The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1910-12-20
CHAMP CLARk'S PLATFORM.
Leader Declares That appointment OF
Committees Should Not be in
Speakers Hands.

the prospective speaker OF tne Demo
cratic house of Representatives in the
next congress. He proclalms hlmsel1
in favor of the appointment OF COM
~nnittees of the house by committee,
rather than by the speaker, and he
state his belief thai the tariff should
be revised schedule by schedule rather
than in one single bill. Those two
subjects, says Mr.. Clark, are the ones
21pon which he has been continually
importuned to make some statement.
The Democratic members Of the
house today sent out a call for a eau
Gus January 19 of the Democratic
membership of the next house Of rep
resentatives. Mr.. Clark's sctatement
is 10th an explanation of the call and
4 declaration of his own platform as
the probable speaker Of the house.
Caucus January 10.
The caucus will select ways and
means cor mittee and rules Commit
tee, somewhat larger than the present
ctmuli!:,es.
Mr.. Clark believes that one of the
committees should then be empower
ed to select the other committees OF
she house.
There are two theories of tariff
revision said he in his statement
revision by one general bill and re-
vision by separate bills for separate
schedules. This is matter not OF
principle, but of method.
Individually, I prefer the schsne
.>n separate bills for separate sched-
uies, taking the schedules with tn"
most o!3I Xicus 1tGtnr2s first: perhaps
in certain cases having separate bills
for particular items"
The statement proceeds to say that
whatever method is decided upon, a
hearing as comprehensive as that
which preceded the framing Of the
Payne-Adrich law will be had by the
new ways and means committee.
On Tariff Revision.
"Tha assumption growing out of ig-
norance in certain quarters" SAYS Mr..
Clark, 'that President Taft or sena-
tor Cummins or any other Republican
has discovered something new in tariff
revision by the separate schene is
preposterous. AS far back as the ozo
congress- Mr.. Chairman Springer in
troduced separate bills for se"arate
schedules and for particula" +ems.
which were derisivelv denominated
<springer's pop gun bills by "enuh-
lican speakers and writer's; an" sever
al wears before Judge Sori"e'e" was
chairman of the committee on ways
and means, Mr.. Mckenzie, Of Ren+1rkV
achieved both greo+ renown "n6 the
soubriquet of 'Quinino lin HecnT-
ing the passage Of hill pNt-'"' owl
nine on the free list, and to'r''"9 -"
other item whatsoever in an" tariff
schedule
MIR. Clark declares he is he"~t''" IL
favor of inviting to the cauc''" "'' or
the Democratic members-e'e"+ He
goes on to say that his efforts c." 49, q
last TWO years have been a.
largely to the unihcation of tho Hn''7o-
Gratis in the house and for thai ~7""""
the members-elect should he given
every opportunity. if that uriF""t'"'' &c
to be maintained, 10 eNnreS@ f0o7"
choice in the naming of the 7'e"oherS
of the committees.
Doesn't Want AnDOintiye Power
Two questions, Mr.. Clark saws. in
terest the country, how the Democrats
will select it's committees and what
the party will do with the tariff. This
last question has been answered. and
proceeding to the first, the staement
says:
'As to the mode of selecting COM
rnittees in the event of my own elec-
ton 20 the speakership. I would not
care the snap of my finger to exercise
the power of appointing them. I have
stated that to every Democratic man.
her who cared to INQUIRE as to nv on
:nion. The exercise of that mower
would undoubtedly have certain un-
pleasant features"
Of th3 two plans for the ele"tion Of
rommittaes " th1 Democratic calc.s
or directly by the house itself, Mr..
Clerk favors the last named.
This is based on the fact that in the
debatahle States the ir!"nondent VT
ers appear to favor it and the future
speaker Ct tae house frankly acknow-
Iadges that it may be adopted because