Evening star., 1914-02-13
CANNON IS CAUST|C
ON ADMINISTRATION
Former Speaker Criticises President
Wilson's Attitude on
Trusts.

PEORIA, Ill, February Il. THE
patriotism of Illinois" was the subject
taken by Joseph C. Cannon. former
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
last night, when he addressed the annual
Lincoln day banquet of the William a.
Thrush Camp. Sons of Veterans
Among the other speakers at the ban
quet were W. T. Church of Chicago
past division commander of the Sons of
Veterans. and George b Holmes, divi-
sion commander.
President Wilson'S breaking -. of; pre-
cedents in hts address in person to Con-
gress. his abandonment of the New Year
day White House reception, and the
progress of the democratic administration
in general came in for adverse criticism
at the hands of Mr. Cannon. He coupled
his eulogy of Lincoln and the repuo-
lican party with dire predictions for the
country's welfare under democratic rule.
MIR. 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 whatever
ills may come. said he. But the rain
our opponents predicted it would ten
months ago. when Mr.. Wilson appeared
in person before Congress to deliver his
first prophesy of the new freedom.
Precedents Since Days of Moses.
.'Meanwhile President Wilson is en-
gagged in smashing precedents. Some one
has said that "a precedent embodies
principle and the human race has been
living under precedents since the days
of Moses. The devil was the first
smasher of precedents and he has been
busy through several thousand years try
ing to smash good precedents. I 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 q hundred years. They
are democratic, too.
The President has delivered his mes
saces from the rostrum of the Speaker
of the House In that he has smashed
precedent of a hundred years and fol-
lowed one of thousand years in auto
cratic government before the days OF
Washington and jefferson.
President Wilson smashed another old
precedent in abolishns the New Year
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 administration of Lin
coin. On the morning of January !. 1858,
the President copied the emancipation
proclamation with his own hand working
at his desk until the hour for the New
Year reception to begin Then he went
to the blue room and for four hours
shook hands with thousands of citizens.
At 3 O'Clock in the afternoon Lincoln re-
turned to his desk with his right hand
so swollen that he could scarcely hold a
pen, but, after manipulating and massag-
ing the fingers for a few minutes. he
took the pen and wrote Abraham Lin
coin to the most significant document
ever issued from the White House.
Lincoln Contrasted With Wilson.
Lincoln did not think it necessary to
smash the old social precedent of New
Year greeting. nor to create another po-
litical 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 blessings that were sure
to follow the momentous act. There was
no coinage of phrases, such as 'constitu-
ton 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 republl-
can precedent of prosperity.
"A year ago. before he had taken up
the full responsibilities of the presidency
Mr.. Wilson was engaged in building a
gailowS higher than Haman's for the
trusts. but in the latest message from
the White House We find that the gallows
have been transformed into a May pole
and the trusts are invited to join the