The Washington herald., 1909-08-07

Before taking his departure for his
home IN Bowling Green. No. yesterday,
Representative Champ Clark, House lead
er Of the Democrats. made statement
in regard TO the condition OF the party
at the close Of the long fight on the
tariff
He also took occasion to deny the
/ statements made IN some quarters 70
the effect that Democratic Generalization
prevented the defeat Of the conference
report on the tariff bill
| Representative Clark said:
THE old saying that habit IS second
nature was never more striBdngly Illus
trated than by the fact that many news
papers-generally Republican or near-Re-
publican-and more individuals keep
mouthing about the dissensions among
the House Democrats. and the perfect
unity among House Republicans. notwith-
standing the truth IS known Of all men
who care 10 know IL that the House
Democrats came out OF the tariff fight
more thoroughly united on that question
than they have been in a generation. and
the Republicans came out OF it worse
shattered than ever before.
Some papers, either through careless
ness Of malice, have gone so far as 70
say that had the Democrats not been
absent in large numbers impaired, we
would have defeated the conference re-
port on the tariff bill There isn't a
syllable OF truth in ii, and TO so charge
Is either unadulterated malice or criminal
negligence.
Now, mark how plain a tale win put
| them down: Upon my motion last spring
10 recommit the Payne bill with instruc-
| tiOns. which instructions constitute a
comprehensive Democratic platform so
far as the tariff is concerned. all Demo
Gratis voted for II except four. On the
| Payne bill itself. voted on Immediately
after my motion 20 recommit was de-
feated, the Republicans lost one vote
/ and the Democrats lost four, a net loss
| 20 the Democrats Of three, a more nearly
unanimous Democratic vote than has
| been cast on a tariff bill in q generation.
True, that on some OF the items a
/ few Democrats few the track, but so did
more Republicans
UneqUHied Since Civil War.
Let's examine into the comparative
unity among Democrats and Republi-
cans. on Mr.. Payne's motion 10 re-
commit the conference report. all the
Democrats except one. voted for 1t. and
twenty Republicans voted with US. so
that the Republican machine was VIC
torious by only five majority. although
they had a majority Of forty-five In the
House. on that vote there were absent
six Democrats and five Republicans.
Among the absentees four Democrats
n
ing two Democrats and one Republican
absent without pairs. II the two Dem
ocrats absent without pairs had been
present and had voted with us. we would
have been defeated by three votes. Had
the one Democrat who voted with the
Republicans also vote d with US we
we would have stiH been defeated by one
vote on that vote 70 recOmmit the con-
ference report the Democrats voted
more solidly than they ever voted on
any tarin question since the close or
the civil war. while the Republicans were
worse split UP.
"On the vote on the adoption Of the
conference report. the House machine
won by twelve majority only There
were absent six Democrats and four Re
publicans. AS on the motion 10 recommit,
four Democrats We're paired with four Re
publicans, and two Democrats were alb
sent without pairs and two Democrats
voted with the Republicans. II the two
impaired Democrats had been present and
voted with us. the machine majority
would have been reduced 20 ten. and II
the two Democrats who voted with the
Republicans had also voted with US. the
machine majority would have been re-
| duced 10 six
That was a close call for the machine.
but nothing could have been done 10
have turned their hardly won victory into
O defeat.
Not Downward Revision.
The reason Chairman Payne moved to
recomnit was that he fooled himself into
the belief We were going to offer a mo-
ton 10 recommit with instructions, and
he wanted TO head that off, and by an
arrangement with the Speaker undertook
20 do so: but we had no idea Of moving
| 10 rccOmmit with instructions. because