The San Francisco call., 1904-04-29
DEMONSTRATION IN HOUSE.
Members Testify TO the Courtesy and
ImDartiaIity of Speaker Cannon.

Members Testify TO the Courtesy and
ImDartiaIity of Speaker Cannon.
WASHINGTON. April N2S.-The clos
ing to-day Of the second session of the
House Of the Fifty-eighth Congress
was made notable by the demonstra-
ton which was evoked by a resolution
offered by Williams. the minority
leader. testifying to the courtesy and
impartial manner in which Speaker
Cannon had presided over the House.
The resolution was not of the per-
functory kind, but was expressive Of
the kind feeling which men in the
House Of all parties entertained toward
him. In a graceful speech the Speaker
declared his appreciation of the reso-
luton.
Many conference reports were agreed
10 on bills which had been in dispute
between the two houses. The only
debate of any Importance was on the
the naval academy of three cadets
who had been dismissed for hazing, the
House voting against it.
The members. after the Speaker an
nounced the final adjournment, Joined
in singing patriotic songs and slowly
filed out Of the hall after shaking
hands with the Speaker and bidding
him good-by.
The time was within five minutes of
the hour set for adjournment when
Representative Williams of Mississippi,
the minority leader amid impressive
silence. was recognized to present a
resolution expressive of the apprecia-
tion of the House for the fair and i'm
partial manner in which the Speaker
had presided over that body. He pre-
faced the resolution with the state
ment that in the exercise of a per-
sonal though not parliamentary priv
ilege, he desired to move the adoption
of the resolution.
That resolution ] will now read. -
he said, and he read as follows, Rich
ardson of Tennessee having in the
meantime taken the chair:
Resolved, That the House Of Representatives
returns its thanks TO its Speaker. Hon. ]. C.
Cannon OF Illinois, for the fair, impartial and
able manner in which he has presided over
its deliberations, and for the sturdy common
sense and genial good humor which have been
the members Of the House itself. in a degree
almost unprecedented, in imitation of him, to
display the same sterling American charac-
teristics in their deliberations and mutual
dealings
Williams, following the reading,
which was punctuated with applause,
said that it was a great thing to be a
Speaker of the House of Commons of
the American republic, but that IL was
a greater thing not to permit the ef-
feet of promotion to that place, one of
the most exalted in the world, to turn
ones head in the slightest degree or
to defect one from the course hitherto
pursued of being plain American citi-
zen, with extraordinary common sense
and a remarkable fund of that most
characteristic of all American quali-
ties, genial humor.
This utterance provoked great ap-
plause from both sides of the House
and the galleries. Williams convulsed
the House by referring TO a conversa-
tion he once had with the Speaker, in
the course of which he said:
Il will always think that you are
fair. as / believe you will be-"
Vhe Speaker, he said, replied:
John, am going to be as fair as /
can consistently with the exigencies of
American politics"
williams declared that the Speaker
did himself injustice when he put that
limitation on his statement, but said
williams. lit was characteristic of the
frankness and candor of the man to
put in the limitation"
Williams then moved the adoption of
the resolution and that a committee be
appointed to bring him in" There was