The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1914-02-05
CANNoN'S SWAN
SONG OFTEN SUNG
Uncle Joe FacetIousIy Referred
TO Il on Eve Of Retirement.
MS LAST DAYS IN POLITICS

Fight In 1910, When Veteran Speaker
of the House Triumphed Over His
Foes Thirty eight Years In Con-
sress, It Was Reported He Might
Run Again.
In the closing days of the Sixty
Ond congress newspapers were every
day printing stories about defeated
members singing their swan songs on
the floor of the house. Joseph q. 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 a speech.
Every time / make speech" he
declared 1.-The newspapers say l am
singing my swan song. Just to escape
that this time and to show that I'm
young buck with lots of years to live.
l will now do song and dance
Whereupon he sang coon song and
did a dance that would have made
chorus girl turn green with envy.
One of Famous Four.
Although more than 10000 men have
served in the lower branch of congress
since the house of representatives as
sembled for the first time in 1889, only
four of them served thirty years or
more and Cannon. who served thirty
eight, was at seventy seven the young
est old man in public life. Elected
to the Forty-third congress. he was
elected to every congress thereafter
until his defeat in 1912 by Frank T.
O'Hair. with the exception of the Eff
ty-second congress. Four times he
was speaker of the house of represen
tatiyes.
Since his return to private life at
Danyilie. H.. it has been reported Mt
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. II last be was rendered L
! 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 souvenir pro
/ gram with n poetical tribute unsigned.
but written by Representative Moore.
1t read:
Tfk storms may come the winds may
blow
il The saplnes and the pines may fall,
But. tempered TO the sun and snow.
The sturdy oak survives them all
And SO in legislative hail.
Where men aud measures come and 90,
On Fame's enduring record calls.
The honor rests with Uncle joe
Inseparably associated with Uncle
Joe. perhaps the ouaintest figure in ma
tional politics. was the ever present
Cannon cigar. and on the reverse side
OF the program beneath the curling
smoke of pictured cigar ran this
couplet:
You may break. you may sisatter tn
rules f you WILL
But the Cannon aroma viii hang to then
still
His Meme bic Battle of 1910.
1t was in the middle of March. 1910
that Speaker Cannon's star began t.
set At the end of three days ant
three nights of bitter parliamentary
battle he and his faithful band wer,
overruled on a critical point Of order
and Uncle Joe was deprived of thi
craftsmanship of the all powerful rule
committee Of the house.
Counseling complete surrender. tn
senate leaders called upon Uncle 10
to resign as speaker. In indignation
he waved them from his room. II
had not yet begun to fight. And whel
the .'clder statesmen had retired {
their end of the capitol Uncle 10
climbed back into his chair and hurle
defiance at the victors
II will not entertain notion" II
declared while the house listene
with GREATNESS suspense. Ito declar
vacant the speakership Of the house
, 1t was a gage of battle. and til
speaker seemed to have calculated we
that the insurgents had gone rs far II
/, they dared The motion was mad
and lost. and the speaker sat secur
/ again upon his throne. but with hi
/ kcepter nicked
$ For three days and three nights b
+ fad been Mt high tension in the cente
of the crisis. the man upon whom an
against whom all was being wages
Then came the moment of defeat an
the challenge that stemmed defeat an
Joe triumphant.
From that time on his political pre-
), tige suffered Impairment. but even s
> his defeat for reelection in 1912 W.
national surprise.
sr = SUBSTITUTE Muen Sneaper man ma
a Brigadier General John j. PershiI
ut II