Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-04-02
REPEAL BILL PASSES
HOUSE AND PRESIDENT
WINS SIGNAL VICTORY
SPEAKER CLARK
MAKES DRAMATIC
SPEECH IN HOUSE

Washington, March 3l.--Spcaker
Champ ClarlS's speech in the House
to-day closing the argument for the
opponents of the canal tolls cxemp-
ton repeal bill was one of the most
dramatic features of this eXtraordi-
nary contest The speaker said in
part:
MIR. speaker, there is no personal
issue between the President of the
United States and myself. There has
not been at any time. trust there
never win be. have at no time ut
tered one word of criticism of the
President.
at no time or so far as I am in
formed or believe. has the President
said one single word of criticism of
me, In the nature of things a man
who is worthy to hold a high public
post in the service of his country must
believe that other public servants are
actuated by the same high, courage
Gus and patriotic motives by which he
believes himself to be moved.
DOESN'T DESIRE PARTY BREACH
II have never for one moment en-
tertained the opinion that President
Wilson is actuated by other than the
highest patriotic motives. do not
believe that President Wilson has
ever entertained any other opinion as
to the conduct of those of us who find
it necessary to differ with him on this
measure.
president Wilson does not desire a
breach in the Democratic party. | do
- Il.
party ana there is no breach in the
Democratic party. ] would scorn to
believe that President Wilson counten-
ances for one moment the efforts of
some of the jackal press to represent
that we are seeking to disrupt the
Democratic party.
PRESIDENT BIG MAN.
"The President is too big a man not
to desire that this great question
should be fought on it's merits, free
from personalities, which can do no
good and may do much harm. The
President has too high an idea of the
duties of a public servant to desire
members to do other than vote their
conscientious convictions. With most
of those who have asserted that / am
seeking to disrupt the party the wish
is father to the thought.
81 never entertained the slightest ill
will toward the President about tho
Baltimore convention. / wish him
we'll I did all I could to elect him,
far more than some of those who so
vociferously and fusomely praise him
heart he must entertain supreme con
ta, hn or ia CT - tor
him until we are called upon to bolt
do any such thing.
MAY END CAREER
~ have this to say:
The fact that | am making this fight
for our platform pledges may end my
public career. There are many things
worse than being defeated for Congress
or defeated for the speakership, or even
worse than to be defeated for the presi-
dency, and one of them is TO rcpudiate
the platform on which you are elected,
II have no criticism to make of the
democrats who are going to vote for re-
peal. have Co-operated with them so
long We have lost and won together so
often, that it is with genuine sorrow
that ! cannot see as they do.
WHAT is A PLATFORM?
What is a platform, anyway? Is It
an honest declaration of principles which
the trainers honestly intend to enact into
laws if they attain to power, or is it a
, dishonest device whereby to entrap the
unwary voter? Is it a candid statement
of the faith that is in us, or is it a bait
to catch gudgeons?
1.-The declaration in favor of free tolls
for our coastwise trade was writ large in
the Baltimore platform. II Is in these
words:
1--WE favor the exemption from toll
of American ships engaged in coastwise
trade passing through the canal.
we also favor legislation forbidding
, the use of the Panama canal by ships
owned or controlled by railroad carriers
engaged in transportation competitive
with the canal"
WENT TO PEOPLE ON ISSUE,
I'VE went to the people on that plat
form containing the free tolls plank; head
ed by President Wilson himself we all
Endorsed it, standing on it, we appealed
to the voters of the land for their sup
port; and they, responding to our Mace
DOMAIN cry for help, enabled us to sweep
the land from sea to sea by amazing ma
jorities in the electoral college
Now, being the richest and most pow
erful nation on the globe with popula-
ton of 100000 souls-the very flower OF
the human race-we are asked to grant to
Great Britain whom we dehed and defeat
ed in our infancy, and whom we defled
again and defeated again in our early
youth in the war of Improperly called
our second war of independence -conces-
sions grounded in injustice and humiliat-
! ing In character-claims-for which con-
cessions had been abandoned by Great
| Britain until Senator E.lihu Root made a
| speech upholding the contentious or that
foreign power-contentions which had
been fatty rejected by President of the
| United States and his secretary of state,
IF We have entered into an engage
| ment which forbids us to manage our
| own affairs then we must abide by It,
| however. foolish or unnecessary that en-
gagement may have been. But have we?
! Here opinons-honest opinions-dffer
| and mind you. not only American but
| British opinions.
| His Maiesty's government is quite GER
tain now that exemption of tolls on our
| coastwise traffic violates the Hay
| Pauncefote treaty, but 1t was very far
| from certain when its accredited repre-
as late as July. 1912. that If the trade
should be so regulated as to make Il
certain that only bona fide coastwise