Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-03-08
.LAUD CHAMP CLARK
Speaker of House Greeted as
the Next President.
LOUDLY CHEERED BY 5000
Birthday Anniversary Celebration
Proves Presidential Boom.
OPENS HIS HEART TO PUBLIC
Confesses He Likes Praise and De
sires to Deserve Favorable Opin-
ion Of Good Men and Women.

Champ Clark, our next President of
the United States,' was the slogan, car
ried in the program, that reused to pro-
longed cheers and wild applause the 5000
persons who gathered in Convention Hall
last night to celebrate the sixty-second
birthday anniversary of the Speaker Of
the House.
And Speaker Clark made the occa sion
more notable than the outpourirg the Dis
trict residents made it by asking that no
friend of his say anything unlSind Of any
other candidate for the democratic presi-
dental nomination
For what will it profit a man to get a
nomination." he said, IF he lose the cleo
tion:'
Some Of the other candidates for Presi-
dent-Harmon. Wilson and even Roose-
velt-received some generous applause
when their names were mentioned by the
name was the signal for an enthusiastic
demonstration. And when the Speaker
himself rose to speak the enthusiasm
brought every member Of that audience
to his feet with cheers from masculine
threats and applause from feminine
hands. while hats were thrown in the air
and handkerchiefs were waved.
In it's local significance the meeting in
augurated the campaign for the election
of Clark delegates to the democratic ma
tional convention in Baltimore in June.
Fulton r. Gordon, president OF the parent
Champ Clark Democratic Club Of this
city, was the temporary chairman, and
Representative Medley Of Kansas was the
permanent chairman: Speeches filed
with optimism as to Clark's prospects for
taking possession Of the White House
next year We're made by Senator Reed of
Missouri. Representa- tive Graham of ILL
nOis and former Representative Lafe
Pence Of Iowa.
Clark Cheered as he Enters.
companied by Mrs. Clark. about o'clock,
and as he walked down the aisle to the
stage cheer after cheer went up and the
| band struck up you've Got to Stop
Kickin' My Houn' Around A steady
| stream of people was pouring into the
hall. and there was a delay of fifteen
minutes while the audience was filing uI
| the seats.
| In the meantime the band struck the
familiar strains Of Casey Jones'" and
| there was sung the campaign parody, the
last chorus Of which runs:
''Old Champ Clark, Speaker of Congress
| Old Champ Clark, a mighty man is he;
| Old Champ Clark. Speaker OF Congress,
And he'll be elected to the presidency
| After the congratulatOry speeches ha6
been finished Speaker Clark did not wai
to be introduced. AS he stepped to thu
front of the platform he faced a wilG
scene of enthusiasm that lasted for some
time. Just as the audience was growing
quiet some one shouted:
Three cheers for the next President
Champ Clark That set the audienc
| on fire again, and the three cheers wer
l given with a wilt
The House will be in order" shoute
| the Speaker. quoting the phrase wit
| which he opens the daily sessions of tn
| House. and the happy expression caugh
the crowd and great wave of laughte
spread through the hall. He then said:
When Mr.. Clark Was Young.
when / was a youth attending tn
Cincinnati Law School, Mr.. Clark said
II heard George II. Pendleton, then il
the prime of his manly beauty. say Il
the Grand Opera House, in response to
great ovation rendered him. The sweet