Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-05-24
TARIFF HUMBUG IS
EXPOSED IN SPEECH
OF CHAMP CLARK
"What Is a Republican," He
Says Is the Question Now
UppermoSt in Minds of the
American People
PRESIDENT is ASSAILED
FOR SUPPORT OF LAW


tive Serene Payne. Republican. New
York. and vigorously sssailing President
Taft for his support OF that law, Rep
resentative Champ Clark. OF Missouri.
leader OF the Democratic minority. 10
day delivered in the house what Is re-
garded as the Democratic keynote
speeo,l Of the coming congressional
campaign Mr.. Clark had prepared his
address with great care and spoke at
length. giving facts and figures in sup
port OF his contention that the tariff
had not been honestly revised and that
the Republican majority in congress had
endeavored to trick the people. Mr..
Clark also paid his respects incidentally
10 the s250. 200 item in the sundry civil
appropriation bill for the creation OF q
tariff board. He said in part:
During this debate we have Witnessed
a spectacle perhaps without parallel in
the annals OF congress. First. we heard
the gentleman from New York, (Mr.
Pzynel chairman OF the ways and means
committee. and the Republican floor
leader. make a vitriolic attack on the
speech OF the Hon Jonathan Prentiss
DOlIiver. q Republican senator from 10
wa. recently delivered in the city or Des
Moines Both speeches begin upon the
subject OF the tariff. a subject which
VIA not down at any mans bidding. and
which. like the poor, We have with us
always. Nobody appointed me to defend
Senator DOIliver. This much. however.
] will say for him have for years
regarded him as the greatest orator IN
the Republican party, I would traveI
far TO hear a debate on the stump be-
tween him and the gentleman from New
York When IL was over, 1 am certain
that the country, for a considerable dis
lance around would be so fairly saturas
ed with oil that II would be dangerous
10 strike a match in the neighborhooo
and II would not be oil out Of Mr.. DoIli-
ver's corporosity.
WHAT IS A REPUBLICAN,
The next day we heard the gentle
man from Michigan CAIr. Fordney) who
IS a REPUBLICAN OF high uegree, deliver
a most bitter and vicious assault upon
Senator Beverage the Republican boss
Of Indiana, on account Of a speech de-
livered recently at Indianapolis. A
stump debate between these two emil
nent Republicans would double discount
in interest any vaudeville show ever
pulled or n America Listening 70 the
attack OF the Republican gentleman from
New York upon the Republican senator
from Iowa, and the attack OF the Re
publican gentleman from Michigan upon
the Republican senator from Indiana, I
recall the words OF the Psalmist: Be
hold how good and how pleasant it is
for brethren 10 dwell in unity and then
comes 70 my mind the question now
ringing through the land: What is a
Republican,
In making a speech in defense Of his
tariff BILL Mr.. Chairman Payne appeared
10 be performing a disagreeable stunt. He
did not exhibit his usual enthusiasm or
his old-time felicity of expression He ap-
peared 10 be in about as cheerful a frame
of mind as a lawyer appointed by the
court defending without fee a man that
he feels certain will be convicted and
hanged. Clearly. ii was to him a re-
puIsive Job. but IL had to be gone through
with some way. He appeared to be in
the frame OF mind OF Macbeth when
about TO murder Duncan. II IT were done.
when it's done then 'twere well It were
done quickly
''Mr- Chairman PAYNE was evidently
in a very fretful state. He also seemed
TO be afflicted with a new disease. in
termittent fOrgetfulness.' He remember
ed with great vividness the soup houses
OF 1898 and 1894. but when IL came to the
soup houses OF 1907. a very recent occur
renee and the soup houses Of 1873 his
memory failed him utterly. It does not
need a psychologist or phrenologist to
account for this state Of mind on his
part the reason being that the SOUP
houses Of 1873 and 1907 were under Re-
publican administration and under tariff
laws passed by the Republican party.
while the soup houses OF 1898. through
the outgrowth OF a panic caused by Re-
publican tariff bin. sprang up when a
Democratic president was in ONCE.
PLAYING BOTH ENDS.
The gentleman declared they put up
the tariff on hosiery and as a conse-
quence the price OF hosiery has gone
down. He declared they put up the tar
iff on wines and as a consequence the
price Of wines has gone up. He seems
20 be playing both ends against the mid
die for il must be apparent to any sane
man that. n putting up the tariff on hos
fery made the price OF hosiery go down
then. by the same logic putting up the
tariff on wine would have made the price
OF wine go down. Consistency. thou art
O Jewel" "
Mr.. Clark then attacked the sugar
scheduIes Of the Payne-Aldrich tariff
law and ridiculed Republican claims OF
beneiting the people by lowering the tar
IF on refined sugar The reduction, he
said. was so small. that every man with
common sense knows that the consumer
win never be benefited by II in any way
whatsoever"
The gentleman from New York." con
tfnued Mr.. Clark. seems 10 argue that
TO lower the tariff on an article the high
er will be the price 10 the consumer
- vice versa That. OF course. IL ut
terry prepOstsrous and fully answered
by asking the simple question: II the tar,
iff does not put up the price OF an ar
ttcie, what do the proponents Of the tar
~ want with itT To prove his alb
surd theory he cites the fact that
though the tariff on lumber was reduced
from g. per 1000 to s1-25 per 1000. the price
Of lumber has gone UP. II is true that
before the last Of US got out Of Washing
ton I'm August. 1919. the lumber trust
marked up the price OF lumber 81 per 100
and IL the department Of Justice had done
fits duty. Il would b. this time. have
filled the jails fun OF lumber trust
rnagnates that their arms and legs would
stick out Of the windows and doors. II
seems to be a pleasant occupation Il
convict farmers and members Of labor
unions for violating the antitrust law
(continusd On Page 81