Omaha daily bee., 1909-12-12

he was i years old his parents moved to
Indiana, his father being opposed to slav-
cry. At IA years old, Cannon went to work
in a country store, and saved his money
for the purpose Of studying law. When he
was 20 he went to Terre Haute to read law
in the office of John p. Usher, who was
secretary of the interior in the Lincoln
cabinet. Later he went to the Cincinnati
law school, where he was graduated In 1855.
In the same year he removed to Illinois,
living for a few months at Shelbyville and
then going to Tuscola. In 1861, he was
elected states attorney and was con-
tinued in that office until 1868, In 1872 he
was elected to congress, where he has
served ever since with the exception OF the
two years Of the fifty-second congress. In
1876 he removed to his present home in
Danville and abandoned his law practice.
OF the men who served in the Forty-third
congress, 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 Blaine,
Eugene Hale was a republican house
leader, julius Caesar Burrows was the
siIver-tongued orator Of the house, and
stephen B. Elkins was in the house as a
htANbaN0 Nh0 VI ANN" NAAN
Now Frye and Hale represent Maine in
the senate, Burrows is a senator from
Michigan and Elkins is a senator from
West Virginia, There is not a man left
in the house who was there when Uncle
joe first took his seat. The names Frye,
Hale, Elkins and Cannon prove the value,
in congress. of long service.
Mr.. Cannon served his apprenticeship. as
al ,.,,.- L,.-. 60 L. 49,. "A
was not long before he was recognized by
the leaders as a man of parts. He speedily
climbed to a high position on the com
mittee on appropriations, OF which he was
so long chairman and where he won we'll
merited reputation as a Watchdog OF the
treasury" He was a candidate for speaker
in 1889 against Thomas b. Reed and VIII
lam Mckinley, and again in 1899 against
David b, Henderson. In 1903 his ambition
was realized and he took the chair TO pre-
side over the house where he had so long
served.
In the stormy days of the Fffty-first con-
gress, when Speaker Reed was revolution
izing the character OF the house, MIR. Can
non was the chief floor leader and WHY
Of the party in the consideration OF every
question but the tariff, where Mr.. McKin-
ley led. In one Of the hot debates on the
question OF the power Of the speaker to
count a quorum and compel the attendance
Of members, Mr.. Cannon replied to a re-
mark Of Mr.. MoAdOo OF New Jersey in
language described at the time as I'M
printable. The incident was the cause OF
a bitter personal quarrel between Cannon
and Billy Mason OF Chicago tina day,
and led 20 attacks upon Cannon IN all the
opposition press Of the country, notably
the New York Sun. Cannon was renomi-
mated for congress the very next day after
the incident occurred, and the matter was
made an ISSUE in his district. He was de-
feated hat year. 1890. as were most OF the
republican leaders and all but eighty- eight
OF the republican representative in the
house, Whether he owed his defeat to the
campaign waged upon that incident, OF
whether IL was the result OF the general
democratic landslide, is a eontroverted
question At any rate he was returned