Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1913-04-04
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE.
BY CLYDE H. TAvENNER.
Washington, D. C, March 81, 1918.

| III OLIDE H lANENNEk.
Washington, D. c., March 81, 1918.
Speaker Champ Clark intends to coop
crate in whole-hearted sincerity with Presi-
dent Wilson to carry out the promises con-
tanned in the Baltimore platform. From
the moment the Baltimore convention ad-
journed, he never had any other thought
in view, and, furthermore, he has taken
advantage of every opportunity to advise
all Democrats to pull together for the sue
cess of the administration and the good of
the party.
That Champ Clark is not the kind of a
man to sulk, and that he will not, was
borne home forcibly to every Democratic
member of the new House at the recent
caucus at which the speaker was unani-
mously reelected to preside over the Sixty
third Congress. Unfortunately, no news
paper men were permitted to be present
at this caucus, and the ringing speech
made by Speaker Clark on behalf of party
solidarity did not get into the newspapers
to any appreciate extent. have the con-
sent of the speaker as well as the Demo-
cratic caucus to publish such parts of the
speech as desire. Space will not permit
the printing Of the complete remarks of
the speaker which is to be regretted, be-
cause the speech is a complete REPUTATION
of the intimations which have appeared in
the press recently to the effect that Mr..
Clark is unfriendly to the new administra-
ton.
Since the foundation of our govern
ment." declared Mr.. Clark, mo party ever
had fairer prospect of long lease of
power or better chance of promoting the
welfare and prosperity of the country than
the Democratic party has. What will we
do with our opportunity The voters have
only placed us on probation. Can we make
goodS Can we vindcate the vast army of
voters who gave us the power to conduct the
government Undoubtedly we can. How
By keeping faith with the people. By re-
ligiously carrying out the promises by rea-
son of which we won. By transmitting
into law our pledges to improve the con-
ditions under which we live. If we do this,
the people will recognize it and approve
our conduct
DEMOCRATIC PROMISES PLAIN.
There is no doubt what our promises
were. They were writ large in the Balti-
more platform. Our first promise was a
tariff for revenue only, and to give the
people that, or as close an approx
nation thereto as possible, is the first
duty of the new administration and of the
new Congress- and in passing it may be
said. and ought to be said, that tariff re-
duction which does not reduce the cost of
living is not worth the paper on which it
is printed.
Following that we promised to strength
en- the antitrust law; to establish an in
come tax; to revise the banking laws ;
to improve our waterways; to provide
for a reasonable conservation system
to create a new department of labor,
which we have already done, and to de-
clare the nations purpose touching the
Philippines. II is an extensive program,
but it is our duty to work it out. The
only way to achieve it is for every Demo-
crat in official position to give the best
there is in him to help redeem our promises
by subOrdinating individual ambition to
the public veal.
THAT any man fit for official station
will let his likes and dislikes interfere with
his cooperating with any other Democrat
in unifying the party in its herculean and
multifariOus tasks to redeem our pledges
and thereby contributing, as believe. to
the increased prosperity and happiness of
the American people, is thing incredible.
The suggestion Of such state of affairs
comes from faint-hearted Democrats who
are forever seeing ghosts or from malig-
nant marplOts who though masQuerading
as Democrats, are not Democrats at all,
but wolves in sleeps clothing. Certain Of
these venomOus eleventh-hOur Democrats
are loud-mouthed in proclaiming trouble
where none exists and in laying down q
rule Of conduct for real Democrats.
Genuine Democrats who have the good
of the party and the country at heart would
do well to give no heed to these self-styled
Democrats whose chief business is to stir
up strife among Democrats by fOully SIAN
dering any Democrat who has earned theil
enmity by being Democrat at all times
under all circumstances and at all places
Democrats should take to heart the
philosophy of the old saying Beware o.
| tnc OroekS bearing RlItS. MOST aS5uredly
Democrats should remember what happen.
ed to them by reason of their family quar-.
rels from March 4, 1893, to March 10
1910, when for the first time in seventeen
years the Democrats in the House electri-
fled the country by voting together not a
man missing In a great struggle That
was a red-letter day in the history OF
Democracy.
WILL ACT WITH Wilson.
THE House Democrats have been to-
gether ever since and while neither a
prophet nor the son of a prophet, pre-
dict that they will in the Sixty-third Con
gress act in unison, not only with them
selves but with President Wilson.
After listening much and talking little
the best way to Learnt have yet to
find House Democrat who does not take
that view Of ii. II the lesson from our own
historic quarrels is not sufficient, we would
do well TO ponder the present Republican
fued and the wOeful plight to which it has
| reduced the party Of Abraham Lincoln"
In MemOriam.