The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-08-14
BY Frank 6. Carpenter.
Especial Correspondent OF Ths y ines

II Especial Correspondent OF The Times
Dispatch.)
I. DANt1LLE, ILL.,, Aug. 1S---slt down
With mo on the \ big porch OF Speaker
Cannon's big house in DanYille and have e
d hcnrt-to-heart talk with one OF e the
Il really big men Of i lie country That
wind which cans our checks Hike sen
breeze comes from the corn-laden 1lll-s
nos praircs, rustlng the forest trees at
4 olir side with Its song of prosperity ana
peace. We are away from the actions
X OF politics, away from the strife Of legis-
latlon, away from the struggling OF e ''t
eryday statesmanship;& we ale AVA " from
the big citIcs, away out ii, Gods country,
h where one can look Mt himself and The
world. IL Is under such conui.lons that
i have had a visit with Joe Cannon, the
results Of which are embodied In the
conversation which follows.
Tic first part OF our Ia lls was OF a per-
4 sona nature. 1 had asked the Speaker
as 10 his boyhood and lie replied that he
could remcmb Der as, far back as Nhetl he
3 WAS four years old, now sixty flour years
ago 81 81 81
ss5s5$It was them said he. 8t'that we cnl--
i grated from North Carolina TO y indiana.
AYe came over the mountains in canvas
covered wagons, sleeping In. tents We
crossed the little Dan River. II was rs
y big to nc then as the mississippi IS now,
] can sun soc the great forests, the
Wild flowers BY tho roadside and the
i squirrels darting from tree 10 Il rec. rs
His Quaker Ancestors.
s5$Ss;Then your parents were southerncrs,
X al X speake s .5 M EtS
III They were born In North Carolina. but
they were Quukers of ne old stock that
went from MASSACHUSETTS, south and emil
grated thence 10 different parts OF 4 the
West. They were tural pioneers. all
4 way ) moving from place 70 place. NJ y
4 father and mother we'd In (; uii ford scoun-
". MI Fat her tau 8 hi sciiool In n little
red school house. Of which e have az
v picture. 81 II g d forwards studied medicine
and tpractlced 1T. II There were about TWEEN
81 families In The ca ra VA ~ w lei, went TO-
& Indiana and settled at our little town on
N the yS abash. t was there u got my first
schooling and there Ii lived until a was
fifteen, when IA tfer was drowned and i
had To 20 to work. 'S AZ
"a hat did you do then. NJ r. s;peaker?ts
cIerkcd III n country store for n q We
years, al ter which i went Into an Office
Il and ST died law. i i took me some time
t d &c, &a sta rt MS aa lawyer. 81 b,it IA finally
4 succeeded, md was dong we'll when .-sS
MS first elected to Congress. bout thir-a
}ity-tWO Years ago With the exception
d OF one term have been ir Congress u yer
n snce.f :S
The Delights Of Youth.
81 one, Mr.. Speak ~
S5 4. Perhaps not, In compar ison8 with that
y or tic city boys OF to-day; but 4 WAS
IA ike3i ba Il OF the oi hen. hisSs OF he com
1nunity% and II IS thorouglliyS enjoyed IT.
4 z mere Is nothing; ! Ike tile pleasures OF
youth: and its glorious dreams Of the fu-3
Sture. - NE grow Sol der W e re tent
with the present. = have not bull q n
J. air castle for I hirty years i thoug \ en-
81 Joy life still. n ss$
staitsAnd yet the pleasures OF my youth
might be: considered lfartlsiitps now. a NJ
those dlys every boy rose al day break to
Z make the fire, Yous crcpt from he warm
Sheets out on 4 the cold Il floor to dress
8 j t53mlght be that your boot Is had frozen
b over Mig hit, and how you did have to pull
getting them on Then i you had. been
thoughtful and had carried atn the wood
II before bed time i u was not hard to 6kindlej
AT and Id put the skctt leson the crane; but
y K not, h yoil a had To 90 out and split the
4 wood # tn t he vi w KS "A fer the fire was
built came the milking, and you too two
4 pals and went out TO the barn. One pail
held the milk 4 and the other served for
the strippings. You had TO wa tchS that the
old emulcy COW did not kick you. and IT
y might be that she would flrt her bee
!. dragged tail into wours still sha sleepy
s. eyes ter milk Ing you ca me In and had
4 breakfast t. and how It. did taste!
Snow balls then were as good as a n
n pies now and every bit MS sweet.
4 t..Nhcn II worked II In the country store
n had to gel up, make he fire IS weep out
4 cat and be read " for business
,3Ebys 6 o clock in the morning. and ~ stayed
1 in the tore until 9 o'clock a Hnight.s Was
IS + hard? No !sa Other boys q ID the sam me,
n and we had our fun too. Many O. time
9s