The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-11-09

Grosvenor, of Ohio; Russell. of Connecti-
cut: Steele. of Indiana; Twaney OF Min
nesota; Mccall, of Massachusetts. Long.
of Kansas; Babcock, of Wisconsin; Met
calf. OF California.
Already there are changes. Hopkins
viii be elected to the senate in January,
succeeding Billy" Mason. Of Illinois.
Steele failed last spring Of renomina-
ton. Russell died a few weeks ago.
Payne, Dalzen and Grosvenor viii likely
he candidates for speaker. though it is
doubtful if either will succeed. Long is
candidate for senator in Kansas. It
Will therefore be seen that there may be
almost an entirely new Republican mem
bership OF ways and means in the mkt
congress
The fact that the next congress is to
be Republican, in the midst Of a national
Republican administration, is almost IN
precedented. Few administrations since
the war OF tire rebellion have been blessed
IT, their midst with ,the election by the
people of a house Of representatives in
accord with them One Of the notable
exceptions was in the case of the Fifty
seventh congress. in 1898. when in the
midst Of the hrst administration Of Pres
ident Mckinley house OF representatives
in accord with him was chosen. And now,
in the midst of President Roosevelt s
administrators the people of the country
send TO Washington a house which is in
sympathy with his policies and admins
tration. It is unusual and shows re-
markable endorsement or an administra-
ton.
Uncle Joe" Cannon Of Illinois. the most
picturesque and the an-1round-ablest
memebr Of congress, seems TO have the
lead for speaker. Shortly after General
Henderson announced his withdrawal
from the race for congress in the Third
Iowa district, there began TO be talk of
Uncle Joe He felt around a little.
and once when interviewed on the pro-
position, sagely replied: First, catch the
hare"
The hare" is now caught and Uncle
joe" will soon be making a strong and
energetic canvass for the vote to make
him speaker Of the Fifty-eighth congress.
And why should not the clever old man
from Illinois succeed in his ambition?
He has long had his eye on the speakers
chair. He wanted it when Mckinley
wanted it, and Reed was successful
away back in the Fifty-frst congress.
It is the ambition of this old leaders life.
and he may be pardoned for thinking that
he has a right to it,
Cannon entered the house of represen-
tatives in 1879. He was then a young
lawyer of Danville, nlinois-where he
still lives-and had been states attorney.
That was twenty-nine years ago. And
Uncle Joe" has represented his dis
trict in the house of representatives ever
since that time The brief hiatus was
from 1891 to 1893. Cannon. with McKin-
ley and others, went down that year, but
recovered two years following.
When Reed was elected speaker in 1891
congress. he placed McKin-
ley at the head OF ways and means and
Joe Cannon at the head Of appropriations
Every congress since. that has been Re
publican, has found old Uncle Joe" care
fully guarding appropriations, the head
Of this committee. until he is now called
The watchdog of the treasury. He is also
chairma nof the house Republican caucus,
and in many respects is and for years
has been the leader of the house. He is a
plain, rugged simple old man, honest,
Woodworking. capable and fearless and
tireless. He is called an old" man. and
his years number Go. but he is neverthe-
less younger than many member on tho
floor of dozen years less than his.
There are other men discussed for the
sreakership. Payne. OF New York, chair
man OF ways and means. will have the
New York delegation; Dalzell OF Pennsyl-
vania, ranking member Of ways and
means, viii have his own delegation;
Grosvenor may try for It; Littleheld of
Maine and Tawney Of Minnesota, are
after the place-but the west and possibly
New England Will line up, in all prob
ability, behind the old man from iii
nois and let him IN. As for Littlefeld,
he is an imposibility; so IS Tawney. Lit
lefieId is clever; but he has no balance
Il is absurd to think that Republicans
y ould seriously consider him for speaker, /
i, here precision. cool head. clear brain
md judgment are required. The same
objections apply to Tawney. who also is
lot as able as Littlefeld, while lacking /
IS does the man from Maine. the very