The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1911-10-15

n was the magnificent record of
the House Democrats in the sixty first
congress under the leadership of
5Champ Clark. which laid the founda-
3tion for the sweeping victory OF 1910,
!electtng a Democratic house. seven
Republicans and six Democratic gov
sernors to dtsplace. Republicans. Every
one, from the sagest political observer
or to the veriest tyro in politics, who
lstudies the results of the election of
1e10, must be convinced that the vic
tory was distinctly national one. won
on national Issues and due to causes
which stirred the nation.
The battle next year for which
everybody is now actively preparing
must be fought largely on the mag
nihcent record OF the present Demo-
cratic house, of which Champ Clark
Is speaker and in the shaping OF whose
Policies his has been the predominant
influence.
Small wonder, therefore, that his
name stands, high in the list OF the
Democratic presidential probabilities
The logic of events has placed him
there, for since he has made and is
making the record upon which We
must appeal to the country, Ii Is but
logical that he should loom large upon
the horizon as a strong Presidential
probability.
1t is now clear that the Democrats
acted with consummate wisdom In
adopting the plan of revising the
Tariff, schedule by schedule, instead
Of revising II wholesale in one bill.
The schedule by schedule scheme has
worked most admirably and reduces
log rolling to a minimum; and be IL
remembered that the program adopted
Is Clark's plan, proclaimed and cham
pioned by him as soon as he learned
that the Democrats had carried the
house. a.
1t il not natural then, that the
public should desire to know all about
the man who holds the second most
powerful office known to our system
of government, the highest honor
which the Democrats had to bestow,
and there Is nothing strange in the
fact that a great many of them wish
to promote him to the highest station.
It is probable that the career of no
man of this generation is more typi-
cally American than that of the pres
ents speaker Of the house. He unites
within himself the strength and virtues
OF the stern unbending Puritans and
the brilliant Cavaliers. His father was
born in New Jersey and his paternal
grandfather in Connecticut. On his
mothers side all of his ancestors. the
Beauchamps, the Robertsons, the Jets
were Virginians and Kentuckians. His
KIAnQIdLHGI,
Der OF the Kentucky legislature and
his second cousin, James Robertson,
was a representative in congress and
igaaFanked among the greatest CHIEF
Justices Of Kentucky. s
An American of Pure Lineage.
Mr.. Clark describes his father as
having been handsome, highly intel
lectual, uneducated in a technical
sense, though extraordinarily well in
formed, not a public speaker, but a
skillful hand at arguing in private
conversation and in telling an anec-
dote, an ethusiastic amateur Demo-
cratic politician with no desire to hold
office, with a twenty four-inch head,
most of It in front of his ears, abso-
lutely honest, without ambition for
money and accommodating none, SEEM
ingly intended by nature for one OF
the learned professions, with con-
Stunning desire to have his children
well educated"
His mother, Aletha Jane Beau
champ, died when he was three years
old and he does not Femem Der her,
but all accounts agree that she was
a beautiful and lovely woman. He
has no brother and only one sister.
Mrs. Elizabeth Clark Haley, wife of
Rev. ]. J. Haley Of Lodi. California.
Few Americans have had more YER
} satiIe careers. Starting out to make
his own way when but tiny lad he
was successfully farm hand, school
teacher, clerk in a country store,
teacher again, president of a college
at twenty three, editor of a country
newspaper, lawyer, member of the
legislature, congressman and speaker
OF the house of representatives.
He earned his way through college
by his own efforts. teaching school
IN the summer to ear the means to
20 to college during the winter. AL
though he never mentioned the fact,
It is nevertheless true that he gradu-
ated not only with the highest honors
6f his class. but with the highest grade