The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-12-31
REPUBLICANS HAVE TOO
MANY WARRING FACTIONS
Senator Clapp of Minnesota Says the
Tariff is to Blame for High Cost
Of Living Now Felt BY the
American People.
BY wATTERsoN sTEALEY.

Washington, December S0-(Special.)-
"Oh, yes, democrats have canse to enjoy
the Christmas season. It's been long
lane. but the turn is in sight, glory be-
This is the fervent language of Champ
Clark of Missouri, minority leader of the
House of Representatives. who boldly
predicts that the republicans will lose the
next congressional election.
while there is nothing certain in this
world except death and taxes contin-
ued Representative Clark, "the signs of
the times seem to indicate that the demo-.
Gratis will elect a majority Of the House
OF Representatives in 1910. With the civil
war to help them, the republicans elected
only eight houses hand-running, and they
have already elected eight this series.
The House elected In 1898 was republican
by only 10 when 1t first convened. OF
course, the republicans soon increased
that majority by the simple process of
throwing out democrats who were elected
and seating republicans who were not
elected. But a change of seven would
have given the democrats power to organ
ize the House.
Everybody with two ideas above Hot
tentot knows that the Spanish war gave
them their narrow margin in that House.
They did not do any more fighting than
the democrats, but they were in power
and enjoyed the usufruct of that per-
formancs.
Perhaps lively recollection of that
close shave may account for Mr. Secre-
ltary Knox's belligerency just now.
J THE republicans are in sore need Of
lsome soothing pbuon to bring together
},he eersiitg fe5stions in - @. y F..
tand perhaps Mr.. Knox's prescription will
ldo the work. The stand-pat progressives,
Wthc Parsons-C Cannon. the Fowler Cannon,
the insurgent-Cannon, the Ballinger-
Pinchot the Crane-Knox, the Hale-F'ry
and the Central bank controversies are
only symptoms of the general disease af-
nicting the G. o. p.
"The prospect of the return from Elba'
also adds to the decentralization of the re-
publican big wigs. 1t seems that the
lions in Africa are disspirited lot of
brutes. as not one of them has courage
enough to prevent that return
why LIVING is Hlqh-
This new tariff law has cost, and is
costing, the American people millions and
millions of dollars in increased cost of
living declared Senator Moses e. Clapp
,of Minnesota today. The senator had been
asked for an expression of some views
about the question of advancing cost of
living and he launched into a. tariff an
alysls without any delay or uncertain
ties.
..And If the Payne-Aldrch tariff bill had
been beaten those millions would have
been saved to the people," he continued.
.'Why do I say that? Because 1t was
generally understood that the tariff was
in general an increase. The increase did
not affect everything, of course, but when
the prices were raised by the people
whose rates had been increased. other
people were compelled to raise their prices
in keeping. The thing started with the
stariff increases and is going along the
i, line, apparently.
I "Rafse the price OF the necessaries of
llife-of a mans coat, shoes, food-and the
man who is compelled to pay that in
creased price must get more for what
)he has to sell in order that he may pay
IT. Therefore, 1t necessarily affects the
price Of what he produces. He must
either take less profit or raise his prices.
You will hear 1t said constantly, with
reference to something on which the
price has been advanced, oh. that Is not
in the tariff at all. that increase has
nothing to do with the tariff
But the fact is that the tariff increases
OF prices reach all along the line. You
can't raise the cost of living to a man
who is producing something to sell with
out forcing that man to raise correspond
tngiy the price of what he has to sell"
Fatal Mistake Of Printer.
That reprint by the senate Of the ar
ticle by Representative Samuel w. Nc
Call of Massachusetts, In favor of the
Payne-Aldrich tariff law Is again caus-
ing concern at the capitol Only few
days ago it was discovered that members
of congress who voted for the new tariff
law had been sending out document
which nisprint caused to declare that
the law Increased" duties on necessaries
to the amount of five billion dollars
Increased" had been printed in place.
of decreased in the copy sent to
the government printing office.
When the Joker was discovered there
was hurried action to suppress all copies
of the documents that had not been sent
out to prevent those sent out from reach
ing their destination and to secure a
proper print to follow up the erring docu-
ment which had fallen into the hands OF
constituents
The new and correct print OF the tariff
argument was issued in due course. Of
ncials thought everything was serene.
This morning the secretary OF the sem
ate received a letter from the publishers
of a magazine in which the Mccall ar
ticle originally appeared. 1t is understood
to have been a copyrighted magazine.
The publishers asked on what authority
the senate reprinted a copyrighted ar
ticle. a thing which no private individual
would be allowed to do, without the con-
sent of the copyright owner. An inn
mediate search OF the laws ana court
decisions in the matter was started.
Those in the secretary's office wore wor-
ried expressions
Finally It was decided that section
of the uav cartwright Jaw apuroved