Champ Clark letter to Bennett Champ Clark - February 26, 1919
Transcript
February 26, 1919. Lieut. Col. Bennett C. Clark, Asst. Chief of Staff 88th Division American Expeditionary Forces in France via New York: My dear Bennett: We are drawing to a close here and in very bad shape. The house is all right and will accomplish all of its business but it looks like an utter impossibility for the Senate to do it. The President is back. Things are raging. I send you some clips which will help you to understand the situation. I am going to lecture in Knoxville, [Tennessee], the night of March 5th; twice in South Carolina, and go to see Genevieve and the boy. The 19th I am going to make a speech before the Chamber of Commerce of Memphis, [Tennessee]. They kept pegging away at me until I finally agreed to go. As March is the worst month in the year in Missouri, and as the letter and requests from the soldiers and their parents are almost innumerable. I think I will come back here from Memphis [Tennessee] and finish up my book and attend to the correspondence about the soldiers. It looks this morning from the papers like the President wouldn’t call the extra session before the first of June as he is going to hurry back to France, leaving here
Transcript
No. Lt. Col. B. C.C. on the 5th. The fight over the league is very bitter, so is the fight over the Speakership. The Gillett men have been boasting they had 140 votes pledged were it takes 119 to nominate and Madden has been claiming 130 for Mann. Putting the two together is 30 more votes than they have got. Yesterday Phil Campbell knocked everything out of joint by announcing he is a candidate. Tomorrow night they are going to hold the caucus. I suppose you know that Borland died at Copblenz a few days ago. The Missouri legislature passed a joint resolution asking that when the 25th Division comes home that it shall be commanded by its own officers. I suppose the Kansas legislature will do the same thing, so I corralled the Missourians and went down to see Baker the other morning, but he was dead against the plan; said it would demoralize everything but I jogged it into him so hard he finally promised to telegraph General Pershing to see if it could be done, so this morning I got a letter from Secretary Baker, a copy of which I enclose, which looks to me like General Pershing will agree to it. I enclose you a clip out of a paper this morning giving a schedule of the return of the divisions, in which the 88th is not mentioned, but if that works out, you would
Transcript
No. 3. Lt. Col. B. C. C. come back with the 35th. I enclose you a clip out of Governor Lon V. Stephens’ paper. You will see from this newspaper clip that if the thing works out according to schedule, the 35th will come back in April. I am sending you the testimony of Governor Allen also General Traub. Traub seems to be claiming the glory of the whole thing so far as I can find out. It turns out that Allen’s and Traubs not yet published. So soon as it is will send it - Rich and racy. Your Loving Father, Champ Clark
Details
Title | Champ Clark letter to Bennett Champ Clark - February 26, 1919 |
Creator | Clark, Champ |
Source | Clark, Champ. Letter to Bennett Champ Clark. 26 February 1919. Clark, Champ (1850-1921) and Bennett Champ (1890-1954), Papers, 1853-1973. C0666. The State Historical Society of Missouri, Columbia, MO. |
Description | In this February 26, 1919 letter to his son Bennett, Champ Clark discussed the return of Army divisions to America. Champ Clark, a long-time resident of Bowling Green, Missouri, was a politician in the Democratic Party. He served as a representative of Missouri from 1893 to 1895 and from 1897 to 1921. From 1911 to 1919 he served as the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. Bennett Clark served as a Lieutenant Colonel in the 140th Regiment, 35th Division and as Assistant Chief of Staff for the 88th Division during World War I, and was Missouri State Senator from 1933 to 1945. |
Subject LCSH | Clark, Champ, 1850-1921; Clark, Bennett Champ, 1890-1954; Influenza |
Subject Local | WWI; World War I |
Site Accession Number | C0666 |
Contributing Institution | The State Historical Society of Missouri |
Copy Request | Transmission or reproduction of items on these pages beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the State Historical Society of Missouri: 1020 Lowry Street, Columbia, Missouri, 65201-7298. (573) 882-7083. |
Rights | The text and images contained in this collection are intended for research and educational use only. Duplication of any of these images for commercial use without express written consent is expressly prohibited. |
Date Original | February 26, 1919 |
Language | English |