Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-09-01
CLARK ARRAIGNS TAFT.
Democratic Speaker Goes After Re-
publican President.

Clark, speaker of the national house
of representatives before leaving
here early today. replied emphatical-
ed at Hamilton, Mass, last Saturday
In a signed interview, the speaker
accused the president of not stating
facts.
Mr.. Clark declared among other
things that If the tariff board is to be
used as a pretext for delaying tariff
revision down, the Democrats, would
cut off its supplies.
1.-The president essayed the rather
large stunt of running amuck on both
the Democrats and the insurgent Re-
publicans in congress, singing out
Mr.. Chairman Underwood and my
self particularly as Democratic tar
gets" said Mr.. Clark.
II accept his onslaught as badge
of honor. .-
"The president and I are personal
friends He is an amiable gentleman,
but at the same time he seems to have
been in bad temper, because he
sees defeat staring him in the face.
would say nothing unkind about him
but I cannot and will not permit his
personal structures and his bald mis-
statement of historical facts to go un-
challenged.
1.-THE presidents criticism of Mr.
Underwood and myself, which is es-
sentially a criticism Of all Democrats
in the house and senate, because all
Democrats stood together. is abso-
lutely uncalled for and is as migrate
full a performance as l can remem-
Der. for, If it had not been for the ac-
ton of the Democrats in the house in
both the sixty-first and sixty-second
congresses in lining up almost unani-
mously in favor Of reciprocity with
Canada, he would have been the
most thoroughly discredited and hu-
inflated president since the days of
Andrew Johnson.
with all the influence and patron
muster majority of house Republi-
cans for reciprocity in either the six
ty-first or the sixty-second congresses.
THE president says that he did not
play politics about reciprocity, but
that we did play politics about the
tariff The only politics we played
was to keep faith with the people. If
any politics was played on reciprocity
the president himself played it-per-
sonal at that.
He seems to think that we ought
to have adjourned as soon as reci-
procity was disposed of-that is, he
seems to think that congress Is COM
posed of a lot of school boys to be
ordered about by him as head teacher
but he was forewarned by both Mr..
Underwood and myself that II he
called the extraordinary session we
would pass tariff bills and such other
bills as the Democrats deemed advis-
able He will not deny that statement.
"If we had done less than we did
we would not have been worthy of so
great a portion of public confidence
as we now enjoy. We made the best
record of constructive craftsmanship
made by any congress in the same
length Of time in a generation and
that fact is precisely what caused the
president to assault the Democrats in
congress.
He had said the rates of the wool
schedule in the Payne-Aldrich bill
were too high and ought to be re-
duced We reduced them. In the
teeth of his other declarations that
said rates were too high, he vetoed
our wool bill, thereby going over
boots and breeches to the stand pat
ters.
The president endeavors to convey
the impression that Mr.. Underwood
and advocated his tariff commission.
We did no such thing.
I'VE were never in favor of tariff
board or commission under the con-
troll of the president alone, responsive
to him only. The Congressional Rec
ord will fully and clearly prove my
contention herein stated.
Several members of the house,
both Republicans and Democrats, in
Guiding Mr.. Underwood and myself
have spent half a life time studying
and debating the tariff
90
senate members even goes back to
the Mills bill and the Morrison bills.
Then why should we wait for the ver-
dict of the presidents board of tariff
non-eXperts?
1T will be noted that while the
presidents conscience would not per-
nit him to sign a bill revising even
one schedule he promptly signed the
outrageous Payne-Aldrich-S -Smoot tar
if bill without the counsel, advice or
tuition of any tariff board whatso-
ever.
1T might as we'll be understood
now as later that If the tariff board
Is to be used as pretext for delaying
tariff revision downward, it's days will
be few, for we will cut off its supplies.
This board already has cost three or
four hundred thousand dollars and
has not given to congress any infor-
nation to aid in revising the tariff.
THE president himself is a man of
large general information as we'll as a
man Of great ability, but certainly he
is not enough of a tariff expert to JUS
tify him in vetoing tariff bills which
passed the house by majorities of
more than two to one.
The president implies that he re-
fused to sign the wool bill because 1t
was introduced and pushed through
without consideration. Let's see. The
caucus of Democratic members cleo
ted to the siXty-second congress met
January 10 and selected the Demo-
cratic members on ways and means
committee, making Mr.. Underwood
chairman. They personally and with
their helpers at once began to assem-
BILE information on the wool schedule.
The bill was reported to the house
about the middle Of April, a period
of three months, on the proposition of
one schedule out of fourteen, whereas
the hearing on the Payne bill with
fourteen schedules began November
l and the bill was reported to the
house March IS, period of little