Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-23

PEORIA. ILL.,, February oo-Represent-
ative Nicholas Longworth of Cincinnati
Senator Robert l.. Taylor OF Tennessee.
Rea- Admiral Joseph r. Coughin, T.. s.
NJ, retired. and Dr. NJ w Stryker. presi-
dent of Hamilton College, Clinton,
n. " were the speakers tonight at tho
annual Washington's birthday banquet OF
the Creve Occur club Col. Frederick
II. Smith, president of the club. was
toastmaster.
Representative Longworth paid high
compliment to Speake- Joseph c. Cam
non. and. while admitting his pledge TO
Ohio's favorite son, spoke in commenda-
tory terms Of the Illinois representative
fitness for the presidency.
President Sfryker spoke on Lincoln.
! the Complement of Washington" and
Senator Taylors toast was on "Tempta-
ton
Compliments for Cannon.
The subject of the toast of Mr. Long
worth was 1905. He began his speech
with compliment to Speaker Cannon,
saying that there was no man in the coun-
try who knows more of the workings OF
the government in it's every phase and in
Its every department than does Uncle
Joe. THE American people" Mr. Long
worth said. lowe debt to Speaker Cam
non that it would be impossible to pay in
full by the gift of any Office, even the
presidency, and whether he shall ever at
tain that greatest of all Offices or not his
place is secure in history as one of the
great American statesmen.
Here on the soil of his own state,
among the people that rightly honor him
it would i'll become me to advocate the
claims of any other man in this country
for the Office of President of the United
States, and if / be, as ] am, pledged to
the cause of another. n is not because L
do not believe that your favorite. Joseph
q. Cannon. fully measures up to the stat
ure of President. 1t is because the
man to whom my allegiance is pledged.
the man whom | regard as supremely
qualified for the highest place in the gift
of the people. is son of Ohio, a resident
of my own congressional district, and my
lifelong friend.
IF circumstances should be such that
Mr. Cannon should be the choice of the
republicans as their candidate for Presi-
dent there will be one who will put his
shoulder to the wheel more ardently and
enthusiastically than L.
The dawn OF 1908. Mr.. Longworth said,
was not propitious. at least from the
standpoint of general business prosperity
it was not so propitious that of 1907.
Defends the President.
Il do not believe, he said, that the
vast majority of American citizens, the
men who do the country's work anG revere
our institutions, believe. ever could be
brought to believe. that our present finan-
cial distress il due to any other condi-
tions than those which We're bound to oc-
cur and which periodically have occurred.
not only i'll this country, but throughout
a
man events Il stop To tank for
moment We will see that the present iinan-
cia distress is not only not peculiar 10 the
United States. but is worldwide.
The President OF the United States had
no more TO do with The recent New York
panic. or whatever you p ease to call il.
than he had with the late eruption OF
Mount NesuYius. | will not say that some
of his utterances, some oil the investiSa-
tions that he caused to De made into the
methods OF some OF the so-called high
tnanciers, may not have hastened by
iii tie the time at which some OF the iinan-
ciii structures erect -d upon foundations
OF rcttenness and dishonesty were bound
10 toppe. But / do SAY that hal h. sat
supin aly and allowed dishonesty Of which
h. knew TO proceed without raising his
nand against ii the crash would not have
been long delayed. ana when il came It
would have been followed ~ a hulr cane
compared To which the present condition
is as a zephyr.
corporation Brlgandage.
There are two causes. and two causes
alone. which have contributed to the con-
dtions which at present confront us. The
first IS "a condition of worldwide exist
ence. where the credit Of the nations has
been stretched to the breaking point; the
second "A condition peculiar TO this coun-
try which the Prssid ent helped to bring
TO FStt. but for the existence Of which
he Was more responsible than he was
for the Indian plague. condition which
disclosed TO tlie amazed and angry eyes
Of the American people that some of the
great corporations which existed by their
sufferance and supposedly for their bene-
'fit were managed upon Il system OF
brigandage. which, TO use the expression
of a constituent of mime. would make
Jesse James lcok Ike p'ker. Some' of
the calumniators .. the President have
said that he has attacked all American
corpoi ations aud all American business
men When and where has he ever done
so? I challenge any one TO point out i'm
any speech that he has ever made, IN any
riassage that he has ever sent to Con-
gress. a single word or single sentence
which can be, by any possibility. con-
strusd an attack upon any individual,
however wealthy, or any corporation,
however great providH only that the