The sun., 1908-06-14
Thus spoke Joseph G. Cannon

We're I delegate at Chicago next Tuss-
day should present his name to the Con
vention for President by saying
Fellow Delegates-The impending slsc-
ton for our next President ID the snost Ina
portant one in our history. because II In
wolves the stability OF our eovernncut&l
system. Under this system We have with
unprecedented rapidity reached our forS-
most position In the world for weal1h.
civilization and power. Under this syS-
tenn every oitiyen has equal rights and
equal opportunities. and the happiness Of
all. individually as well 40 collectively. is
indisputably greater than In any othsr
period or In any other land. Il 10 now TO
be put to the hazard OF an absolute ysvo-
luton as reckless In its conception - tho
consequences sure to follow II win bs dis-
astrods. Previous elections have involved.
ia reality. only changes In the personnsl
OF government, but this election involves q
fundamental change In the government
itself. which puts In doubt security Of psr-
son and property and initiates system
which fails to protect life and which oon-
fiscates private property; which disre-
CARDS all previous laws, conventiops or
agreements and which considers wealth.
however lawfully acquired. to be the proper
prey Of whoever has the political power TO
seize it.
The question to be answered BY ths
coming election 10 whether our pressnt
system shall be upheld and continued.
The immediate trend Of the political
drift Is now alarmingly In tho direction
Of the complete subversion Of our gov
ernmental institutions. O system that has
received the admiration Of tho ablest states
men of all countries. who have upheld 1t
as the best piece OF political work the
world has ever seen, with it's wonderful bal
ance and equilibrium Of the different powers
into which governmental activities resolve
themselves, and which alone can main
tain true liberty. From this perfect sys-
tenn we are fast lapsing to the crude method
Of an actual dictator, whose acts are deter
mined by the demands OF the irresponsible
mob. whose orders for PANEM EFT CIRCES
he obeys as the price Of their votes which
maintain him in power. In the ancient
world revolutions were made by brute
violence. but in the modern world they are
accomplished by the more silent but no
less deadly power Of the ballot.
The change that menaoes our system
Of government and paralyzes the co-ordf
nate powers OF the judiciary and Of tho
legislative bodies that were intended to
restrain the administration within its
proper sphere is due to the fact that tho
entire patronage OF the government, which
has now grown to be immense, Is placed
In the hands of the President By bis con-
stitutional right TO nominate to every fed
| eral Office in the land. Its far reaching
effect 10 TO make the holder Of the Presi-
dsncy the absolute controller Of the legis-
lative, judicial and administrative branches
of the government Congress. the Judi
ciary. the army and the navy can be brihed
and bought by this patronage to do what
ever the dispenser Of IL commands; it 70
indeed very big stick. The whole land
can be brought by it under the influence
Of graft, bribery and fraud WITHOUT
the use Of money, and political advance
ment can be made to follow CRINGING
! SERvILITY, while STURDY independ-
ence Is pushed to the wall.
! The vast powers Of the Presidency can
only be safely lodged in the hands Of q
man having the highest assemblage Of
qualities, mental and moral. with the
them effective. and with the breadth Of
information. calmness Of temperament,
correctness Of judgment, largeness Of
view and desire inspired by both con-
science and the higher aspirations q
Philosophio thought 70 perform the grest
ness or prejudice. He should have ripe
age, without which neither the necessary
1 information nor the practical experience
| required can be at the best. nor the free
! dom from ambition for the future. He
should be a man whose strongest oonvic-
| tion is that justice should be done though
the heavens fall and who will hold the
scales Of power with firm and equal
| hand, distributing absolute justice to all
without fear or favor and without regard
least, one who will maintain tho dignity
| OF his high office, which has been too
| often dragged in the dust. In fine, man
Of light and leading, one to whose guild
ance great nation in great crisis may
safely be intrusted.
II Is said that an emergency always pro-
duces the man. Can such man be found2
Yes! Joseph G.. Cannon. This receives
confirmation In the fact that Mr.. Cannon
been s bs s Sr sE es Pssssaa1
he 30 nominated by this national com
vention he will assuredly be elected, which
cannot be asserted for any Of his conpSti-
tors. any Of whom under ordinary circun1-
stances would make satisfactory Presidents.
and require an extraordinary man.
first statesman in the country; tie cisaress
| in his perceptions OF the proper jtsfe Hstttetk
to be followed In order to do exact juetioe
] to all interests, 90 that the final result D
| the true interest Of all. This political tact
is as valuable as Il is rare. He 10 not one
eyed, but an all around man, a fact proven
| by his long and active political career, In
! which success always followed his leader
ship, while failure az surely followed when
bis advice was ignored. The naoct wonder
fiIl part of his political as well 90 Of his pri-
| vate life is the absolute confidence which
oil who know hin--snd who does not know
! him ?--have In his integrity OF speech and
act. No one imagines for q moment that
| his tongue win utter double meaning or
| that his conduct win swerve hairs breadth
| from the reotitude which has always char
acterized 1t. He is a man in whom implicit
confidence can be placed not only % the
letter but to the spirit Of the trust. he 10
Of 90 ripe an age that, II elected. he could
| have nd ambition TO succeed himself, and
| therefore, no motive to use the great powers
| OF his Office selfshly to continue himself
! in 1t. All that the future could have for him
would be fame. and that can only be
achieved by deserving It. Notoriety 10
quickly won and as quickly lost; won ephena-
| orally without merit and lost as soon as that
| fact is discovered.
As the description Of an ideal President
previously given is practically, Mr.. Can
mons portrait, the. verisimilitude of which