East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1908-06-08


into the two lines as Grant, or Sher-
man, or Mark Twain did into vol
umes.
Born a Quaker 70 years ago in
North Carolina, reared to manhood in
a clearing on the banks of the Wabash
in Indiana, lawyer, banker and near
millionaire, Joseph G. Cannon is often
cited to prove that the grand old
type of American manhood, rugged
and sturdy. that characterized the
fathers of the republic, is not always
spoiled by wealth.
The manufacturing process to which
Cannon referred In his autobiography
occurred in the house of representa-
he has been a member of that body,
and for five years its speaker. The
raw material was recognized as such.
The gentleman must have oats in his
pocket" exclaimed a member, when
Cannon made his first speech in the
house. The kid" member from the
west admitted it, and suggested there
! might also be hay seed in his hair.
Last winter that speech was recited
from the floor by one of his admirers,
speakers chair, his vest unbuttoned
from top to bottom, his frazzled hair
so thin it could no longer hold hay
seed if it tried his bones clothed in
homespun, and a toothpick in his
mouth-just as picturesque figure
as he was SS years before.
"Uncle Joe's" Habits.
His habits and manners are all
pervading. They permeate. Uncle
Joe's" clothes, just as they do his
system. They are likewise copy
righted. About a year ago when
the speaker went to New York, the
metropolitan newspapers commented
on his twenty-five cent hat" In re-
ality, it was a $40 Panama. but it had
been Cannonized. The best tailors in
| Washington make his suits, but an
everlasting contest between the gar
ments and their owner as to their
right to shield him from the elements,
give his clothes 4 withered rose ap-
pearance the year around.
The tobacco habit characterizes him
as nothing else. The angle at which
his cigar is held is regarded as bar
ometer of his spirits. Only on one
occasion was the cigar ever observed
at gloomy" That was the night of
election day in 1890, when Cannon
and Mckinley were defeated for con-
gress. Both were at headquarters in
Chicago Finally when all others We're
gone, except one or two, Cannon said
to Mckinley:
william. there is no use in our
trying to fool one another is there"
mo, joe" replied Mckinley.
well doesn't it beat hell?" and
with that his cigar fell to the lowest
angle It ever registered. It was the
only defeat he ever suffered.
Love for Tobacco.
Plug tobacco is another Cannon ac-
quaintance. The speaker will stop a
man on the street to ask for a chew.
He has gotten many a chew and a
vote for congress besides, by asking
for the first. At the time of the BIZ
cycle craze a friend asked Cannon
how he was progressing in his attempt
to ride.
"Oh, fairly we'll; I succeeded today
for the first time in splitting without
falling Off" he responded with pride.
He is said to have two other habits,
cussing democrats and raising the
ante at inopportuDe moments.
AS a public speaker, Cannon never
set the world on fire with his elo-
quence. But ne has often floored his
opponent by the soundness Of his
logic, his ready flow of humor, his
rugged homely language, and his
windlass gestures. A good baseball |
pitcher was lost when Uncle Joe be-
came a politician. If he wants to
emphasize what he is about to say
be begins to shake his head after the
fashion of a horse eating hay from
stuffed manger. BY the time the
climax IS reached his trusty arm is
describing a circumference with a |
four-foot diameter. He gets lots of
exercise out Of his gestures, almost as
much as in his morning breathing eX-
ercises in front Of the open window |
Of his bed room.
The Bible and Shakespeare.
Biblical illusions and quotations fill |
his speeches and private conversa- |
ton and he is no stranger to Shake !
speare. Blunt, straightforward re-
plies may be expected from him, most |
likely seasoned with picturesque ex-
pletives,
He processes to believe that all poll |
iticians, including himself, are hum |
bugs, and he treats them as such. His |
faith is pinned to the common people, |
although he can walk along with |
labor on the arm of capital on the |
other without missing a step. THE |
constitution and the laws do not make |
the safety Of this nation" he once |
remarked. 1T is the people who |
make IT.
His religion is embraced in the |
brotherhood of man and the tenets |
Of the republican party Slavery |
made him a republican, he declares. |
AS speaker of the house he has never |
lorded II over the most humble. He
enjoys talking to the Irish laborer, |
because he says the best part of him
self is Irish.
Cannon belonged to the Quaker |
faith, until his wedding day. He mar
ried Methodist woman, now dead,
and his church called upon him to re-