The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-05-21
SOUNDS KEYNOTE
Champ Clark Opens the Con-
gresS Campaign
For the Democrats With Speech
in the House.
CALLS IT A HUMBUG
Makes Fierce Attack on the
Payne-Aldrich Bill.
Discusses Taft's WinOna Speech
at Some Length.

Washington, May 21.-DenouncinS the
Payne-Aldrich tariff law as a trans
parent humbug" attacking the tariff
views of its author, Representative
Serene Payne, Republican, New York,
and vigorously assailing President Taft
for his support of that law, Represen-
tatiVe Champ Clark of Missouri, leader
of the Democratic minority, today de-
livered in the house what is regarded
as the Democratic keynote speech of
the coming congressional campaign. Mr..
Clark had prepared his address with
great care and spoke at length, giving
facts and figures in support of lis con-
tentlon that the tariff had not been
| honestly revised and that the Repub-
mean majority in congress had en-
deavored to trick the people. Mr..
Clark also paid his respects incidental
| ~ to the $250,000 item in the sundry
civil appropriation bin for the creation
| of a tariff board He said in part:
During this debate we have wit
messed spectacle perhaps without par
| ailel iii the annals of congress. First,
we heard the gentleman from New
York, (Mr. Payne) chairman of the
ways and means committee, and the
republican floor leader make a VitriO-
lie attack on the speech of the Hon.
| jonathan Prentiss Doliver a Republi-
can senator from Iowa, recently de-
| llVered in the city of Des Moines, both
speeches being upon the subject of the
tariff, subject which will not down at
any mans bidding, and which, like the
poor, we have with us always.
Intermittent EorgetfuIness.
Nobody appointed me to defend
Senator Dolllver. This much, however,
l will say for him. l have for years
| regarded him as the greatest orator in
| me republican party. 1 would travel
I a n hoe rl.NlN. 81
tween him and the gentleman from New
| York. When it was over, L am GER
tain that the country, for d consider
able distance around would be so fair
| y saturated with oil that it would be
| dangerous to strike a match in the
neighborhood, and it would not be oil
| out of Mr.. Delivers coporosity.
The next day we heard the gen.
tleman from Michigan, (Mr. Ford
ney), who is a Republican of high de-
gree, deliver most bitter and vicious
| assault upon Senator Beveridge, the
Republican boss of Indiana, on ac-
count of speech delivered recently
at Indianapolis A stump debate be-
| tween these two eminent Republicans
would double discount in interest any
vaudeville show ever pulled off in
America Listening to the attack of
! the Republican gentleman from New
| Y ork upon the Republican senator
| from Iowa, and the attack of the Re-
upon the Republican senator from In
| diana, I recall the words of the
| Psalmist: Behold how good and how
pleasant it is for brethren to dwell
in unity and then comes to 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 APP
! peared to be performing a diSa agreeable
! stunt He did not exhibit his usual en-
| n yCio cr11 h old fnJi Of
| expression. He appeared to be in
! about as cheerful a frame of mind as
a lawyer appointed by the court de-
Tending without fee man that he feels
| certain will be convicted and hanged.
| Clearly, it was to him a repulsive job
| but it had to be gone through with
| some way. He appeared to be in the
| frame of mind of Macbeth when about
to murder Duncan: If it were done.
when it's done then 'twere we'll it
| were done quickly
intermittent FOrgetfuIness.
Mr.. Chairman Payne was evident
| ly in a very fretful state. He also
| seems to be afflicted with a new dis
| ease intermittent forfetfulness. He
| remembered with great Vividness the
| soup houses of 1898 and 1894, but
| when it came to the soup houses of
i the soup houses of 1873 his memory
| failed him utterly. 1t does not need
| a psychologist or phrenologist to ac-
count for this state of mind on his
part. the reason being that the soup
| houses of 1873 and 1907 were under
| Republican administration and under
| tariff laws passed by the Republican
| party. while the soup houses OF 1898,
| through the outgrowth of panic
| caused by a Republican tariff bill,
| sprang up when a Democratic preS1-
| dent was in office.
! 'sThe gentleman declared they put
up the tariff on hosiery end as con-
sequence the price of hosiery has gone
down. He declared they put up the
tariff on wines and as consequence
| the price of wines has gone up He
| seems to be playing both ends against
| the middle. for it must be apparent to
any sane man that. if putting up the
tariff on hosiery made the price OF
hosiery go down then, by the same
logic. putting up the tariff on VINE
would have made the price OF wine go
down. Consistency, thou art Jewel!
Attacks Sugar Schedule.
Mr.. Clark then attacked the sugar
schedules of the Payne-Aldrich tariff
! law and ridicuIed Republican claims of
benefiting the people by lowering the
tariff on refined sugar The reduc-
ton, he said. was so small, that every
man with common sense knows that
| the consumer will never be benefited
/ by it in any way whatsoever
! "The gentleman from New York.
continued Mr.. Clark seems to argue
! that TO lower the tariff on an article
the higher will be the price to the
consumer and vice versa. That. OF
course is utterly preposterous and
fully answered by asking this simple
question: IF the tariff does not put
up the price of an article. what do the
proponents of the tariff want with it :?
FRO prove this absurd theory he cites
the fact. though the tariff on lumber
was reduced from 50 per thousand tc
s125 a thousand. the price of lumber
has gone up. 1t is true that before the
Hast of us got out of Washington in
August, 1909. the lumber trust marked
up the price of lumber a dollar g
thousand and if the department OF
justice had done its duty it would by
have f11ed the tails f1111 n