Suwannee Democrat. (Live Oak, Fla.) 1897-current, 1909-10-31
INJUSTICE 10 FRANK CLARK.

INJUSTICE TO FRANKCLARK.
Congressman Clark's enemies betray
the poverty of their arguments against
his reelection when they charge him
with making grand stand plays" be-
cause he has again introduced in con-
gress his bill to provide for the pay
ment to the State Of Florida Of nearly
one million dollars, cotton tax illegally
collected by the Government from our
people back in the sixties; and also be-
cause he has reintrOdueed his measure
to levy an import duty on Egyptian
and other long staple cotton coming In
to this country in competition with our
Sea Island product. That the ends
sought to be reached by both these
measures are much to be desired and
would be very helpful to the people OF
Florida will not be denied, and this
being true, we should be glad to know
in what other way Mr.. Clark could
move to reach them. He has done the
only right thing possible in the prem
ises; if he had done less it might have
been charged against him with some
show of reason that he had not been
sufficiently prompt and alert in renew,
ing his efforts to accomplish the work
he had inaugurated at a previous Ses-
sion.
1t is not disputed that the cotton tax
which Mr.. Clark seeks to have returned
to our people, was illegally collected,
and nothing but the arbitrary will of q
republican majority IN congress stands
in the way of repayment. Mr.. Clark
is appealing to the sense Of justice in
! that majority to do right in the matter,
and he is making material headway
along that line at each session of con.
gress. That is the only way to win
and if he persists IN his endeavOrs it j:
reasonably sure that he will win. But
if he does not, that will be the end Of
it and the people of Florida will never
get back that million dollars illegally
taken from them under color Of law al
a time when there wasn't much justict
for the South IN either Federal legis
latiOn Of administration. But wa
JUDGES having nearly disappeared il
I congress, Mr.. Clark's bill, or one like
it, Will become law and that money
will be returned.
As for the proposed tax on fOreigl
long staple cotton, which now come
into this country, duty free, to depreS
! the price of our Sea Island staple, it i
} practically certain that every Sea Is
land cotton grower in the South warm
ly endorses Mr.. Clark's bill; and a
! protection against foreign competition
is the fixed policy of the Government
republican consistency demands tina
that bill shall pass. Our congressman
is appealing to that consistency wit
some prospect of success, and the nor
he hammers the better that prOspec
| grows. The whole history of congress
iOnal legislation shows that Y ry man
measures, hopeless when introduced
were finally and after the lapse of
number Of sessions, enacted into Law
as the result of persistent effort tina
refused to become discouraged, an
that is evidently the spirit in which MI
Clark is working for the passage q
these two bills.
It is unfair in the extreme to charg
him with grand stand playing" be
: cause he is sticking to his purpose wit
: such admirable tenacity, and the pee
pie of this district are sure to reser
: such unfairness by re-electing HIM
congress.