Los Angeles herald., 1910-03-20
THE PASSING OF CANNON

WEARS ago it used to be said that
the special interests and the
highly protected industries; the
corporations desiring legislation in
their favor and against the interest of
the people; the men and corporations
that made a business of preying upon
the public by appropriating to their
own use those natural resources of
lands, minerals, etc, which were the
property of all the people, were most
firmly intrenched in the United States
senate, and at all times looked to that
body for legislation necessary to their
protection or to assisting them in car
rying out their plans of spoliation
During the past years of Speaker Can
mons czarship in the house this saying
has been changed, and the house of
representatives has come to be re-
garded as the very citadel and center
of the intrenched power of special in
terests and predatory corporations in
Washington Mr.. Cannon during all
his career as speaker has never failed
to use the great power of his office
against any reform that was proposed,
and in favor of perpetuating any abuse
or wrong of predatory wealth against
the people that ii was sought to cor
rect. Recent press dispatches from
Washington would seem to indicate
that this man who has done more harm
to the people of the United States, and
haf ba HDt fT,tp t-
than any man that the politics of this
country has produced, is about to be
shorn of the power which he has so
long misused. 1t has been many years
since the press dispatches from Wash
ington have told such a story of hope
and encoura cement to the reformers
Of the country-the men who are en-
deavoring to correct abuses under
which the country has been staggering
for years, and which must be corrected
if our institutions are to be perpetu-
ated and a government representing
the greatest good to the greatest num-
Der Is to exist in the republic.
The result of yesterdays vote seems
to very clearly sound the death knell
of Cannon's power, and we hope and
believe it means the early destruction
of the policies of which he has so long
been the champion. In the passing of
Cannon and Cannonism every patriotic
American citizen will find more reason
for rejoicing than in anything that has
occurred in the public life of the United
States for the last half century. In
deed, not since the surrender of Corn
wallis at Yorktown placed the seal of
certainty upon the national in1epen-
deuce of this country have the forces
enlisted in the cause of a government
Of the people, for the people and by
the people gained so notable victory
Mr.. Cannons whole career as the
head and autocratc ruler of one
branch of our national legislature has
shown him to be constantly and con-
sistently opposed to the sort of govern
ment which means the greatest good
to the greatest number, on the con-
trary, he has at all times stood for the
greatest good to a small and favored
class, and against the welfare of the
great majority of his fellow citizens,
That he and his works have at last
been repudiated by majority of the
members of the body which he has so
long msgoverned, and as the result of
a contest inspired by patriotism and
not by partisanship, is the most hope
ful sign of the political times that this
country has been favored with for
many a year.