The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-08-29
LINES ARE DRAWN
Champ Clarke Accepts the Pres
ident's Gage of Battle.
Issues a Reply to the Speech
Made at Hamilton.
TAFT Is UNGRATEFUL
And Also Misstates the Facts,
the Speaker Declares.
Threatens to Cut Off Supplies
of the Tariff Board.
TAFT is UNGRATEFUL

Quincy, Ill, Aug. 29."Champ Clark,
speaker of the national house of rep
resentatives, before leaving here early
today. replied emphatically to Presi-
/ dent Taft's speech delivered at Hamil-
ton, Mass, last Saturday.
In a signed interview, the speaker
| accused the president OF not stating
facts. He said he did not reply for
the insurgent Republicans who mo
doubt will take up the cudgel in their
own behalf
He declared among other things,
that if the tariff board is to be used
as q pretext for delaying tariff revision
downward the Democrats Will cut off
its supplies.
president Taft's speech at Hamil-
ton, Mass, last Saturday, said Speak
er Clark, "can only be described as
remarkable, when the history of the
recent past is taken into consideration.
He essayed the rather large stunt of
running amuck on both the Democrats
and the insurgent Republicans in con
gress, singing out Mr. Chairman I'm
derwood and myself particularly as
Democrat targets T accept his on
slaught as a. badge of honor.
The president and I are personal
friends. He has done me many kind
nesses and I have tried to repay them
so far as opportunity has served. He
is as a. rule most amiable gentleman,
but at the time he seems to have been
feat staring him in the face. would
say nothing unkind about him. but I
can not and will not permit his per-
sona1 structures and his bald misstate-
ment of historical facts to go unchal-
lenged.
Taft Is UngratefuI.
"The presidents criticism of Mr.. I'm
derwood and myself, which is essential
ly a criticism of all Dem Ocrats in the
house and senate is absolutely I1nca1I-
cd fnf II
ance IS car rem enlber. for, if it had not
been for the action of the Democrats
in the house in both the Sixty-first and
Sixty-second congresses in lining uD
almost unanimously in favor of re-
ctprocity with Canada, he would have
been the most thoroughly discredited
and humiliated president since the days
OF Andrew johnson. The president
says, that We did not play politics about
reciprocity but that we did play poll
tics about the tariff The only poll
tics we played was to keep faith with
tho people If any politics was played
on reciprocity the president himself
PLAYED it-personaI ct that
He seems to think we ought 20 have
adjourned as soon s reciprocity was
disposed of-that is. he seems to think
congress is composed of a lot of school
boys to be ordered by him as head
teacher; but he was foreWarned both
by Mr.. Underwood and myself that if
he called the extraordinary session We
would pass tariff bills and such other
bills as the Democrats deemed adVlS-
able. He will not deny that statement
1--WE made the best record Of con-
structive craftsmanship made by any
congress in the same length of time IN
a generation and that fact is precisely
what caused the president to assan the
Democrats in congress. He had SAID
the rates Of the wool schedule N he
Payne-Aldrich tariff bill were too hign
and ought to be reduced We reduced
80 III
speech and his other declarations to
the effect that said rates were too high
and ought to be reduced, he vetoed our
wool bill, which largely reduced The
rates and would have greatly reiis9ed
the people by giving them much cheap
er clothing and blankets. He vetoed it,
thereby going over boots and breeches
to the standpatters.
Accepts the Issue.
I'VE cheerfully meet him on shat
ISSUE
Mr.. Clark asserts that the members
of the tariff board, while well Informed
men in a general way, are not tariff ex-
perts and are not as well qualified 20
furnish information on the tariff, as
are Mr.. Underwood and himself, vino
have studied the question for many
years.
In reply to the criticism Of the presi-
dent that the wool bill was rushed
through congress without due consid-
Democrats devoted just ten times as
much time to a schedule as did
Brother Payne and his Republican
coadjutors on ways and means"
Instead of being slapped hastily
together without due consideration,
the wool bill was one of the most
thoroughly and carefully considered
tariff bills ever presented to any pres
ident for his signature said Mr.
Clark.
I'm view of the foregoing facts it
surely must be that the president in
his zeal to reform the broken lines of
the standpatters forgot that all men
were entitled to square deal when
he uttered this monstrous and pre-
posterous sentence:
d" The bills bear internal evidence
OF the fact that they are on basis of
not tariff for revenue only, but tariff
for politics only
Really I do not see how he could
find ii in his heart to utter the fore
going words for which there is no ba-
sis of the fact in the universe The
president rushed in to create an issue.
We pick UP the glove flung into our
faces and the faces of the consumers
of the land. We gladly accept his
gage of battle.
Weds sixth Husband at SO.
TROY Mo Aug 29-Mrs Nancy