The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1912-02-01

tunes of the party. He led it, too, in
the DARKEST and most despairing days
Of Democratic history He has been
fearless, aggressive, undaunted and
clear. He has fought the Republic
an leaders upon the floor Of the house,
upon the hustings, and upon the Amer
lean platform-the ablest and best
Of them-and has sustained the princi-
pies and the prestige of the party
in every field of intellectual conten-
ton.
Moreover, it was under the leader
ship of Champ Clark that the despot-
ic Cannon regime was destroyed in
the house of representatives, and that
the rules were reorganized. It was
his own signal judgment of men that
elevated Oscar Underwood to the
craftsmanship of the ways and means
committee. Not measure has been
considered or decided upon in the all
powerful caucus of the Democratic par
ty without the concurrence and CO.
operation of the speaker Of the house.
Not legislative sparrow has fall
en- to the Democratic soil without the
knowledge and cooperation of Champ
Clark.
Neither Oscar Underwood, nor any
other Democrat, can or will attempt to
deprive Champ Clark of the just lau-
rels of the titular and actual leader
ship of the greatest and most effec-
tive fighting machine that the Demo
cratic party has ever known!
If ne Democratic party, by its
achiev ements, shall deserve the sui
frages Of the American people in the
election of 1912, then Champ Clark log
ically by his perfect record, richly de-
serves to lead that party to victory at
the polls.
Strong Claim on Democrats.
In another way, the speaker of the
house Of representatives has Pc
culiar claim upon the appreciation and
suffrage of that great body of the peo-
pie whose political faith is expressed
in the Democratic party. In the re-
cent strong and powerful arraignment
which Mr.. Clark has made Of the Re-
publican president for his veto Of the
Democratic tariff measures, he has
gathered to himself the aggressive
leadership of that fundamental prin-
ciple of representative government in
tact against executive usurpation.
President Taft went into office un-
der a distinct pledge of tariff revision
downward. The people voted him into
Office upon the strength of that pledge,
and his election was an expression
of the public will for reduced taxa
ton and consequently the reduced cost
of living.
The Republican party, under the Re-
publican president, failed to fulfill it's
pledges to the American people, and
instead of the bread of genuine tar
if revision downward they offered to
the people the stone of the Payne-Ald-
rich tariff bill.
Then came the election Of 1910, in
which the people expressed their re-
sentiment of the unfulfilled Republican
pledge of tariff revision, and once
more voiced Their wishes upon this vi
tai economic measure by the landslide
which overthrow Roosevelt and the
Republican party, and gave the house
OF representative to the Democracy
So that there have been two
mandates from the people upon this
vital question:: First, in the election
of President Taft. Second, in the Dem
ocratic landslide-both definite and ex-
plicit in the demand for tariff reform.
Therefore, when President Taft,
against an overwhelming majority of
the Democratic house Of representa-
tives, and against. pronounced ma
jority of the Republican and Demo-
cratic senate, strangled with his veto
the public will, which called for tar
If revision downward, he used his
veto not more for the discontinue of