The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-09-16

scars and he has earned many But
at last he was unanimously elected
| speaker by his party. carrying to the
| chair the friendship and respect OF the
| minority. In his high place he has
/ presided with such fairness and such
| kindness, has exhibited so much com
mon sense. that when Mr.. Williams, the
Democratic leader, arose in his place
! April 2S. and offered resolutions thank
ing him-an unusual proceeding at the
close of the long session-every mem
| Der voted for it without mental reser-
walton; not only voted for it. but did
deafening and from the heart, and 1t
went to the heart of Uncle Joe.
n Kindly Character.
Uncle joel" That sobriquet express
es the kindly feeling which his fellow
members entertain for him, just as the
Little Corporal" Bob Thomas" Pop
Price" "Marse Robert" Little Phil.
"Old Rough and Ready" "Old Hick-
| ory,' and ''StonewalF' expressed the
feelings of the soldiers who fought un-
der those great captains.
There have been many warm and
some hot debates during his speaker
ship, but only one ugly quarrel With
| out any intention to gush, it ought to
be stated-for 1t is the sober truth
that much of the kindness felt and IL
lustrated among members was due to
the speakers kindness. He may well
congratulate himself on his success in
the chair"
The Speakers Fairness.
Mr.. Williams has given marked testi-
mony as to the fairness of Speaker
Cannon. On April %, 1904, as the house
was about to adjourn the long session,
Mr.. williams offered a resolution ex-
pressing the thanks of the house to the
speaker for his fairness, and in pre-
senting the resolution the Democratic
leader said:
80 srT,1,,, L i- h,,+ cf
." The mans the gowd for a that
And 1 may be excused, Mr.. Chair
man, if I say that no man in my snort
career-or middle-aged career, because
it is ceasing to be middle-aged now
has reminded me as much of that
couplet as the speaker of this house.
He reminds me frequently of coined
gold The gold would be valuable
without the stamp that is put upon IT,
but the stamp gives it ready currency
and gives 1t a better opportunity to dc
the work of the people.
Joseph G. Cannon would have beer
valuable as Joseph G. Cannon If he had
never been a justice of the peace even;
but without the stamp of the peoples
approval, giving him official rank, ne
would not have had the ready currency
that he has had to and through all our
hearts nor the opportunity that he has
so effectively exercised to do the peo-
pies work as he thought is should be
done"
The Minority's Compliments.
Ar the close Of the Fifty-eighth con-
gress March 4, 1905, John Sharp Will
liams offered the following resolution:
Resolved, That the house Of repre-
sentatives return its thanks TO lts
! speaker. the Hon. J. G.. Cannon, OF Hi
nois for the fair and impartial ana
able manner in which he has presided
over it's deliberations and 1or the
sturdy common sense and genial good
humor which have been displayed py
him and which have induced the mem
bers of the house itself, in degree al
most unprecedented, in imitation or
him. to display the same sterling
American characteristics in their de-
liberations and mutual dealings"
Again when the Fifty-ninth con-
gress was about to adjourn sine die on
March 4, 1907, Mr.. Williams testifled
his confidence in Speaker Cannon by
Offering the resolution of thanks and
making a speech in which he said:
Mr.. Speaker, there is no place In the
world. so far as know, where a man
finds his true level, either rises to it or
sinks to it. as quickly and as newt
ably as in the house of representatives.
The house puts up with no shams. II
wants the real thing. A genuine man
NAV be wrong, but he always has the
respect and the confidence OF his Iei-
low men whether he is wrong or right.
Nothing more genuine was ever pulIt
by the Almighty than the speaker OF
the house of representatives ZAP
plause) He is nearly always wrong
Qaughter), but there is no sham about
him there is no pretense, there is no
hypocrisy He is just simply plain Joe
Cannon. Enthusiastically American
characteristically western, and cnarac-
teristically southern, for some or ms
old blood came from there. (Applause.)
"Mr. Speaker, he is an integer, one
thing; Therefore he has integrity, IN
tellectual and moral; he is an lnteger
and not duplex, not double-deanns- MS
integrity is virile his common sense Is
viriie. his good humor is constant. II
If we're left to me and we had to have
a Republican speaker of the mouse, L
should vote unhesitatingly for Uncle
Joe. (Applause.) 1 should do 1t on the
ground that he is not any worse tnail
the balance of you and very Iluch
more open about 1t. Uaughter anu dp-
plause5 have just resisted a tempta-
tion. A friend of mine came TO me
and asked me to word the nsudl resi-
luton in an unusual way. he tolu me
To thank the speaker for the actNe'
enereetic and gesticulatory' manner in
which he had presided over the ses-
sions of the house, and you may
imagine those of you who know my
temperament. the effort IL TOOK 70
sist that temptation; but instead ol
that offer the following resolution:
"Resolved That the thanks or tne
Triftv-ninth congress are due to the
Hon. ]. G. Cannon. its honored and DIS
tinguished speaker, for the lntellgenl'
constant, and impartial manner IN
which he has presided over It's lmpor-
tant deliberations"
THESE are not partisan tributes to
M cannon. They are from the leaders
Of the opposition in the house of repre-
sentatives. from the men who have Ior
many years, as Mr.. Slark h says, ynow Ua'fsG fair
with Uncle Joe, and VINO klo" Ian
fighting.
ShackIeford's Special Stunt.
1t is said in holy writ that tne
s+1na that is rejected by the build
ers shall become the cornerstone of
IL +nrnn1a This old prophecy has