Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-04-07
FLAYS TAFT'S VETO
Champ Clark Is Severe on His
Killing Tariff Bills.
LAUDS THOMAS JEFFERSON
Speaker of House Makes Address at
Louisville, Ky.
SAYS DEMOCRATS WILL WIN
IF We Lose This Fight It Will Be
Through Overconfidence,"
He Declares.
LAUDS THOMAS JEFFERSON
SAYS DEMOCRATS WILL WIN

LOUISVILLE, KY, April 6-Speaker
Clark in an address here tonight at the
celebration OF Jcfferson's birthday lauded
the author of the Declaration of indie
pendence as the greatest statesman that
ever lived" and incidentally took occasion
to observe that President Taft's exer-
else of the veto power would receive
rebuke at the hands of the American
people.
President Taft" said Speaker Clark.
vetoed all our tariff bills, therby raising
an issue which will rage with undated
fury until the polls close in November.
Under the Constitution he has the pre-
rogative of using the veto. SO has the
King of Great Britain, but no British
king has dared use the veto in two CEN
turtles. and the first British king VINO
does veto an important bill Will DC the
last of his line. just as William howard
Taft will be the last of the standpat
Presidents He made his record; we made
onrs ON that record we confidently ap-
neal to the people, the court OF last
resort in politics.
To his tribute to Jefferson'S statesman
ship Speaker Clark added his estimate
that the great Virginian was the pro-
foundest philosopher that ever devoted MS
life to politics. the foremost ana tailest
among the torch-bearers and path-olazers
of human liberty.
Scarcely Do Justice to Washington.
Declaring that Jefferson's reputation
was topped by that Of only one otner'
Washington, the Speaker said
I'VE scarcely do justice to washington
even vet He rendered more important
service to his country and to human I'D
ertv as President of the constitutional
convention than as either commanoer-in-
cbJef Of our armies or as President OF the
United States, for it is almost certain
that but for his all-pervading influence In
the convention no Constitution Wouio
have been agreed upon. and but Tor the
absolute certainty that he would be the
first President the. Constltutloh "ouiu
never have been ratified
Speaker Clark cited as an unusual IN
cident that Jefferson wrote tie. ms us. own ha
epitaph Passing over the fact that ne
had been a member Of the continental
Congress, minister to France, secretary
of state Vice President and President, ne
set forth his three achievements tent IN Inc
Thomas Jefferson, author Of the Declare
ton of American Independence, OF the
statute of Virginia for religious freedom,
and father of the University OF virginia.
Speaker Clark characterized 1t as the
strangest literary omission in all history
that Jefferson failed to mention the
most stupendous and benefcent' OF all
his achievements. 1.-The louisiana pur,
chase" The three achievements clted
in the epitaph might have been accom-
plished by other minds
Disciples Of Jefferson.
We claim to be disciples of Thomas
Jefferson" said Speaker Clark. in taking
up present-day issues. What do we
stand for today? We are as much
against special privilege and as much In
favor Of equal rights to all as he was.
We believe and we proclaim our faith
in the great body OF the people, and that
the law should give every citizen an
equal opportunity In the race OF life.
We won the election Of 1910 on these
principles, stated. perhaps In different
way. but on the principles enunciated
by Jefferson, nevertheless.
And the democratic House over wnicn
/ have the honor to preside has kept the
faith. and has redeemed. or is in process
of redeemtng, every promise MADE IN
order to achieve that victory. The high
protective tariff system and the trusts
are bottomed on special privilege against
which Jefferson contended al his life. 1t
is unjust to use the taxing power to en-
rich a few men at the expense Of the
great body of the taxpayers.
THE high protective tariff is the
mother of trusts. The trusts will never
be abolished until the tariff is cut to a
revenue basis or to as close an approx
nation thereto as possible. The truth is
that the tariff question and the trust
question are one and the same. The
republicans promised before the elections
with power they would reduce the tariff.
Without that promise they could not have
carried the country. On that promise
they did carry the country, and i'm
mediately proceeded to revise the tariff
up. For that stupendous piece Of bad
faith the people trounced them in 1910. and
will trounce them still more thoroughly
In 1872
Proceeded to Redeem Promises.
I'VE promised to reduce the tariff.
There was nothing equivocal about that,
and We proceeded to redeem that promise
at the extra session Of Congress- We
passed tariff bills which would have
saved to the American people about five
hundred million dollars a year of tariff
burden. 1t should never be forgotten
that under the high protective tar1ff sys-
tenn where one dollar goes into the cof-
fers of the government about five dollars
go into the pockets Of the tariff barons.
THE impending campaign must be
fought out very largely on the record
made by the democrats OF the House In
the Sixty-first Congress- which was so
splendid as to surprise our friends and
dumfound our enemies. and also on the
magnificent record made by the demo-
Gratis IN both House and Senate in the
present Congress. Our prospects of Sue
cess this year are better than they have
been at any time in my recollection.
II We lose this tight II will be through
ovcrconhdence and by reason of a fool
ish dependence on the factional fight
among the republicans Against this I
warn all my democratic friends. In
order to win We must hold all the votes
We received in 1865 and many thousands
more. The only way We can hope to
draw independent voters to our side is by
continuing on the lines upon which the