The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-11-27
In Which Speaker Cannon Became
ELOQUENT and Dramatic.

In Which Speaker Cannon Became
Eloquent and Dramatic.
Kansas City. Nov. 27.-As Speaker
Cannon dropped his manuscript, he
audience rising and calling "More,"
More"
The usual happened at the Knife
end Fork clubs dinner at the Coates
house last night-the extemporaneous
remarks proved more entertaining,
though hardly more instructive. than
the set speech.
Joseph G. Cannon, speaker of the
mouse, furnisher the expected after he
finished reading his paper on congress
and legislation, in which he treated of
insurgents and the tariff. AS he laid
down his manuscript, which he said
was the first he had used for many
years. there were loud and many cries
for More" More" and then came
The extemporaneous.
Remember. boys he said to the
reporters, IF you want to you can
take this down." 1t was taken down"
in shorthand. word for word. Here it
IS, word for word:
''Thus ends the manuscript Mr..
Cannon said
Then to Private" John Allen of Tu-
pelo. Miss: John. will you give me
zen minutes of your timer
''All of it, Mr.. Allen said.
He was dramatic from the start of
the extemporaneous part of his speech.
After a statement he considered par
ticularly strong he suddenly would stop
speaking. His arms went to his sides
and he stood erect like a soldier on pa
rade. But he quickly resumed his
speech.
ct am told that there is present to-
night" Mr.. Cannon said. " a member
of the staff-at least a worthy repre-
sentative-of two great papers in Kan
sas City Recollect, boys, if you want
to you can take this down. Oaughter).
One The Kansas City Star-and the
other-The Kansas City Times. Laugh
Associated Press has sent them copy
OF this manuscript as it distributes
such matters through that organization.
If they have not, my secretary has at
least half dozen copies at their COM
mand. Now, the press is a great pow
err. A headliner. If he makes the lines
untrue in the abstract. as to the sub
stance. deceives the people as to what
was said. Sometimes by accident by
charity. may suppose, not by design,
this does exist in NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
them newspapers in Illinois, don't
know whether it exists in Missouri.
IT am quite we'll aware that those
two papers-great papers, with great
circulation-dOn't lay awake nights
to praise the individual who now talks
to YOU 1 do not whine; I never have,
from the time I took my first whip
ping when I was a boy, thank God,
/ didn't whine! I have all my life
however, demanded-at least, I have
asked-fair play.
What Republicans and Democrats Say
Republicans and Democrats say to
me that these two great papers have
a larger circulation, not only in west
ern Missouri, but in Kansas. especial
ly, than perhaps all the other met
ropolitan papers put together. And
know how the daily reading of pa
per, whether it is right or whether
it is wrong in its statement of fact, is
apt to affect men who are busy. l
beg nothing, but in plain, common
fairness, I wonder if Mr.. Nelson will
tell his employees to fairly headline
this manuscript and print it without
crossing an Il or dotting a t-aS
news, perchance, that is worthy to
be read by the American people if
they desire to read it, especially by
here I would like to have an answer
from him.
There I drop it. practically with
out abuse of the publishers of great
metropolitan papers, without whining.
THE Republican party is voiced by
the majority. 1t passed the Payne tariff
bill, giving it vitality and making ir
law, under the constitution, by con-
stitutional majority. But it has not
been fairly voiced by the great metro
other time, I spoke of this same mat
ter I will not repeat tonight what I
said then. 1t is not necessary because
have other matters to talk about, but
let that be as it may Thank God, in
the great city Of Chicago. the second
great city in population and in produce
ton in the United States. with a great
many morning papers, splendid news
papers-and 1 am quite impersonal IN
my remarks, treating them as newspa-
pers, every paper in that great city.
We recently had an election for sue
cessor for Senator Lorimer. The Re
publican organization put a man in
nomination.
1.-THE Democratic organization put
man in nomination. and then a man
who called himself an insurgent Re-
publican, and made his platform on
which he ran against bossism. and
pledged if elected he would join the
insurgents from Iowa and elsewhere
and wage war upon the speaker of the
house, and upon the Republican ma
jority-that was his platform He
was supported by all those papers,
believe-the Democrats ran without
any newspaper support, but one sup.