Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1911-11-09
CLARK
OR
FOLK !?

Speaker Champ Clark Press Bureau
| i drawing It's inspiration from queer
sources. IN q bulletin recently issued BY
It. appearing the following
Watson and Chiffon Are for Clark. =
tWashington, D. G., Herald.
According to the Wheeling InteIli-
gencer, Senators Watson and Chiffon,
of West Virginia, have determined to
espouse the candidacy Of Champ Clark
for the Presidency. The original in
tention, according TO the same authori.
ty, was to give the State delegation tn
Harmon and in the event Of the latter S
success former Gov. MacCorkle was to
be given q Cabinet position. Now, !"
says the Intelhgencer, call this is
changed. "
Such al statement emanating from
the Republican Newspaper Trust or
gan, which is persistently guilty Of
Misrepresentation and villifcation Of
every thing Democratic, is not calcu
lated to strengthen Mr.. Clark's pros
poets Of securing the West Virginia
delegation to the National Convention.
Apart from the fact that explicit
denial had been made of this statement
Dy the parties charged with endeavOr-
ing to manipulate matters in Governor
Harmon's interest, the latter is too
astute politician to have made any
such decker.
In a recent editorial we made the
following statement:
Champ Clark has endeared himself
to the party by long, able and CON.
sistent service. Many West Virginians
sentimentally might favor him as one
who had passed part Of his early youth
at her schools. But they remember
too. that Champ Clark is an honorable
man and that as Chairman Of the Mis-
souri, State Convention he tacitly
pledged himself to the candidacy Of
Governor Folk for the Presidential
nomination
When Missourl's able Governor with
draws from the race, or when the great
Speaker of the House of Representa-
tives announces himself as an aspirant,
it will be time enough to consider the
candidacy of Champ Clark"
10 which exception has been taken
by one of Mr.. Clark's supporters, who
writing from Washington under date Of
October 9th says:
II was very much surprised to read
in your newspaper the following state
ment 1.-THE one above printed.
The truth is that the law compelled
Mr.. Clark to attend the convention. and
the truth further is that Mr.. Clark and
particularly three other members of the
resolution committee were opposed to
the resolution endorsing Gov. Folk,
but Folk and his lieutenants urged this
move claiming that it was merely COM
plimentary, staring that they and every
one else realized that it was not bind
ing as that convention had no right to
pass on the question. They have ad
mitted that in the newspapers within
the last ten days and have consented
to submit the question to a primary in
Missouri. Mr.. Clark has stated that
the right to select a candidate belongs
to the people of Missouri and that no
man can take the right away from
them. Remember that prior to the
convention that endorsed Folk, the
question Of presidential candidate was
not up in Missouri and the convention
did not meet for the purpose of passing
on that question, but to adopt q plat
form for the 1910 election. The con-
yention was composed Of the State
Committee and the nominations for the
State. Congressional and State Legis-
lature Offices were to be made. There
10 nothing now to prevent Mr.. Clark's
friends from pushing his cause. =
to7which we replied on October 18th,
as follows:
] beg toSown receipt Of your favor
Of the 9th. Certainly, have no de-
sire to do other than deal justly between
candidates in any editorial references s
may make to the coming campaign.
We are al Democrats, and personally
have I high appreciation Of Speaker
Clark and the services he has rendered