The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1915-01-14
CHAMP CLARK AND
1916 NOMINATION
KNOWS IF NOMINATION WORTH
WHILE WILSON WILL GETIT
NOT FOOLED BY TALK

stock In recent rumors to the effect
that President Wilson intends to sup
port Speaker Champ Clark for the
presidential nomination in 1916.
Speaker Clark does not take the ru-
NOR seriously, but on the other hand
confidently believes that Mr. Wilson
will be candidate to succeed him
| self And Speaker Clark's friends al
so refuse to believe that the president
favors Clark for the presidency in
1916 or at any other time.
Some months ago Speaker CLARK, in
public utterance, declared that if the
Wilson administration Is a success.
President Wilson will be renominat
ed, and if the administration is fail.
ure the democratic nomination in 1916
will be worth nothing to whoever is
nominated. And that Is still the
speakers candid opinion. He knows
the forces that are at work and have
been at work to force the renomlna-
ton Of President Wilson, and he real
ICES that if the Wilson administration
is a success those forces will carry
their point.
The speaker is one Of many demo-
Gratis who has not been fooled by the
one term plank of the Baltimore plat
form into believing that the president
is committed to the single term idea.
In fact he knows from private let.
tarc y.,rittap nv Mr. \Vilcnn hath
fore and after his election, that he
does not believe it is within the PROV
ince Of a democratic convention to
commit any candidate to a single
term
And, by the same token, Speaker
Clark is too old bird at the political
game to want a presidential nomlna-
tion forced upon him if the demo-
cratic administration proves a failure
and sure defeat awaits the nominee in
1916. The speaker has his ear pretty
close to the ground and he can de-
tect a rumbliDg about as readily as
the next man. If there appears to be
no chance for the election of a demo-
cratic president in 1916, Champ Clark
will not be the nominee; he does not
want to be put up merely to be knock
, ed down. In 1912 it was generally ac-
, knowedged by all politicians that
President Taft was going down to GER
tain defeat Even his friends knew
that at the Chicago convention wher
they nominated him and before Col
: onel Roosevelt had actually led his
to be slaughtered in any such way as
President Taft was slaughtered at the
last national election. If the demo-
cratic party is to go into the next
campaign to sacrifice it's candidate,
Speaker Clark does not intend to fur
nish the carcass.
J There has been a good deal of talk,
off and on, that President Wilson Is
tired of the cares of the presidential
office. This talk is not to be taken
: too seriously President Wilson is
man who dearly loves power and who,
J above all else, likes to dictate to those
: under him. He had his own way at
Princeton until he lost out; then he
absolutely dictated affairs as govern
or Of New Jersey, and for the first two
years of his administration at Wash
{ ington he ruled with an iron hand
or did so rule until he ran afOul of
! the patronage fight with the senate,
: when he met his first rebuff.
t Just one thing will change the
? residents mind on the question Of
} seeking denomination, and that would
be humiliation at the hands of con-
! gress If the senate is able with the
, cooperation of the house to deny the
l the president the privilege Of making
federal appointments entirely on his
) own responsibility, and if congress
7 Will make 1t impossible for the presl-
dent to hold in office men whose nom
? nations have been rejected by the
I senate and, following this, if the SEN
, ate and house will resist pressure
: from the White House and refuse
: longer to legislate at the dctation Of
. the president then the president may
be willing at the end Of his present
, term to retire But If by any means
the president can regain his grip on
his party in congress; if he can put
over appointments in spite of the SEN
!. ate and can drive congress once more
into leglslating to suit his views and
In spite of the views of the democratic
majoritles, then he will want to be
nominated again by his party, and II
he so desires the nomination will be
his.
But for the present the president IS
no more anxious to shove a perfectly
good presidential nomination on
Speaker Clark than the speaker IS
anxious to have nomination when
carries with 1t positive assurance OF
defeat at the polls If the democratic
nomination in 1916 is worth the nav
: ing President Wilson will have 1t; Il
1t is not worth anything Speaker
Clark will refuse to have It sEoveu
; upon him. The speaker realizes tha'
he is getting along in years; he knows
that his best chance for attaining 'he
presidency was destroyed in l'l7