The Irish standard., 1911-09-02
CLARK REPLIES TO TAFT.

! WHICH, liz CIlllSlSSu LIE WOIh VI Tile
national house Of representatives and
in particular manner it's honored
and worthy Speaker, received a most
emphatic answer from the Hon. Champ
| Clark in a signed interview at Quincy,
Ill.,, on Tuesday last where he had
gone to deliver an address. 1t was a
magnificent defense Of the Democratic
position. The following excerpts from
Speaker Clark's letter will be found
most interesting reading:
president Taft's speech at Hamil-
ton, Mass, last Saturday." said Speak
err Clark, "can only be described as
remarkable, when the history of the
recent past is taken into considera-
ton. He essayed the rather large
stunt of running amuck on both the
Democrats and the insurgent Repub-
licans III congress, singing out Mr.
Chairman Underwood and myself par
ticularly as Democratic targets.
II accept his onslaught as badge of
honor.
THE presidents criticism of Mr..
Underwood and myself which is essen
TALLY a criticism of all Democrats in
the house and senate, because all
Democrats stood together, is absolute
ly uncalled for and is as ungrateful a
| performance as l can remember; for,
| 1oI 60,
| Democrats in the house in both the
| siXty-t1rst and sixty second congresses
in lining up almost unanimously in ia
vor of reciprocity with Canada, he
| would have been the most thoroughly
discredited and Inundated president
since the days of Andrew Jackson.
"He seems to think that we ought
to have adjourned SO soon as recipro-
city was disposed of-that is he seems
to think that congress is composed of
lot of school boys to be ordered
about by him as head teacher; but he
was forewarned both by Mr.. Under
wood and myself that if he called the
extraordinary session, we would pass
tariff bills and such other bills as the
Democrats deemed advisable. He will
not deny that statement.
IF we had done less than we did
do, we would not have been worthy
of SO great portion of public conf
dence as we now enjoy. We made the
best record of constructive statesman
ship made by any congress in the same
length Of time in a generation and that
fact is precisely what caused the
president to assail the Decocrats in
congress.
HE had said the rates of the wool
schedule in the Payne-Aldrich tariff
bill were too high and ought to be re-
duced. We reduced them. In the teeth
of his Winona 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 relieved the people, by
giving them much cheaper clothing
and blankets. He vetoed it, thereby
going over, boots and breeches, to the
stand-patters.
I'VE cheerfully meet him on that
ISSUE We stand for the best interests
of the masses: he stands for a handful
of protected tariff barons and, by his
veto, enables them to continue to levy
unjust and exorbitant tribute upon the
consumers of the land. He appears to
hope that the consumers will kiss his
hand. which is the hand that smote
them sorely.
at might as we'll be understood now
as later, that if the tariff board is to
be used as pretext for delaying tar
if revision downward, as the presi-
dent is now using it, instead of expe-
vision, it's days will be few, for We
will cut off its supplies This board
has already cost 100000 or $4,000
and has not given to congress any in
formation to aid in revising the tariff
Mr.. Underwood and say that we
would gladly receive information on
the tariff from anybody possessing it:
but we never did say and never will
say that we, together with other mem
bers we'll informed OH the subject
must wait until the presidents board
or any other board got ready to make
recommendations.
THAT was queer and suggestive
picture. for Democrats and tariff re-
form Republicans to contemplate: the
president making stand-pat speech
at Hamilton. Mass. on the farm of my
good stand-pat friend. Augustus Pea
body Gardner. fanked on one side by
Brother Gardner himself, and on the
other by Gardeners renowned father
inlaw, Senator Henry Cabot Lodge