The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-11-13
Speaker Arrived. Unexpect- edly Last Night for Lee ture Tonight in the
 Lyceum Course
PARTY WILL HOLD
 OWN AND ELECT
 NEXT PRESIDENT
Does Not Expect War to Last Much Longer and Thinks Business
 Conditions Are Improv- ing Every Day

The special revenue bill cost the democratic party 25 congressman and while the enactment of that bill was necessary, it's consideration for the l sake of political expediency should have been postponed.
 1 This was the most pungent and sig l nificant statement made by Champ Clark, democratic speaker of Congress, | in his interview last night with a rep resentative of The Age Herald l Other causes entering into the de- | feat of so many democrats were, in the opinion of Mir. Clark, the extra l ordinarily long session of Congress, the | invariable disgruntling which follows the dispensation of patronage and gen eral business depression incident to the European war.
 However" said the speaker. ''it Is my belief that the democratic party will hold it's own two years hence and as a result elect its candidate for | the presidency. Business condit tions arc l improving daily. The European war cannot last much longer, in my opin- ion. but should 1t continue indefinite | ly, America will take care of itself The people of the world must eat and must wear clothes"
 l Remembered the Hillman 1 The speaker came to Birmingham 10 | hours ahead of schedule. He spoke yes- terday in Columbus, Miss, and took ad- vantage of an opportunity to run on to Birmingham and obtain a much needed I nights rest So he arrived unheralded 1 and in consequence was not met at the station. He knew the way to the Hotel I Hillman, however, for 15 years ago, while on lecture tour, he stopped there over | night. Arriving at the hostelry, he pre- pared to retire early As a matter of fact, he was in the act of retiring when an Age-Herald reporter rapped at his door.
 | Tn his undershrt, the speaker received | the reporter. His first movement proved his familiarity with the gatherers of news For he began talking
 l 'l am having great trip through the l south, he said. ''I have been greeted 1 by large audiences everywhere. Passing through Hattiesburg yesterday, l found myself confronted by a crowd of several | thousand. After speaking in Columbus ] today, I was stopped in Lumberton. The | people there had the train detained m I extra l5 minutes, and insisted that I make a speech. I did so.
 "As result I am fatigued but happy more or less. I am glad to be in Bir- mingham. There are living here two old | congressman whom I remember we'll
 
 will see them tomorrow
 Why Republicans Gained At this point the reporter suggested that 1 it would be becoming in the speaker to talk politics. and especially politics in con l nection with the result of the elections of l Tuesday week.
 "The republicans made startling gains, began MT. Clark. T do not believe that any of the scheduled work of Congress. save in isolated instances, had anything l material to do with tre result For in- stance, l do not believe that the tariff | bill, the currency bill or any other of l the big bills enacted by Congress caused 1 democratic defeats. Of course, the tariff l or sugar elected a congressman from Louisiana, but that was an exception. Tt is my opinion that there were four 1 contributing causes to great republican , gains-the length of the session, the spe- cial revenue bil business conditions re- sultant from the European war and that discontent which always follows dispen- | sation of patronage.
 Congress was in session too long. l was in favor of adjourning many weeks ago. But for the European war we would have adjourned, in my opinion September 1. That would have helped a great deal. For with Congress in session, two demo- crats to one republican were prevented from campaigning for reelection. And let no one deceive you as to the value of cam | paigning. It is the essential in the game of politics.
 Revenue Bill Untimely
 "The special revenue bill cost us in my opinion, 20 congressman. It is to be re- called that the democrats received repub- lican. and progressive aid when they at- tempted to pass the tariff bill. the cur rency bill and other important measure es l Rut when tla Snpcial or enacted the republicans and progressives 1 lined up solidly against it. The political effect was anticipated. The democrats had 1 no opportunity to go out and correct reports spread by republican opponents in the several districts. The revenue bill was necessary all right, but it should not, in my opinion. have been enacted in that | unfortunate moment
 "The European war has affected every kind of business in the United States. | The railroads, 1t seems, have laid off every man they possibly could, and when a man is laid off. meat and bread are taken out of the mouths of five. on an average. And the man laid off votes | against the party in power. There is no i question but that a democrat lost in the Indianapolis district-a great railroad dis 1 triet-because of the fact that railroads laid off so many men, Of course those who failed to share in patronage were sore But this is always the rule.
 Speaker Looks Ahead However, democrats, in my opinion, will hold their own. Business will con tlnue to improve. And I tell you it IS Improving every day. Prosperity is returning rapidly. and should the Flu l ropean war continue indefinitely we
 Will nevertheless forge ahead I do not believe that there is enough money on the face of the earth to keen war going much longer. But if there is, and it is to be obtained, people musr eat and be clothed. and as a result we | will prosper.
 And we will elect our candidate fo,
 the presidency two years hence'' Speaker Clark regrets that many good democrats failed to hold their 1 places in Congress. But he is not If ali blue over the outlook. He beliavea as | a matter of fact, that working ma jority of s1 can do very effective work possibly more effective work than a cumbersome and unwieldly majority oj
 many score.
 We have got to stay on the job. he added. Heretofore. 50 men could be absent without material injury to the cause. In the next Congress we will all have to remain in Washington and earn our wages.
 And the President after March 1 will aDDOint no more members from