Los Angeles herald., 1910-12-17
TARIFF REVISION,
POLICY Of CLARK
Prospective Speaker for Demo-
cratic House Outlines Plat
form of Next Congress
CAUCUS OF MEMBERS CALLED
----
Appointment of Chairmen OF
Committees May Be Fore
most Feature of Meetings
CAUCUS OF MEMBERS CALLED
ASSOCIATED Pressl

WASHINGTON. Dec 16.-Rcpresen-
tative Champ Clark issued a statement
tonight fully outlining his platform as
prospective speaker of the Democratic
house in the next congress.
He proclaims himself in favor Of the
appointment of house committees by
a committee rather than by the
speaker. and he states his belief that
the tariff should be revised, schedule
by schedule rather than in one sin
gle bill. Those two subjects, says Mr..
Clark, are the ones upon which he
has been continually importuned to
make some statement.
Democratic house members sent out
a call today for a caucus January 10
of the Democratic membership of the
next house.
Mr.. Clark's statement is both an eX-
planation Of the call and a declaration
of his own platform as the probable
speaker of the house. The caucus will
select a ways and means committee
and a rules committee somewhat larger
than the present committee of seven.
Mr.. Clark believes one of these COM
mittees should then be empowered to
select the other committees of the
house.
THEORIES IN TARIFF REVISION
"There are two theories of tariff re-
vision" says Mr.. Clark in his state
ment-"revision by one general bill and
revision 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 obnoxious
features first, perhaps in certain cases,
having separate bills for particular
items"
The statement proceeds to say that
whatever method is decided upon, full
hearing as comprehensive as that
which preceded the framing of the
Payne-Aldrich law will be had by the
new ways and means committee
''The assumption growing out of ig-
norance in certain quarters" says Mr.
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'
The questions of interest to the coun-
try. as Mr.. Clark sees them. are how
the Democrats will select their COM
mittees and what the party will do
with the tariff This last question has
been answered, and proceeding to the
first he says:
CHOICE OF NEW COMMITTEES
"As to the mode of selecting commit
tees in the event of my own election
to 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 mem
Der who cared to inquire as to my
opinion. The exercise of that power
would undoubtedly have certain un-
pleasant features"
Of the two plans for the election Of
committees, by The Democratic caucus
or directly by the house itself. Mr..
Clark favors the latter, This is based
on the fact that in the debatable
states the independent voters appear
to favor it. and the future speaker OF
the house frankly acknowledged it may
be adopted. because of the influence
it would have in returning a Demo-
cratic president and a Democratic con-
gress in 1912.
Indications are that any tariff meas
ures brought in by its Democratic
members of the ways and means COM
mittee In the ] It congress win be
along the line of revision, schedule by
schedule.
The call for the caucus was circu-
lated at the instance of Champ Clark
and of Mr.. UndC wood of Alabama, lis
right arm in congress.