Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-03-28
THANKFUL FOR TAFT
Speaker Cannon Glad He Is
in White House.
SPEECH FULL OF GINGER
Touches on Many Subjects at Re-
publican Clubs Banquet.
BELIEVES CONSTITUTION SAFE
Senator Bradley Pledges Kentucky
to the Republicans with a Little
Help From the North.
SPEECH FULL OF GINGER
BELIEVES CONSTITUTION SAFE

Help From the North.
Had II not been for the fact that both
the POSTMASTER of the evening and Speak
or Cannon himself specially requested lin
advance of the Iatter's address that the
newspaper men present go into executive
session and forget what was said, not
because of the fear of publication of any
thing that was said, but because those
who heard 1t might not get ii right,
Speaker Cannon's address before the
League of Republican State Clubs at its
tiftI annual banquet at the Arlington last
might would easily have been the feature
of the OCCASION if not. indeed, the sensa-
ton. The reason is that the Speaker
spoke of almost everything that has oc-
cupied the public mind for probably seven
years. including two Presidents. the rules
fight in Congress. and even the tariff
bill recently introduced by Representative
Payne, with many other things besides.
The Speaker felt that this was not
the time for speech. or song. or mourn
ing. 1t was the time for action. He
thanked God that the Constitution,
which for 120 years had stood the ma
ton in good stead, might be depended
upon for while longer He used all
raker." stay put and the like. but his
hearers seemed to understand what lie
meant. and with each new utterance
cheered him to the echo.
Touches Upon the Tariff.
IN touching upon the tariff he ad-
mitted it was competent for Congress
to write upon the statute book not o
perfect law, for perfection comes from
heaven. but-and here he hesitated, and
then said he had faith that the men
who represented ninety millions of peo-
pie would not be recreant to their
trust, but would keep the social fabric
intact He admitted. however, that
there were tired people and timid peo-
pie who might kick-indeed. he actual
~ heard there were such: but thus it
had always been and doubtless would
he to the end He referred to the abuse
that had been heaped upon Lincoln in
his day and that was always heaped
upon the republican party and upon
any man who stood in the way of pub
lie clamor for principles that were not
sound and right. To some extent, he
said history has repeated itself re-
Gently. and he referred to something as
''pinheads" now compared with noun
tains" then.
Glad Taft Is in White House.
The Speaker contended that we must
bank upon the law of the land, and he
feelingly ejaculated: Il thank God We
have now in the White House as compe-
tent man for the problems before him
as We had when Lincoln himself was
there A man. he said. who will respect
the law, who will not cut across lots.
who will live under the Constitution and
not pull back when his own whims are
crossed. Let no man. he said, "go
from here tonight and say that I am
critfcising past Congresses or past ex-
ecutives. / think he was a great ex-
ecutive. repeat, he was great execu-
tive.
We are better off" said Mr.. Cannon,
man to man. considering our popula-
tion. than any people on the face of the
earth. but, still. there will arise among
Us demagogues and faultfinders. A man
can't help 1T if he is born with a cast
in his eye and can't see straight, or even
If he has a cast in his brain. 1 don't
criticise people. but only what people do.
The Speaker also stood strongly for the
freedom of the press. even to the verge
of license. he said; and he thought the
organization he was addressing was COM
posed of men who believed in principles
that had made the freedom of the press
possible. This statement was considered
by some newspaper men present as a
release from the executive session obli-
cation announced at the outset.
Power means responsibility, he said,
and we have been having strenuous
times on the Hill. Yes he added. Il
said strenuous times. But what does it
matter? Fifty years from now. il it
we're possible that any of us might be
remembered so long, people would squab-
bic over who We were and whether We
were here or not-indecd, whether we
ever lived, as matter of fact. So / do
not speak of personalities. but of forces.
j have no stones to east at any COL
league of mine In the House of Repre-
sentatives. 1 will cheerfully concede that
every one of them was as patriotic in his
own judgment as myself, but there are
two forces in the world. One makes for
the Constitution. for law and order, for
established precedent, for the right way
OF doing things: and the other--well. let
us say the other stands for popuism.
Populism is a sturdy and voluminous oral
belief that everything that isn't the way
We want il isn't the way it ought to be
and therefore ii must be wrong.
Believes in Strong Parties.
II sincerely regret" the Speaker said,
that We have not two parties, strong,
yirile and well organized in this country,
differing in opinions in matters of govern
ment and its administration. Twelve years
IS long time for party to continue in
power. and sixteen years is a longer time.
1t would have been good thing after
twelve years If we could have had a
change of power-provided, however, he
hastily added, 1.-The substance could have
remained. i come from a district where
the CuO vote counts, lie SAID. ana many
and long have been the arguments and
hard the work to get that one vote right
but i would rather have been kicked of
The earth into space than ever to have
sacrificed principles to win il. You can't
make woodchuck out of coon by call
ing him a woodchuck. It's the substance
that counts.
Referring TO the contending interests
that plead when tariff bill is under
consideration. the Speaker said, There
are those really who are not pleased with
anything done down here" Referring to
the vast oil fields in his own district he
said if some one pulled up that pipe line
leading to the works of the rich and
wicked Standard Oil Company at Whit
ing he hoped and prayed some poor man
or some wise man would lay another one
In conclusion. Speaker Cannon paid a
warm tribute TO the republican party and
said il had Won the confidence and re-
spect of the people OF the country by
standing squarely for the Constitution
squarely up TO the agitator. to the opti-
mist. to the pessimist and to the world
including muckrakers for the law and the
right. and he hoped he would never live
10 see the day when ii would do other
wise.