The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1914-02-13
CANNON ROASTS
PRESIDENT FOR
BREAKING RULES
Coupled Eulogy on Lincoln BY Max
ing Dire Predictions for
Country's Welfare.
HUMAN RACE LIVING UNDER
PRECEDENTs SINCE MOSES
Haughty Danville Standpatter Ad'
vises People to Return to
Rock of Salvation"

HIS duus tboNb III INAAN's ~
his abandonment of the New Years
Day White House reception, ana the
progress of the Democratic admins
tration in general, came In for al
verse criticism at tie hands y.
Former Speaker Joseph G. Cannon.
at a Lincoln Anniversary Dinner here
tonight The former Republican
Spcakc- of the House of RcprcsCn-
tatives coupled his euloSy of Lila
coin and the Republican party with
dire predictions for the country'S
welfare under Democratic rule.
"Mr Wilson is our President for
the time being and the Democratic
Congress is our Congress, making !
laws under which we all must live,
and wa will obey the law and grin !
and bear whatever ills may come,
said he. "But the rainbow has not
como down in Illinois as our oppo- |
nents predicted it would ten months |
ago when Mr.. Wilson appeared in
person before Congress to deliver
his first prophesy of the New Free
dom.
Meanwhile President Wilson is
engaged in smashing presidents
Some one has said that Precedent
embodics a Principle, and the hui
man race has been living under pre-
cedents since the days of Moses.
The Devil was the first smasher OF
presidents and he has been busy
through several thousand years try
ing to smash good procedents. /
would not intimate that the Devil
could egen get into the White House
grounds with a strict Presbyterian
President on guard, but some Of TIC
precedents he is smashing had good
origin and have lived In good repatc
through a hundred gears. They are
Democratic. too.
"The President has delivered his
messages from the rostrum of the
Speaker OF the House. In that he
has smashed a precedent of hum
dred years and followed one of a
thousand years in autocratic govern
ment before the days of Washington
and Jefferson.
President Wilson smashed an
other precedent in abolishing the
New Years reception at the White
House. This abandonment OF an old
social custom is not Of Importance,
but 1t reminds me of an incident in
the administration of Lincoln. On
the morning of January l. 1868. the
President copied the Emancipation
Proclamation with his own hand
working at his desk until the hour
for the New Years reception to be.
gin Then he went to the Blue
hands with thousands of citizens. At
o'clock in the afternoon Lincoln
returned to his desk with his right
hand 80 swollen that he could
scarcely hold a pen, but. after
manipulating and saying the
fingers for few minutes, he took
tho pen and wrote Abraham Lin.
COIN to thc most significant docu-
ment ever Issued fran the White
House. Lincoln did not think II
necessary to smash the old social
precedent of New Years greeting.
nor to create another, political rath.
er than social, by assembling the
leaders of his party at the White
House tc witness his rapid change
OF pens in signing different parts Of
his name, distribute the historic
pens, and deliver speech inform.
ing a waiting world OF the blessing s
that were sure to follow the momen.
tous act. There was no conagc
OF phrases, such as Constitution q
Peace" or the Common Council" O
tho people.
Il am inclined to like the smash
ing of old preecdents by Linco!i
more than those by Mr.. Wilson
President Wilson and his party hav
smashed the Republican preceden
of prosperity.
"A year ago. before he had take
up the iull responsibilities Of tn
Presidency, Mr. Wilson was eaga
cd in building a eallows highc
than Haman's for the trusts. hut j,
the latest message from the Whit
House ne find that the gal!ows nav
been transformed into Maynol
and the Trusts are invited 10 ioil
the President in a May day lance [,
celebrate the new Cdnstitptiun .
Peace. The new diplomacy tina
was to convert our battleships int,
International social centegs ha