The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-02-13
DEVIL WAS FIRST To
SMASH PRECEDENTS,
.SAYSJ0SEPHC CANNON
Ex-Czar of House Caustical-
ly Arraigns Wilson and
Administration in an
Address in Illinois

Peoria. ILL.,, February 12.--President
wilson breaking of precedeais as his
addresses in person to Congress, his
] abandonment OF the New Years Day
White House reception and the prog
ress of the democratic administration
in general, came in for adverse criticism
at the hands of former Speaker Joseph
G. Cannon at Lincoln anniversary
dinner here tonight. The former repub-
lican speaker of the House of Repre-
sentatives coupled his eulogy of Lin
coin and the republican party with dire
predictions for the countrys welfare
under democratic rule
Grin and Bear 1t
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 we will
obey the law and grin and bear what
ever ills may come" said he. But the
rainbow has not come down in Illinois
as our opponents predicated 1t would
10 months ago when Mr. Wilson ap-
peared in person before Congress to de-
liver his first prophesy of the new free
dom
Meanwhile President Wilson is en-
gagged in smashing precedents. Some one
has said that "a President embodies
principle and the human race has been
living under precedents since the days
of Moses. The devil was the first smash
er of precedents and he has been busy
through several thousand years trying
to smash good precedents. 1 would not
intimate that the devil could even get
into the White House grounds with a
strict Presbyterian President on guard.
but some of the precedents he Is
smashing had good origin and have
lived in good repute through a hundred
years. They are democratic. too. |
The President has delivered his
messages from the rostrum of the
speaker of the House. In that ne has
smashed a precedent of a hundred years !
and followed one of a thousand years IN |
autocratic government before the days
of Washington and jefferson.
Another Precedent Smashed
President Wilson smashed another
old precedents in abolishing the New |
Years reception at the White House |
This abandonment of an old social Gus
tom is not of Importance, but 1T re- |
minds me of an incident in the admin |
istration of Lincoln. On the morning of
January 1, 1868, the President copied |
the emancipation proclamation with his
own hand, working at his desk until the |
hour for the New Years reception 10 |
oegin. Then he went to the blue room
and for four hours shook hands with |
thousands of citizens. At o'clock in the
afternoon Lincoln returned to his desk |
with his right hand so swollen that no |
could scarcely hold a pen, but, after |
manipulating and massaging the fingers !
for 4 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 |
1t necessary to smash the old social |
precedent of New Years greeting. nor |
to create another, political 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, distribute |
these historic pens. and deliver a speech !
informing a waiting world of the bless |
ings that were sure to follow the mo- |
mentous act There was no coinage Of |
phrases, such constitution of peace |
or the common council of the people. |
Il am inclined to like the smashing |
of old precedents by Lincoln more than |
those by Mr.. Wilson. President Wilson |
and his party have smashed the re-
publican precedent of prosperity.
Building Gallows
"A year ago. before he had taken up |
the fun responsibilities of the presidency. !
Mr.. Wilson was engaged in building |
gallows higher than Hamans for the |
(C0ntiuued On page Elghtl