Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-12-17

congress. where he has served ever since
with the exception of the two years Of
the SD congress. In 1876 he removed to
his present home in Danville and aban-
doned his law practice.
OF the men who served in the 4Sd con-
gress the first of which Mr.. Cannon was
a member, but four others remain In
public life William P. Frye was then the
chief supporter of Speaker BLAZING, Eugene
Hale was a Republican house leader, Jul
Illus Caesar Burrows was the silver
tongued orator of the house." and Steph-
en- B. Elkins was in the house as a
delegate from the territory of New Mex
leo. Now Frye and Hale represent Maine
in the senate. Burrows is a senator from
Michigan and Elkins is senator from
West Virginia. There is not man left
in the house who was there when Uncle
Joe" first took his seat. The names Frye
Hale, EIxins and Cannon prove the value,
in congress, of long service.
Mr.. Cannon served his apprenticeship, as
al young congressman have to do, out I
was not long before he was recognized
by the leaders as a man Of parts. he
speedily climbed to high position on
the committee on appropriations OF
which he was so long chairman ana
where he won well-merited reputation as
a .'watch dog of the treasury" He was
a candidate for speaker in 1883 against
Thomas B. Reed and William Mckinley,
and again in 1899 against David b. Hen
derson. In 1903 his ambition was realized
and he took the chair to preside over
the house, where he had so long served
In the stormy days of the 51st congress
when Speaker Reed was revolutionizing
the character of the house, Mr.. Cannon
was the chief floor leader and whip OF
the party in the consideration of every
question but the tariff. where Mr.. Nc
Kinlev led. In one of the hot debates
on the question of the power of the
sneaker to court a quorum and compel
the attendance of members, Mr.. Cannon
replied to a remark of Mr.. McAdoo, or
New Jersey, in language described at
the times as unprintable. The incident
was the cause of a bitter personal quar-
rel between Cannon and Billy" Mason,
of Chicago, that day, and led to at
tacks upon Cannon in all the opposition
press of the country, notably the New
York Sun. Cannon was renominated 1Or
congress the very next day after the IN
cident occurred, and the matter was
made an issue in his district He was
defeated
of the republican leaders and all but
Ss of the republican representatives in
the house. Whether he owed his defeat
To the campaign waged upon that incl
dent. or whether il was the result OF the
general democratic landslide, is con-
troverted question. At any rate he was
returned to congress in 1892, another
democratic year. and has been coming
back ever since. No public man in the
history of the country has been subjected
to a more severe attack by the press
than was "Uncle Joe" Cannon in 1890
He was even then Uncle Joe" and
that was 20 years ago.
In that familiar name one finds a key
to his character and to his power. He
is one of the plain people, lovable old
man whom his friends adore. Anybody
would call him uncle" Now there isn't
a man alive who would dare to address
the senator from Maine as Uncle
Gene" 1t would be tantamount to con-
tempt of the supreme court, treason and
all high crimes and misdemeanors. Mr..
Hale is in the senate what Mr.. Cannon
is in the house, the chief conservator
of the traditions of the party. Yet their
methods are as different as are the two
houses, or the two men.
Mr.. Cannon never encouraged the SEN
atorial ambition. He never looked upon
a transfer from the house to the senate
as a promotion. Perhaps one Of the
most remarkable features of his long
service is that he always has been jeal-
Gus of the rights of the house as opposed
to the encroachments of the senate. 1t
is true that Mr.. Cannon's conception Of
the scope of the rights of the house"
differs radically from that entertained by
many persons, but it is none the less
true that the speaker of the house
guards faithfully what he deems his
special trust.
Mr.. Cannon is a product of the golden
age of the Republican party. one of the
half-dozen men still in public life who
entered politics as supporters of Lincoln