The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-04-02
CHAMP CLARK
/ ELECTED SPEAKER
Had Handful of Votes to Spare
When House Voted Today
For Presiding
Officer.
GOT ALL DOUBTFUL
Blind Progressive From Minnesota
Placed His Name in Nomina-
tIon and Made Patriotic
.a. Appeal.
GOT ALL DOUBTFUL
[By Carl D. Groat, United Press Staff
Correspondent.l

GBy Carl D. Groat, United Press Staft
! Correspondent.l
WASHINGTON, April 2.-Chamr
Clark, Of Missouri. will preside over
the war house" during this session
OF congress.
The vote stood: Clark ,217; Mann
2O5; Gillet 2; Lenroot 2.
Two members voted present.
The house elected him this after
noon after listening to a war prayer
and a war speech by Representative
Scha1l, independent. who swung his
! vote to Clark, holding that patriotism
demanded this be done in the present
| crisis.
Clark gained practically all the
doubtful votes. Schall and Martin
London. socialist, and Randall, prohf
bitionist. Representative Fuller. OF
Massachusetts, Independent, bolted
the republican candidate with Gardner
and Ballinger. Of Massachusetts, and
Gray Of New Jersey, all Of whom left
the republican caucus Saturday, voted
for Representative Gillet, OF Massa
chusetts. Haskell and James. repub
licans, answered present" Lehlbach
1 New Jersey. republican, voted fol
| Clark ...... ...
The dramatic moment Of the house
organization was the nomination OF
Clark for speaker by Representative
Thos. D. Schall, the Minnesota pro-
gressive-republfcan.
Schalls action was entirely unex-
pected. He had been listed as sup
porter Of Mann.
Schall is blind and was led to the
center of the house by a page.
I realize that the action I am about
to take will be used to attempt my po-
litical death in Minnesota, Schall said
in nominating Clark.
About 32, 600 out Of the AZ 900 votes
in my district are republican.
with my sightless eyes l would
be Of little service to my country on
the field Of battle, but I can use the
light that God gives me to vote right
today"
While the voting was under way,
Chairman Flood gave out the admin
istration war resolution and added he
would present 1t when the organiza-
ton was complete.
Champ Clark was escorted into the
chamber by his opponent Mann.
amid a storm of cheers from both
sides.
Mann introduced Clark as a patri-
otic representative of Missouri and
the nation Responding, Clark spoke
for cooperation.
Admitting 1t would be difficult to
conduct house affairs otherwise, he
declared there must be no partison-
ship.
LET all the ends we aim at be our
country's and in the accomplishment
Of the ends may the God Of our faith
ers be with us and guide us In the
way in which we will rebound to the
honor and perpetuity of the greatest
republic that ever existed in the
flood Of time"
Representative Talbot, Nfather OF
the house" insofar as length Of serv-
ice is concerned. administered the
oath to Clark Members were then
lined up in the well of the house to be
sworn in by state groups.
Four out Of ABS members today did
not answer to their names. They
we're: Lee. democrat, Georgia; Cap
stick, republican, New Jersey: :sHelge-
sen, republican, North Dakota and
Rleakley, republican, Penns ylvania-
Lee. later, Yas carried into the
chamber on q stretcher in time to
<Co-$5o,@l Doro