The Sentinel=record., 1911-02-16
CLARK STIRS
 HORNET NEST
HUMOROUS SPEECH ANNExINc CANADA CAUSES FURoRE IN
 OFFICIAL CIRCLES.
English and Canadian Press Take Great Scare Over Missourian's AiIusions-T aft Takes Occa-
 sion to Deny 1t.

Washington, Feb. 15.-The semi jocular remarks which Champ Clark, the democratic speaker-to-be, made in the house yesterday during the debate on the Canadian reciprocity agreement to the effect that he be lieved the Stars and Stripes would one day float over the entire Western Hemisphere, stirred up most unexpec- ted trouble today
 President Taft took occasion to write to representative Mccall, intro ducer of the reciprocity bill, a letter disclaiming aAd deprecating the an- nexation talk and to follow it with personal remarks to visitors even more emphatic.
 The news that MT. Clark's allusions had created excitement in Canada and in England occasioned great surprise and considerable amusement at the capitol. The man most surprised of all was MT. Clark. himself.
 Mir. Clark's entire speech on reef procity yesterday was delivered in a half-aumorous, half-taunting vein. The house was in a gale of laughter most of the time. In return for the laughs he was creating at their ex- pense some of the republicans tried t.k Af,. In, 1axr. ing him with the fact that he miglr have President Taft as an opponent of the democratic nomination.
 This humorous exchange reflected the spirit of the debate during the en- tire time. Mr Clark was on his feet and no one gave serious consideration to his remarks regarding the possible annexation of Canada at some distant time. They regarded his statements in the nature of a compliment to the Canadian people in that he would be glad to see the friendship that ex- ists at present bet ween the Canadians and the people of the United States so ripened in the future that all might some day he under one flag.
 There was a further touch of face. tiousness to the debate when one Of the republicans asked MT Cl k if he would like to be the first president Of the magnificent union he was creat- ing. and he replied amid burst of laughter that he certainly would.
 The excitement abroad was attrib- uted at the capitol today in part to the fact that mum Der Of English and Canadian newspaper correspondents were in the press gallery following the debate when Mir. Clark spoke.
 Ills remarks may have appealed to them as the most important feature of the story and have been cabled ac- cordingly. In "sk,eletonizing" his re- marks fer cable purposes the semi numerous character of the debate probably was entirely lost sight of
 Friends of the reciprocity measure were inclined to take the view that opponents of the agreement had sim ply seized npcn what was regarded here as an entirely personal and harmless statement to make capital against the ratifiction of the agree ment
 declaration similar to that made by Mir. Clark was contained in the opening speech last Monday in favor Of the reciprocity bill in the house de- livered by Representative Hill. of Con necticut, a member of the ways ana means committee and member or the administration party. This speech widely reported In the American papers. caused not a ripple SO Tar as its annexation sentiments were con cerned.
 Mir. Hill also quoted from speech made few years ago by SpeaNer Cannon, in which he not only tooN Canada in under his American nag but proposed to make the entire west ern hemisphere into one country
 Democratic leaders particularly were pleased today over the passage of the Mccall bill. Representative uh derwood. of Alabama, minority leader Mir Ciariz's chief lieutenant ann the chairman Of the ways and means con- mittee of the next congress. said ie regarded the action of the house as in every way helpful to the democrats that 1t marked the beginning or the end of high prot ection and fore shadowed democratic victory In the national elections in 1912.
 He said the republicans hy the'r