Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-03-12
MIR. CHAMP CLARK at seventy
lFl tells us that he is young aud just
hcpinninp nublic life

lVl tells us that he is young aud just
beginning public life.
OF course he is.
But why cannot that be taken for
granted in America?
Mr.. Clark instances NJ. ClCmcnCcau,
who was young enough at seventy nine
To dominate the peace conference after
winning n war. and to bond the Prcsi-
dent Of tho United States to his will.
and Mr.. Gladstone. who at more than
eighty was premier of England.
But neither NJ. Clemcnccau nor Mr..
Gladstone at seventy stopped to tell
the world that he was still young.
". Balfour has reached Mr.. Clark's
age. but he makes nothing Of il. going
right about his work of being one Of
,F;ncland's most important leaders.
The seventy years, young is n
purely American pleasantly.
In no other part Of the world do men
nay any more attention to becoming
seventy than they do to becoming forty
or fifty or sixty.
NJ. Clemcnceau at eighty just missed
being elected president of France and
might have forced his election had he
chosen to be president in face of a
strong opposition.
WHAT is it that gives American pub
w lie men an uneasy self conscious =
ness ut thrccscorc and ten?
Probably tho sense that they arc no
longer available for the presidency at
that age.
Mr.. Clark may seek the Democratic
nomination this year.
But even il Mr.. McAdoo and Mr..
Hoover were not his pvals Mr.. Clark
would have slight chances.
People would say that his age was
too advanced and turn to somc Younger
candidate.
1t is the presidency that impoverishcs
American public life.
II sends men at seventy into the dis
card by making them feel that the fu-
ture is closed to them
BY too greatly concentrating power
il makes life in Congress uuattrac =.
tive.
And after at most eight short years it
deprivcs us of the services of our Roosc =
velts and our Wilson's.
No cous.GS can produce a great man
every four or eight years.
When Europe develops great man il
keeps him.
Gladstone here would have been elect .
cd President at fifty, and at fifty eight
would have been transiating Homer.
Clemcnccau here would have been
elected President at 6fty.
Long before the war came hc would
have been writing novels, continuing his
early experiment.
American public life i, tho most
wastcful in the world. And yet we won
der why it is so impoverished.
q q q
MIR. CLARK. il he should "wakc tc
1Fl find himself is rich as Rocke
fcller. would publish q dictionary ir
which the pronunciation of words wouIt
be given the way the people pronounce
them and not the way some Anglo
maniac thinks they ought to be pro
nounCed. Says the tx speaker: IF tn,
| people know enough to vote for PrCSi
dent and Vice President, they know
enough TO pronounce their own words.
But how do tho people pronounce?
Mr.. Clark is ono Of the people
So is Mr.. Gillctt the present spcakc
of the House.
Mr.. Clark says, THE House will b.
in order" one way, the Missouri way.
Mr.. Gillctt says the House will b.
in order another way. the Massachusetts
way.
Which way would Mr.. Clark put il
his dictionary?
And if Mr.. Mann, of Illinois. ha
been made speaker instead of Mr.. Gil
lett. there would still be n third wa
Of saying "thc House will be in or
der.
Said Belgian of party of Amcri
cans connected with Mr.. Hoovcr's ad
ministration in Europe: Il understan
English fairly well. understand ever
one here except that gentleman owe
there.
THAT is not surprising" an Amer
lean reassurPd him. He speaks tn
Michigan dialect We all have diff
fculty understanding him."
A dictionary is like Congress.
It's a compromise.
Mr.. Clark sees so much compromis
in Congress that he hates it cverywhcr
else.
He would give the people what the
want-in a dictionary.
q q q
WTHAT is the most pathetic spectacl
w in the world today?
A government looking at its bulge
and its prospective income.
There is a plain billion dollars dif
ference between resources and cxpendi
; lures.
How TO make IL up?
The government thinks long and hare
Its finance minister is q great cxper
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