The Topeka state journal., 1909-03-25
UNCLE JOE IN DEBATE.
The Speaker Replies to Statements
Made by Champ Clark.

Washington. March 25.-During the
course of his speech on the Payne tariff
| bill Minority Leader Champ Clark de-
voted considerable attention to Speaker
Cannon, who occupied a conspicuous
place the floor and was paying
| marked attention to what the minority
| leader was saying. He spoke of the
| speeches made by Mr.. Cannon at JOp-
| lin and other places in Missouri during
the campaign regarding zinc and other
! Missouri products.
| This allusion brought the speaker to
| his feet He declared that while in
Missouri he had been told by members
| of both parties that the deep zinc min
! ing had gone out of business, that the
rich ore only was being mined, result
| ing in smokeless chimneyS and idle
workmen He had also been told that the
coming into the United States of free
zinc from Mexico affected their indus
try. He declared that he saw the
smokelesS chimneyS and the idle men,
ney. a Democrat had been represented
to him as saying that while he stood
for the Denver platform, zinc should be
protected. 81 said to my audiences -
the speaker remarked that they know
in the Joplin district and elsewhere
whether a duty on zinc that came in
competition with their production was
necessary. I said also that action was
louder than words, and that should 1
be reelected, they being experts, their
action would control my vote"
Replying. Mr.. Clark insisted that his
position was that the people of the
United States were paying a very high
price, that we might have the society
of my friend Charlie Morgan in this
house." Mr.. Morgan is the Republican
successor to Mr.. Hackney. s
A statement by Mr.. Clark that GER
tain persons in Joplin tried to deceive
the committee with regard TO the neces-
sity for duty on zinc, brought a de-
nial from Mr.. Morgan.
Cannon Replies Again
The speaker again took the floor to
make an explanation when Mr.. Clark
said that the speaker had gone to the
White House to discuss the tariff ques-
ton with President Taft before the bill
was reported Mr.. Cannon admitted
that he went there at the invitation OF
the president and said that he had
found Senator Aldrich and Secretary
MacVeagh there. He denied that the
tariff was discussed or if it was he did
not know it. What was discussed, he
said was the general condition of the
treasury and the desirability of good
administration and so far as possible
an organization and demonstration of
the great department that would tend
to bring the expenditures Of the gov
ernment within the revenues
Mr.. Cannon remarked that he rarely
corrected misrepresentation but it
seemed in the present instance he could
do so with propriety.
Mr.. Clark protested that he was no:
trying to m1SrepreSent the speaker
Il sometimes think" suavely replied
Mr.. Cannon. that perhaps he Clark
is not as clear as to the matter of the
difference between the suggestion of
that which is error and the letting
alone of that which is truth as he
might have been in discussing the pub
lie questions touching the revenues
Mr.. Clark predicted that when the
senate got through with the Payne bill
Mr.. Payne would not recognize his own
child when he met it in the road. He
maintained that the senate would strike
out all after the enacting clause. When
the bill reached conference it would be
dog days and the weather would be so
disa greeable in Washington that fell
lows will vote for any kind of bill to
get out of town"
Mr.. Clark, amid great Democratic ap-
plause closed with reiteration of his
statement that the Payne bill, instead
of lowering the Dingley rates, raised
them He was on his feet five hours
and seven minutes.