The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1914-03-27
CANNON'S SWAN
SONG OFTEN SUNG
Uncle Joe FaCetiOusIy Referred
to Il on Eve Of Retirement.
HIS LAST DAYS IN POLITICS

hS lASI UAIS IN rUllIlGS
Fight In 1910, When Veteran Speaker
of tho House Triumphed Over His
Foes - Thirty-e eight Years In Con-
gress, It Was Reported He Might
Run Again.
In the closing days of the Sxty-sec-
ond congress newspapers were every
day printing stories about defeated
members singing their swan songs on
the floor of the house. Joseph G. Can
non. enjoying the distinction of longer
service in the house than any other
man in the history of the United States,
made several speeches in rapid success
sion. and each one was described in
the public prints as his swan song.
The night that he attended the fare
well reception to Representative Nc
Kinley Of Illinois. also dead duck"
Uncle Joe was down ON the program
for speech.
Every time l make speech" he
declared. 1.-The newspapers say | am
singing my swan song. Just to escape
that this time and to show that I'm a
young buck with lots Of years to live.
will now do song and dance"
Whereupon be sang a coon song and
did dance that would have made a
chorus girl turn green with envy.
Ono Of Famous Four.
Although more than 1900 men have
served in the lower branch of congress
since the house of representatives as
sembed for the first time in 1885, only
four Of them served thirty years or
more and Cannon. who served thirty
eight, was at seventy-seven che young
est old man in public life. Elected
to the Forty third congress. be was
elected to every congress thereafter
until his defeat in 1912 by Frank 7.
OHair, with the exception of the Fiji
ty-second congress. Four times he
was speaker Of the house of represen.
tatives.
Since his return to private life at
Danville. Ill.,. it has been reported at
various times that he would run again
this year. He was noncommital when
asked about it.
Official Washineton's Farewell.
The former speakers leavetaking
of Washington was made memorable
On Feb. Is last he was rendered a
farewell dinner which was attended
by President Taft. members of the
Taft cabinet and many prominent men
regardless of political affiliations.
When the guests assembled they
found at each place a souvenir pro-
gram with a poetical tribute unsigned.
but written by Representative Moore.
1t read:
The storms may come. the winds may
blow.
The saplings and the pines may fall.
But. tempered to the sun and snow,
The sturdy oak survives them ALL
And so in legislative hall.
Where men and measures come and go.
On Fames enduring record calls,
The honor rests with Uncle joe
Inseparably associated with Uncle
Joe. perhaps the Quaintest figure in ma
tional politics. was the ever present
Cannon cigar. and on the reverse side
of the program beneath the curling
smoke of a pictured cigar ran this
couplet:
mo Chaffnr
rules If you will.
But the Cannon aroma will hang to them
still
His Memorable Battle of 1910.
1t was in the middle of March. 1910.
that Speaker Cannon's star began to
set At the end of three days and
three nights of bitter parliamentary
battle he and his faithful band were
overruled on critical point Of order,
and Uncle Joe was deprived Of the
Craftsmanship of the all powerful rules
committee Of the house.
Counseling complete surrender. the
senate leaders called upon Uncle Joe
to resign as speaker. In Indignation
he waved them from his room. He
had not yer begun to fight. And when
the elder statesmen" had retired to
their end Of the capitol Uncle Joe
climbed back iEto his chair and hurled
defiance at the victors.
Il will not entertain a notion" he
declared. while the house listened
with GREATNESS suspense, to declare
vacant the speakerShip Of the house"
1t was gage of battle. and the
speaker seemed to have calculated well
that the insurgents had gone as far as
they dared The motion was made
and lost. and the speaker sat secure
again upon his throne, but with his
Scepter nicked
For three days and three nights he
had been at high tension in the center
of the crisis the man upon whom and
against whom all was being waged
Then came the moment Of defeat and
the challenge that stemmed defeat and
brought out victory again. with Uncle
Toe triumphant
From that time on his political pres
tige suffered Impairment. hut even so.
his defeat for reelection in 1912 was
"A national surprise.
A carload of Quincy Refrigerators
last week for Yelvertons' Big
Furniture Store and are now on dis
play. This is without doubt the lar
z ID e