The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1914-02-20
JUNGLE JOE" CANNON A KICKER
(By .Assacinted Press

ACKNOWLEDGMENT q the New Year :
White House reception, ard the PR
gress Of the Democratic administra-
ton in general, came in for adverse
criticism a the hands Ct former
Speaker Joseph G. Cannon at a Liz
coin Anniversary Dinner here tonight.
The former Republican Speaker Of tAa
house of representatives coupled
eulogy Of Lincoln and the republican
party with dire predictions for tho
country's welfare under democratic
rule.
MIR. Wilson IS our president for the
sine being and the Democratic Con
gress is our Congress, making laws
under which We ali must live. and ne
will obey the law and grin and bear
whatever ills may come,' said he.
But tie rainbow has not come down
in Illinois as our opponent predicted
it would ten months ago when Mr
Wilson appeared in person before
congress TO deliver his first pr7nAesy
Of the New Freedom.
N eanwhile President Wi:zcr Is
engaged in smashing pre- -eo nss.
Some one has I'd tha - pres Ien.
lcnhcdies a principle and tho i.s01n
race mas been l.".na u1d4r r.cee1
ents since tha days & Moses" TIL
Devil was the frs. sm3sher 0. PIE
cedor,s ard he lia 3e.a busy through
| several thousands years Trying TO
smash good Ircce5oc.s I would nc:
intimate Jh2t the Dezii could evca
get into The White Housa grounds
with a strict Presbyterian President
on guard but some % Tia precedents
he is smashing had good origin and
have lived in good repute through !
hundred years and followed one of 4
thousand years in autocratic govern
ment before the days OF Washington
and jefferson
! President Wilson smashed another
old precedent in abolishing the New
Tears reception at the White House.
This abandonment of an old social
custom is not OF importance, but it
reminds me OF an incident in the adj
ministration of Lincoln On the morn
ing of January l, 1868, the president
copied the Emancipation Proclamation
with his own hands. working at his
desk until the hour for the New
Years reception to begin. Then he
went to the Blue Room and for four
hours shook hands with thousands of
citizens. ~ o'clock in the afternoon
Lincoln returned to his desk with his
right hand SO swollen that he could
scarcely old a pen, but after manipu-
lating and massaging the fingers for
a few minutes, he took the pen and
wrote Abraham Lincoln" to the most
significant document ever issued from
the White House. Lincoln did not
think il necessary to smash the old
social precedent of New Years greet
rather than social, by assembling the
leaders Of his party at the White
House to witness his rapid change OF
pens in signing different parts of his
name. distribut these historic pens,
and deliver a speech informing a wait
ing world of the blessings that were
sure 10 follow the momentous act.
There was no coinage of phrases,
such as Constitution of Peace" or
the Common Council" of the people,
Il am enclined to like the smash
ing of old precedents by Lincoln more
than those by Mr. Wilson President
Wilson and his party have smashed
the republican precedent of prosper
! ity
"A year ago. before ha had taken
lup the full responsibilities OF the
presidency. Mr.. Wilson was engaged
in building gallows higher than
uaman's for the trusts, but in thu
message from the White House we
end that the gallows have been
transformed into a maypole and the
trusts are invited to join the presl
dent in a May day dance to celebrate
the new constitution of peace The
new diplomacy that was to convert
orr battleships into international 50
cial centers has brought only refusal
from the great nations of Europe t.
participate in the Panama Exposition
The nations of the East are irritated
south America suspicious, and Mexi
co in anarchy.
THE great menace of today is no
he trusts-howeve desirable it ma!
be TO have wise legislation to regu
ate them-so much as non-employ
ment
We must have domestic depression
and foreign irritation, and there mus
he some cause To my mind it is tn
n S.sO fnfn