The Washington herald., 1913-05-24
CORRUPT PUBLIC
men ARE SCARCE
Speaker Clark Wiling to Bet
No Man IN Congress Would
.js Sell Vote.
TALKS TO GRADUATES
Optimism b Keynote Of Address Made
At Friends School Last
Night.
TALKS TO GRADUATES

1 There Is an unusual number OF pessim-
lists abroad In the world today. and they
do more harm than good. This il what
Champ Clark. Speaker Of the House. told
| the graduating class of Friends School
| last night. His topic was. THE World
Is Growing Better" His daughter, Gen.
evieve, is a member OF the graduating
class.
In the last decade, the Speaker said.
hearing, and the unrest which they have
produced has reached around the world.
Their motto is, " Whatever is, is bad"
| he continued, and no institution nor per-
| son is safe from their attack.
These pessimists declaim that all pub
lie men are corrupt Is there an instance
of any priest, rabbi, or minister going
wrong? They say that all priests. rabbis.
and ministers are bad and the church is
q pernicious institution. They claim that
the charitable organizations are run for
graft, and that, all Institutions OF the
present are wrong, he said. -
rs the marriage relation q failure
Is one of their fayorite captions, the
Speaker said.
''Of course. marriage is a failure In
some cases." Speaker Clark conceded.
but only in very few cases. Then. too.
often wonder just what they would
substitute
Votes Not for Sale.
In refutation OF the judgment Of pessi-
mists, in regard to public men. the
Speaker said:
II know every one Of the 4s5 members
in the House like a book, and I would
be willing to bet my head that there
isn't one among them whose vote could
be bought at any price. The vote wrong
sometimes. but that is only through ig-
norance or wrong party training. The
continual charges Of corruption against
public men is hurtful to everybody. The
world would be better OF without the
pessimists.
''Duels are no longer tolerated. What
would happen to Vice President Mar
shall-good Democrat that he is-were
he today to do as Aaron Burr, to shoot
and kill some brother statesman" the
Speaker asked. Finish prize fights, lot
teries and mail frauds and war. Speaker
Clark pointed out have also gone out
of date TO make way for a better age.
Why every body knows that children
are treated better today the Speaker
smiled. When / was young. children
were beaten like sacks. ! congratulate
you boys that you were born since that
custom has become old-fashioned."
Bad men are rapidly diminishing in
every walk OF lie, ne SdlQ.
Country Intended TO Live In.
In the cities. the Speaker admitted.
new evils have sprung up, but. he stated.
that God never meant that the people
should live in cities. To illustrate the
lack of interest which city folks have
for one another he stated that he had
lived across the hall from a certain
family in Washington apartment house
for more than a year without ever learn
ing anything about them. "All l ever
knew OF them" he said, was that the
woman has a musical voice"
His concluding charge to the graduates
was that they should remember that
educated people owed more to their
country, church. and to the race than
do those who are not educated.
Speaker Clark was introduced to his
audience by Thomas W. SidweIl, prtn-
cipal of Friends School. He announced
at the beginning Of his address that he
would follow the five-minute rule of the
House, which he regarded as the best
rule ever made upon the subject OF
speech making.
Saens' Song of the Dawn" and Cad
mans From the Land Of the Sky Blue
Water" The Girls Glee Club sang
"Orpheus with His Lutte CRiccD, and
The Shoozy Shoe" Packard. DR.. Sid
well presented the diplomas to the grad
yates. Harry Patterson Hopkins gave a
piano solo, ''Tarantelle," In G minor
GiszO. Members of the graduating
class were Katharine Hawxhurst. pres
ident: Constance Weaver. vice president:
Grafton Tyler Brown, secretary: Elmer
Hovenden Gates, treasurer: Harry j.
Burch, .Genevieve Champ Clark. Sybil
Davis. Lowell Shuster Harding, Ruth |
Raymond Patterson. Jean Harmon Rob- |
erts absent in Europe