The Washington herald., 1909-03-14
CAPITOL GOSSIP.

At regular intervals the old story crops
out OF the new member Of the House who.
before he saw that body in eruption, was
painfully impressed with his UnWOrthi-
ness. and reflected sadly on HIS Inability
% measure up 10 the standard OF the
general average After a day or two Of
observation. however. ne only wondered
how any Of them got there. \ Tammany
Representative. not now a member. once
told how he came 10 be there He re-
lated that he was IN his fathers Office
one morning. when the telephone rams
FOR him. and Richard Croker. al the
other end Of the line. ordered him 10 at
tend a pro forma Congressional conven-
ton that evening and say a few words
in acceptance OF the Congressional nOml-
nation from that district He was elect
&c and reelected for several terms, but
never discovered why OF what he was
there for once a year he had sent down
half a carload OF bottled beer from his
fathers brewery for the boys. and with
this and an occasional vote with his
party when he happened 10 be present
his Congressional duties began and ended.
II is extremely seldom. however, that a
man is taken ny the scruf OF the neck
and violently injected into Congress. Usu-
ally. II al all, Il comes after months. and
even years. OF strenuous labor.
As an intermittent member OF the
House. Bourke Cochran is the one best
bet. Mr.. Cochran first appeared in the
Iimelight OF national politics at the Capt
toll IN the Fiftieth Congress, twenty years
ago. and after one term went into eclipse
Later he was a member OF the Fifty
second and Fifty-third Congresses. after
which he OTnamenJed UnonlciaI society
for eight years. Later he came 10 the
surface as a member OF the Fifty-eIghth
Congress. and has remained until the end
Of the Sixtieth. Because Of a falling out
with the Tammany leaders. he was re-
fused a denomination last summer. and
is again a private citizen The chances
are more than even that he VIII crop out
as member from some New York dis
trict in two years. either as a Democrat
or Republican
Only few months ago he married
Annie. one OF the two daughters OF ex.
Gov. Gen. Ide. Of the Philippines. and
maintains fine home at Fort Hamilton
y. Y.
a remarkable political condition lie:
in the fact that somewhere around q
half dozen Republican members OF the
present House were nominated and elect
ed on the sole platform Of hostility L
the reelection Of Uncle joe as Speaker
while several Of the ablest Of the HOUSE
leaders were defeated entirely on thai
issue. Statesmen Of national reputation
who were known as friends Of Cannon
were slaughtered in overwhelmingly
Republican districts. while nonentitiel
who promised TO oppose him were para
lived with amazement 10 find themselves
elected
Because OF the preachments and inter
ference OF Roosevelt anti-Cannonism be
came a craze in many districts. with tn,
result that some constituencies placed the
tube in their mouths and turned on the
gas. 1t was an astonishing epidemic OF DO
litical suicide, the like of which is seldom
indicated in history.
A conspicuous victim OF the anti-Can
non deIirium Is John J. Jenkins. Of
Chippewa Falls. Wis. late member from
the Eleventh district. Judge Jenkins Ia:
been a member for fourteen years, com
ing in with the Fifty-fourth Congress
and during that time attained an extra
ordinary standing as an able and valu
able legislator For some tine he ha.
been chairman Of the very important
Committee on the Judiciary. and as sucf
has we'll won a most enviable standing
among his colleagues BY his eminent
services he has raised his district from
obscurity. but all questions of ability and
fitness went down before the terrifying
specter Of the benign Uncle Joe"
Another victim OF the CannOnphobia Is
that eminent printer, J. Adam Bede, Of
the Eighth Minnesota district. J. Adam
might have held his job had he renowned
Cannonism, but he refused TO bend The
pregnant hinges Of either knee that po-
litical thrift might follow dishonor. and
hence is out in the cold. When his district
finally emerges from the durable ward II
is quite probable that II VIII send him
back 20 Congress and keep him there
Bede has a record for excellent work n
the House. and. above all, the gift for
making himself extremely popular per
sonally. AS a speaker at social gather
inSs he has achieved a national reputS-
ton, and his genial wit viii not Iona
remain in obscurity. In personal appear
ance he is understood and saturnine. and
the package Is far from indicating the
contents
January .. IoS. something over a year
ago, John Sharp Williams. OF the Eighth
Mississippi district was elected to thC
Senate 10 succeed Hernado De sou
Money, whose term does not expire unit