Oxford Democrat., 1906-09-11
II Packed the Norway Opera House.

SPEAKER CANNON AND OTHERS TUES
DAY.
The weather clerk was none too kim
to the outdoor Republican meeting
which was to have been held at the fail
grounds last Tuesday afternoon, address
ed BY Speaker Cannon, Ex-Governo
Long and Hon. John p. Swasey. A colo
wind which came up with the sun made
the day chilly to sit outdoors. WheI
Speaker Cannon arrived op the forenoon
train he expressed the sentiment that hi
would rather speak to small audience
of comfortable people than large
audience of people who were shivering,
and immediate arrangements were made
to have the meeting where 1t had been
intended to have it in case OF unfavor
able weather, in the Norway Opera
House.
Even this large hall did not have
sufficient seating capacity for the crowd
which gathered The seats were filled
and numbers stood in the side aisles and
rear of the hall. Every town in the
vicinity was represented, and numbers
came fifteen and eighteen miles to at
tend.
Promptly at 2 O'Clock the Norway
Band, stationed at the front of the hall,
struck up selection, and in the course
of it the speakers of the day, accom-
panied BY a number of leading Repub-
lcans Of the county, came upon the
stage. and were greeted with hearty
round of applause.
At the close of the selection, A. j..
Stearns of the Norway Town Committee
rose and in a few appreciative words
presented Hon. John D. Long of Massa-
chusetts as chairman of the meeting.
Mr.. Long spoke only few minutes,
in an easy way, contrasting the present
prosperity of the country with its con-
dition in Democratic times, and then,
with high testimony to his honesty and
sterling worth, introduced Hon. Joseph
G.. Cannon of Illinois, speaker of the
national House of Representatives.
Mr.. Cannon spoke for about an hour
and quarter, and no one, of any politi-
cal faith, failed to appreciate the privi-
lege of hearing him. Even aside from
his record and his distinguished position,
Mr.. Cannon is a man and an orator of
interest to everybody. His tall, spare
figure, erect and vigorous for all his
seventy years, his absolutely logical
his powerful style of oratory,
accentuated by manner and gestures
almost violent but always
adding force to his matter, combine to
mark him as man of force, and COM
mand the most perfect attention. An
occasional hearty laugh testified to his
mirth-provoking powers, and applause
was frequent and prolonged.
No attempt will be made here to give
even an abstract of Mr.. Cannon's speech,
which could not but fail to do it JUS
tice. He opened by calling attention
to the importance of labor, its necessity,
and how it enters into all the processes
of converting matter into the shapes that
are useful to the human animal. From
this as a foundation the formation and
record of the Republican party was
traced, and the part it has taken in bene-
fitting laborers was shown. The war
was shown to be the result of contest
between slave labor and free, and the
protective tariff policy of the Republican
party was set forth, under which the
laborer in this country gets two dollars
where the laborer in other counties gets
one, and the wonderful growth of the
country under these policies was pointed
out and illustrated by figures.
Mr.. Cannon paid his respects to Com
pers, who has threatened him with de-
feat along with other congressman, in
good-humored but emphatic style, ex-
planned the issue involved in the ques-
ton of government by Injunction"
and declared that he would never sup
port any measure which made fish of one
man and flesh of another. In conclu-
sion he said that he came into Maine
because he wanted to assist in the elec-
tion of Republican congress, he want
ed to endorse the action of the last con-
gress, and the administration of Theo-
dore Roosevelt.
Chairman Long next introduced Hon.
John p. Swasey of Canton. Mr.. .Swasey
spoke under difficulties, having throat
trouble, and also having understood be-
fore coming to town that he had been
relieved from his part on the programme
of the day. Nevertheless he was the
same easy, humorous, eloquent John
Swasey whom we have known for years.
He referred briefly to the state issues
raised by the Democrats in this cam
paign, some of which he seemed to have
difficulty in remembering, and dismissed
them summarily as having no standing
or ;p,n,rt,nca in the liuht of full dis
cussion. The great issue of the cam
paigu he set forth as the endorsement of
the administration of Theodore Roose-
velt and perpetuation of Republican
policies in the nation.