The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1914-03-31
CLARK DENIES
PERSONAL ISSUE
INTOLL SPEECH

MTOLL SPEECH
<osstssseA 49, 49, o.,
should be fought out on its merits,
frse from personalities. which can do
no good. and may do much harm. The
president has too high An idea of the
duties OF q public servant to desire
members to do other than to vote
their conscientious convictions With
most Of these who have asserted that
am seeking to disrupt the party, the
wish u father to the thought.
THE fact that I am making this
fight for our platform pledges may
end my public career. There are
many things worse than being defeat
! ed for congress. or defeated for the
speakership. or even worse. than to
be defeated for the presidency. and
one Of them Il to repudiate the plat
form on which you are elected.
II can be happy without the presi-
dency. ! can be happy without the
lspeakership. The happiest hours OF
my congregational life were spent on
the door Of the house. II my con-
stituents who have stood by me with
unshaken fldelity should retire me to
private life, I can still be happy In
the love and affection Of my wife and
children. In the society of my books.
and In cultivating flowers and trees.
"One thing n dead sure. when do
60 out Of public lie. whether next year
or 20 years hence, Il will 30 with my
integrity unimpaired and my self-re-
spect intact. ! will not leave my chill
dren much property. but will leave
them the rich legacy Of good name.
Which King Solomon says n more pre-
cious than rubies."
Clark bitterly assailed the New
York World and the New York Sun.
These papers declare that I am op-
posing this surrender to Great Britain
% an opening gum In my campaign for
president In 1915. II may surprise
these obseQuious courtiers to know
that never limited to any human be-
ing that would be . presidential can
didate In 1916; and that am not =
candidate. Consequently. their SLAM
der has been gratuitous mental deg.
radiation. II will surprise these linn
ber-backed incense swingerg still more
to know what have uniformly told
those who have suggested my candi-
dacy In 1915, and II IL thus: II Pres
ident Wilson makes Q success Of hio
administration he will be renominated
and reelected lin 1915; but II no
makes . failure. which God forbid, the
nomination viii not be worth having
II have never entertained the slight
est III will toward the president about
the Baltimore convention. wish him
we'll. l did all could to elect him,
fAr moro than some Of those who 70
vociferously and fulsomely praise him
now. and for whom deep down In his
heart no must entertain supreme con-
tempt.
viii Not Bolt Platform.
II have stoadfastly supported him
until We are called upon to bolt the
platform. absolutely refuse to do
any such thing. do not believe that
the fact that led ON 20 ballots at
Baltimore. receiving Z clear majority
on nine. ana that got . majority Of
lover 100000 over the president In
primary elections, where he and ]
Iconpeted. preciudes me from die
charging my duty or exercising my
rights % = representative In congress
and - speaker OF the house 70 stand
up for America against Great Britain.
Whatever may be the differences
Of opinion, respecting the merits Of
the coSe. j DO President Wilson honor
tor his act. II ware IN hia place
and believed - he does. should 10
- he has done. Moreover, have
such confidence in the president that
have NOT the slightest doubt that, II
he were In my place and believed
what believe, he would do ~ am
doing.
But I do not and cannot endorse
HE Judgment In this matter. think
he II wholly IN the wrong, q least 20
Tar - the treaty bears upon our own
domestic situation, and consequently
Offers no just cause for the breaking
Of well considered party pledge.
| II We have entered into m en-.
gAgement which forbids us to man
] age our own affairs, then we must
abide BY its terms, however unneces
sary and foolish that engagement
may have been. Here, opinions-hon.
est 0pinions-diRer.
Neither legally In . broad sense,
nor technically In narrow applica-
ton, does this treaty forbid 10 to
regulate our transportation Of our
own goods In our own ships through
our own canal between our own
ports.
Praises presIdent.
1.-THE president IL convinced that
the statute does contravene our sol
emn obligation and should. therefore
be repealed. So believing, he does
the only thing an honorable and con-
scienti0us head of the nation could
do: he asks us to reconsider our &C
ton In view OF his conviction that we
have violated pledge.
II have no criticism to make of the
Democrats who are going to vote for
repeal. entertain q genuine affec-
ton for the members of this house.
Il assume that every member will
vote honestly the way dictated by his
intellect and his conscience: but why
should be denied the same priv.
lege? No man here should be q rub
Der stamp congressman. refuse alb.
solutely to be either q rubber stamp
representative, or rubber stamp
speaker. n did, you would have NO
respect for me.
~ BOND p. cEDpEe.
stan Correspondent Of United Press.
WASHlNGTON,- March 31.--Before