Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-13


ten in a hurry and the misplacing OF SIN
gle comma might have cost the nation mil
lions Of dollars and brought me everlasting
disgrace"
Schools That Make Men.
But schools like yours have their ad-
yantages over the colleges, Mr.. Speaker"
said l. 1T Is such schools that make men"
That may be true" was the reply.
There are greater disadvantages than
having to work ones way through life.
Such work brings out the man and har-
dens his character. Those who are doing
things in the world today, are largely men
schooled as l was. They come from the
middle walks of life. They have had to
fight their way upward and through fight
ing they grew. / learned much in that coun-
try store. 1t taught me exactitude, industry
and the value of the nickel Only the few
est people ever learn that twenty nickels
make dollar. In that store the accounts
had to be exact. 1 remember we sold
calico dress for dollar and 1t then took
Just eight yards to make a dress. We meas
nred 1t on with the yard stick-juSt eight
yards. not a quarter of an inch more, not
quarter of an inch less. Eight pounds of
coffee were sold for dollar and 1 learned
To measure out just eight pounds. 1 think
we put the paper on the scales first. An
other common article we sold was tobacco
which cost forty cents a plug but which
Was usually sold in five cent cuts. / learn
ed TO cut a plug in eighths and to put the
olher seVen-eighths away in a glass jar for
future customers. All this taught me to be
exact"
lannon's First Five Hundred Dollars
1T must have taught you to be econom-
ical as well?'
Economical!' exclaimed Mr.. Cannon!
fe gods! how economical 1 was then! A
hicKei looked bigger than a double gold
eagle does now. and / am not extravagant
IN try1x lou ND
ahead, and saved every cent. How close
~ L saved you may know when I tell you
that for that five years l received 1000 in
wages, an average of 81 week, and L
saved just half of that. The result was
that | had $500 when 1 stopped clerking
lived upon that while 1 studied law.
That saving taught me the uses and
value of money continued Mr.. Cannon.
1t gave me habits which enabled me to
pay the debts incurred in the dull season
OF my law study and early practice 1t
with the result that when l went to Con-
sress l had what was then considered a
good income outside my salary"
Could you not live upon your salary
while in Congrcss?' / asked
Il have not done So was the reply II
have lived well. although not extrava gantly
My expenses have been about twice as
much rs the amount received from the gov
eminent. Nevertheless those investments
made IN the days of my law practice. owing
to the rise in farm lands and other things,
have made ii so that l could now leave
public life and be comfortably off. ! don't
mean that ] would be rich man in the
present sense of the word. but l would
have enough for all my needs
The Prime of Life at Sixty Eight.
'lou are too young man. Mr.. Speaker,
to think of retiring. You seem to be In
your prime
IF a man is as old as he feels" said Mr..
Cannon. Il am still in my prime. l am
sixty-eght, but | have never felt better,
physically or mentally. l work more easily
and can handle men better than in the
past. How long this will last / do not
know. but there are many men in public
life older than | who are still doing good
work. Senators Frye and Proctor are sew
enty-three; Cullom, the chairman of the
foreign relations committee of the Senate
is seventy-four, while Allison and Hoar are
each seventyfive. All these men are more
efficient than they have ever been. The
length of mans working life is largely
matter of individual constitution Some are
older at thirty than others are at sixty.
If the Lord should give me threescore or
even fourscore years of working life l shall
be glad. / should like to remain upon
this earth as long as 1 can be useful to
myself and my fellows, and no longer
When l begin to fail I want to retire j
don't want to cumber the ground
Uncle Sam and His Hemisphere.
The conversation here turned to public
questions and 1 asked Speaker Cannon his
opinion as to the future of the United
States. He replied:
THE future of this country is the future
of the worlds civilization. This is the great
breeding ground for the best of the human
race. 1t is the source of that element which
does things, controls things, creates things
We have eighty million people now. With
in another hundred years we shall have
three hundred millions and will have
IN he |,
ana south. BY the close of this century we
Americans will dominate this continent and
this hemisphere. We will have passed be-
yond Mexico, Central America and the
isthmus of Panama, and will have inclosed
all South America in the grasp of our in
fuence."
BY this l do not mean that we will I'M
dertake the political government of the
South American republics. 1 do not mean
mat we Will hold them as We now hold our
Colonies. nor even as Cuba. which is to
some extent dependency of ours But I
do mean that American capital and Ameri-
cans will have so settled themselves in our
sister continent that the day of revolutions
ana noh,progress Will have passed away.
IN the Monroe doctrine we have estab-
hshed the fact that no European power
Shall ever acquire any new territory I'm
South America. That doctrine will always
prevail. There may be European immipra
ton, but those Europeans who 90 to South
America must become South Americans.
and this, with the great overflow of orr
people 10 that country, means that thew will
become part of the world dominated nv
our ideas and the spirit Of our ciyiliza-
ton"
The Canada of the Future.
How about Canada, Mr.. Speaker"
Canada is already almost a part of the
United States. 1t may remain still tied to
England In nominal way. but as time
goes on II will become American In SYM
pathy and more and more American in
population and industry. Canada Is one of
the growing countries of this time l look
ior an enormous emigration there from the
United States. 1t Is land of vast unde-
Veloped resources, which are to be opened
up by our people"
Il suppose that the future of the Irnitad
States will be confined to this continent
said /.
Yes. to a great extent" said Mr. Cam
non, but We are now a world nation and
we are reaching out in every direction and
across every sea. The earth is old, but 1t
Is hardly touched far as modern de-
velOpment is concerned. There are vast
areas of new country In South America.
Africa Is still an unknown continent and
so is almost the whole of northern Asia
The world is said to have fifteen hundred
million people. There Is room upon ii for
double that number, and many parts of II
Will support ten which now support one"
Then you do not believe in the NAL
thusian theory"
No tttrill no. l1.