The San Francisco call., 1910-12-17
CLARK Defines
HIS TARIFF And
RULES PROGRAM
Prospective Speaker of Demo-
cratic House Favors Revision
by Separate Schedules
Call Tor Bourbon Caucus Favors
Restriction of Powers of
Speaker

w AsHINGTON. Dee. Representa-
tive champ Clark issued statement
tonight outlining his platform as
prospective speaker Of the democratic
house Of representatives in the next
congress.
lie proclaimed himself in favor of the
appointment of house committees bv
committee. rather than by the speaker.
ana ne stated his belief that the tariff
shpuid be revised. schedule by schedule,
lathef than in one single bill Those
Two subjects said Clark. were the ones
upon which he had been continually
importuned to make some statement.
Democratic house members sent out
q cail today for a caucus January 70
oi the democratic membership OF the
next house Of Representatives CIark's
statement was both an explanation of
the call and a declarati of his own
platform as the probable speaker of
The house
CAUCUS TO NAME COMMITTEES
The caucus viii select ways and
means committee and a rules COM
mittee somewhat larger than the pres
ent committee of seven. Clark believes
that one of these committees should
committees Of the house.
There are Two theories of tariff re-
vision" said Clark in his statement;
revision by one general bill and re-
vision by separate bills for separate
schedules This is a matter not OF
principle. but of method.
Individually. I prefer the scheme of
separate bills for separate schedules,
taking the schedules with the most OBJ
ncXiOus features first. perhaps in Ger
tain cases having separate bills for
particular items"
The statement proceeded to say that
whatever method was decided upon, a
fun hearing as comprehensive as that
which preceded the framing of the
payne-Aldrich law would be had by
the new ways and means committee.
REVISION BY SCHEDULE
The assumption. growing out of ig-
norance in certain quarters. said
Clark. that President Taft or Senator
Cummins or any other republican has
discovered something new in tariff re-
vision by the separate schedule scheme
IS preposterous.
AS far back as the ffty-second con-
gress Chairman Springer introduced
separate bills for separate schedules
and even for particular items, which
were derisiVely denominated 'Springer's
popular gunbiils' by ribald republican
Spea kers and writers. and several years
before Judge Springer was chairman
of the committee on ways and means
Mckenzie Of kentucky achieved both
great renown and the sobriquet of
'Quinine jim by securing the passage
Of bin putting quinine on the free
list and touching no other items what
ever in any tariff schedule"
clark declared that he was heartily
in favor Of inviting to the caucus all
democratic members elect He said
THAT his efforts for two years had been
directed TO the unificatiOn Of the dem
-ocrats in the house ARD for that reason
members elect should be given every
opportunity TO express their choice in
the naming Of committees.
TNPEEASANTNESS OF POWER
The questions Of interest to the coun-
try. ~ Clark sees them, are how the
democrats viii select their committees
and what the party viii do with the
tariff This last question has been an
sWered. and. proceeding to the first,
Clark said:
AS TO the mode of selecting com
mittees in the event of my own cleo
ucn TO the speakership. I would not
care the snap Of my finger TO exercise
The power Of appointing them. I have
stated that 10 every democratic member
who cared TO inquire my opinion. The
exercise Of that power would undoubt-
ediy have certain unpleasant features. q"
OF the two plans for the election of
committees. by the democratic caucus
or directly by the house itself Clark
favors the latter. This is based on
the fact that in the debata bic states
the independent voters appear to favor
ST. and the future speaker Of the house
fra nkly acknowledges that II may be
adopted because Of the influence it
would have in returning 2 democra tic
president and democratic congress
in 1912.
EARLY BOURBON ACTION
Indications are that any tariff meas
ure brought in by democratic mem
bers Of the ways and means committee
in the next congress viii be along the
line Of revision. schedule by schedule.
The call for the caucus was circulated
at the instance of Champ Clark and Of
Underwood of Alabama his right arm
fr congress. The idea was that to ia
cilitate the work of the next congress
along tariff lines the democratic mem
hers Of the committee should meet early
enough to have their action in shape
10 submit TO congress when it con-
r-enee next December.