Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-08-30
SAYS TAFT MIssTATED
Declares He Accepts Onslaught Made
as Badge of Honor.
THREATENS TO CUT OFF SUPPLIES
Any Attempt to Delay Revision Will
Be Met at Once.
PAYS REsPECTs 10 INSURGENTS
Leader OF Democrats says Small
Faction of Republicans Never
Take Up CudEeIs In own
Behalf.

QUINCY. ILL.,. Aug 2s.-Champ Clark,
speaker Of the national house Of represen-
tatives. before leaving here early today,
replied emphatically to President Tafts
speech Of defiance to insurgent republicans
and democrats. delivered at Hamilton.
Mass. last Saturday.
In a signed interview the speaker ac-
cused the president of not stating facts.
He said he did not reply for the insurgent
republicans who never will take up the
cudgels IN their own behalf"
He declared, among other things, IL the
tariff board ls to be used as a pretext for
delaying tariff revision downward. the
democrats will cut off its supplies.
President Taft's speech at Hamilton,
Mass, last Saturday" said Speaker 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 re-
publicans in congress, singing out Chair
man Underwood and myself particularly
as democratic targets.
II accept his onslaught as a badge Of
honor.
Criticism UncaIIed For,
The presidents criticism Of Mr.. Under
wood and myself. which is essentially
criticism OF all democrats in the house and
senate because all demPcrats stood to-
Eether, is absolutely uncalled for and is
as ungrateful a performance as l can re-
member, for II It had not been for the
action Of democrats in the house in both
the past and Forty-second congress in
lining up almost unanimously in favor Of
reciprocity with Canada, he would have
been the most thoroughly discredited and
Inundated president since the days Of An
| drew johnson.
with all the influence and patronage of
his great office, he could not muster
majority of house republicans for reciproc-
| ity in either the Slxty-first or the Sixty
second congresses. After we pulled him
| out of the hole in the Sixty-first congress,
he wrote a letter of thanks to Mr.. Mccall
of Massachusetts and the republicans, and
not word of thanks to the democrats
when we repeated the performance of
pulling him out Jf the hole in the sixty
second congress he did divide the thanks
between democrats and republicans. That
was after I and other democrats had ex-
pressed our opinions with considerable
force and bluntness about his letter Of
| thanks to Mr.. Mccall.
THE president says we did not play poll
tics about reciprocity. but that we did play
|
we played was to keep faith with the peo-
pie and to religiously redeem the promises
we made in order to win the election In
1910, which is the best and noblest sort Of
politics. If any politics was played on reci-
procity the president himself played it,
| personal at that.
| Accept the Issue.
That was a queer and suggestive picture
/ for democrats and tariff reform republicans
to contemplate-the president making a
standpat speech at Hamilton, Mass, on
the farm of my good stsndpst friend, Hon.
| Augustus Peabody Gardner. flanked on one
side by Brother Gardner himself and on
| the other by Gardner's renowned father
in-law Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, chief
OF protective tariff highbinders That was
! enough to make the angels weep.
"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. We confidently believe that the
people will endorse our cause and give to
us the victory, for we have right and truth
| and justice on our side"