Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-02-04

that was Joe Canon in the Forty-sev-
enth congress, and that Is the Joe
Cannon of today. The Forty eighth,
Forty-ninth and Fiftieth congresses
were Democratic. You see in those
days the Democratic party was DEM
ocratic, and had the art Of gaining
victories, an art it lost when 1t ceased
to be a Democrat In 1894. But the
Fifty-first congress was Republican by
three or four majority. Reed and Nc
Kinley were the leading candidates for
speaker Reed beat Mckinley because
he was an infinitely abler man. Had
Mckinley been, Speaker Reed would
have been chairman Of ways and
means He would have made the tar
iff and he would have been elected
president in 1895. There would have
been no Spanish war and no acquisi-
ton Of the Philippines. Mckinley
was bullied in to the war with Spain.
It was impossible to bully Reed. In
this connection I want to say as q
Democrat that the course Of the DEM
ocrats in both houses Of congress just
before the declaration Of war with
Spain was the sublimest piece Of idiocy
in all the annals Of asshood. They
forced that inglorious war, and estab-
lished the Republican party in power
indefinitely.
Reed appointed Uncle Joe chairman
of appropriations, and then turned
enough Democrats out Of congress to
give him working majority under his
rule to count quorum. At the sue
ceeding election in 1890 the Democrats
gained the greatest and completest vic
tory ever obtained in our history. The
Democratic majority in the house was
more than twice the entire Republican
of eighty eight, and for
the only time in thirty-eight years
Uncle Cannon was elected to stay at
home.
Thus the Democratic party had the
world in basket, and in 1892 they
swept the country and put Grover
Cleveland in the White House. All
they had to do to retain their power
was to follow their leader,
but that they would not do. They re-
volted, set up Bland and Bryan, and
when they led the party into the pit,
80 per cent Of the Democrats cussed
Cleveland for their misfortunes. Had
they followed the counsel Of Cleveland
and been overtaken by disaster there
would have been some sense in abus-
ing the Democratic president.
However, it is all right now, Mr..
Bryan denounced Mr.. Cleveland as
and yet the convention
that nominated Mr.. Bryan in 1908 was
reduced to the necessity Of eulogizing
Grover Cleveland. Sometimes 1t is a
good thing to set dish of leeks before
a great man. 1t disciplines his appe-
tite.
. .. .
Thomas B. Reed was as proud as
Lucifer. He was conscious of his i'm
superiority, mentally and NOR
ally. to Mckinley and he was wound
ed to the vltals when the party pre-
ferred Mckinley to him. Later he OPP
posed the Spanish war and the acqui-
sition Of the Philippines, and when
he saw his party was determined on
the policy of expansion, he resigned
from congress. In my little way /
urged the Democrats to nominate Tom
Reed for president in 1900, and If they
had discovered the sagacity to do so,
he would have been elected.
When Reed left congress there were
several candidates for his shoes. Dave
the poorest equipped man
for the place who ever held 1t, got 1t.
He got 1t because Uncle Joe Cannon
had opposed the oleomargarine bill,
next to the ship subsidy the most In
famous bill of an economic nature that
congress ever considered. A Mr.. Hop
kins, now happily statesman out OF
a job, represented the Elgin, ILL.,, dis
trict, and he became a candidate not
for speaker, exactly, but to beat Uncle
Joe, and he did.
But when Henderson retired from
congress, all eyes turned to Uncle Joe
and he is now serving his fourth con-
5ecutive term, an honor that came to
but one other, Mr.. Stevenson Of Vir-
ginia, who resigned during his fourth
term as speaker to be minister to Eng
and. Henry Clay served longer than
any other speaker, but not continu-
ously.
AS was the case with Cleveland the
wave of personal abuse that threatens
to engulf Uncle Joe will recede, and
his popularity will be greater than
ever. He is honest. That Is univer-
sally admitted. He is an exceptional
" strong personality. He is brave and
a fighter, and has rendered the state
some service.
AS for the insurgents, why don't
they insurge? Horace Greeley insurg-
ed; so did Carl Schurz.-Lawyer's
sPAIN's RICH CITY.
Eeu In Anerica Realize the Indus