The Washington times., 1912-08-30
SPEAKER CLARK
LAUDS WILSON
. At BAR HARBOR
Answers Arguments Of In
experience And Altering Of
Views BY Governor.

BAR HARBOR, Me-, Aug, 30-
Speaker Champ Clark, addressing a
large crowd here today. renewed his
pledge to do all in his power to bring
about the election of the one who de-
feated him for the nomination at Bal
timore.
In part, the Speaker said:
Under the rules of the Democratic
party Gov. Woodrow Wilson, of New
Jersey, and Gov. Thomas r. Marshall,
of Indiana, were at the Baltimore con-
venton nominated as our standard
bearers in the impending contest. They
are men Of high character and Demo
Gratis are united in their support. This
is as 1t should be, for the chief work
in hand is to rescue the Government
from Republican maladministration. AS
j have afready said, we have not what
the British have-'a responsible govern
ment,'-th nearest approach thereto
which we can have under the Constitu-
ton is to have House. Senate, and Pres
ident all of the same political faith.
Hence 1 am anxious to see the Demo-
Gratis capture all three legislative
branches of the Government so that
we can try our theory. Then, II 1t
the fact and reward us. II 1t proves
bad in practice, the people will throw
us out, as they should do.
IF, however, all three branches of
the legislative are not of the same po-
litical faith, neither party gets an op-
portunity to try its theory. We have
recently witnessed at Washington a
spectacle of Democratic House pass
tn0 hox
greatly reduced the high cost of liv-
ing and which would have gone far
toward relieving the people of the
burden of heavy taXes-and of a Re-
publican President vetoing these bills
as fast as they reached him. So I re-
peat that we want House, Senate, and
President, all three to be Democratic.
so far in this campaign the two ,prin-
cipal criticisms leveled against Govern
or Wilson are:
IThat he has had little experience in
public life.
-That his opinions on certain sub
jects have changed in the lapse of time.
As to the latter, while consistency Is
ranked among the virtues, 1t Is much
better to be right though inconsistent,
than to be consistent though wrong. The
question is not what Governor Wilson or
any other man thought twenty or fifteen
or ten or five years ago, but what he
thinks now. We are acting in the liv-
ing present, for people now in this
country and for the millions yet to be
not cropping in the dead past.
'As to his lack of experience as a pub
hc man, / may be permitted to suggest
to those most concerned that General
Taylor had no experience whatsoever,
never having voted even a single time,
and that General Arthur had very little
experience. It was universally conceded
that those Presidents, discharged their
duties as Chief Executives of the ma
ton faithfully and we'll. Everybody
admits that Abraham Lincoln was a
great President. Many deem him the
greatest of the twenty-siX. All agree
that he was one of the four greatest.
His name is written high on the scanty
list of the irnmortals: yet prior to his
election to the Presidency his entire
public service consisted of term or
two in the Illinois Legislature and one
term in Congress.
Governor Wilson's public career con-
sists of two years as governor of a great
Commonwealth. Everybody declares
that he has made good governor. and
If he makes as great a President as
Lincoln. even the most fastidious should
be satisfied. He was for years profess
sor in famous institutions of learning
and president of one of the greatest
universities in the land. or in the world.
AS a Presidential cholar he will rank
with Thomas jefferson. James Madison,
John Quincy Adams and James A. Gar
field"