
sentative will go into the leadership with
practically the united support of the
Democrats of the House. He is account
ed better politician than Williams and
less inclined to consult his personal likes
and dlsllkeS i'll the make up of commit
tees and other matters. He is expected
by the Democrats of the House who
know him to sink his personal feelings as
to members and to make up the com
mittees, on the Democratic side. with
reference solely to personal fitness. One
of the important committees to which
he VIII have to give attention is the ways
and means committee, in view of the fact
that revision of the tariff is supposedly
near at hand. 1t is not to be undertake
Ell i'll the Sixtieth Congress but, as the
ways and means committee is made I'D
at this session, it will be for the most
part in the SlXty-hrSt Congress. Mr..
Clark is now the ranking minority mem
Der on the ways and means committee
If he becomes the minority leader he will
leave the committee himself and it is eX-
pected as an act Of courtesy will put in
his place De Almond of Missouri. De
Almond is a hard worker and Il strong
advocate of tariff revision.
Has Had Wide Experience.
Few members of the House on either
side have had wider range of expert
ence than has Mr.. Clark. He is So years
old and a native of Kentucky. He was
graduated from Kentucky university at
Lexington and studied law at the Gin
cinnati Law school. In 1878 and 1874 he
was president OF the first nsrmal school
established in West Virginia.. After his
experience there he removed to Missouri
ana became principal OF the high school
at Louisiana in that state. In 1876 he
began the active practice of law ard
for several years served as city attorney
of Louisiana, No. Then came Il period OF
two years of service as editor Of Il coun-
try newspaper.
Mr.. Clark's public career dates from
1880, in which year he was chosen a
presidential elector and also a member
of the Missouri Legislature. He was
elected to the Fifty-third Congress in
1892, and to the Fifty-tifth Congress N
1896, and has since been biennially re
elected from the Ninth Missouri district.
He is an eloquent speaker and ready III
debate, as more than one of his Re
publican opponents have found out when
they engaged him in a forensic tilt
Mr. Clark is supposed to be pretty we'll
fixed financially. a large. part of his
wealth having been made in recent years
on the lecture platform.