The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-11-20
From, Oeltev Pens

~. =: =.
Il = possibis for ! man to come
hack. He must Be the real thln9s
however, an all-Amor1can fighter VINO
never knows when he u whipped.
|. Uncle Joe Cannon came back. he
came back by 5000 majority.
He whipped the Pro6reeotves, the
Democrats. the Prohibttioniets. the
Holier-than-Thou brothers and all the
idealisticAl .yeformers In his congree-
sional district.
lima away back In the days when this
republic was young. He htke0 from
the land Of Bumcombe to the 0ighty
f Va studied law; he hung out his shin
gle; he invaded politics. and ne be-
came q pastmaater In that most fas-
cinating Of al American games.
Uncle Joe entered congress when
young man.
He became the most noted Of Amer
loan LAWMAKERS. FOR years ne was
the car Of the house. He made ana
unmade politiciansA laws ana systems.
! He smoked like e steam engine. he
When angry he "cussed most pro-
fusely. He never evaded an Issue nor
sidestepped . row.
A. A. = car ar, he was the a limit; ns
hewed to the line and was . radical
OF radicals. In private life no was the
most companionable Of men. the most
delightful OF story tellers, ana ne dfo
-. not care Tor the politics or the creed
OF the chumo who loved him.
| He ruled with rod Of iron.
He defied his enemies ana was Loyal
to me- fr1enoA de neitner courSed nor
gers at labor leaders. woman suf-
| fragettes, political preachers and the
hostiles who represented the great
| newspapers of the country.
He was denounced as the ally OF
John Barleycorn.
He was branded az the liveried
l4cky OF powerful trusts.
He was placarded az the braxen
tool OF the Wall street money devil
! He was ptllorted a. the henchman
or INSCRIPTIONS and law-defying cor
porations.
People who did not know him must
have imagined him to be combina-
Most and Ben Butler.
Men who did know him had another
opinion. They knew him to be big
Drained. self-willed, iron-handed. gem
erous-hearted. typical American, who
was faithful to conviction and who
never deserted q friend.
Uncle Joe is unique; he is almost
alone in his class.
he has lived. Defeat did not dismay
him. nor the shafts Of his enemies de-
stroy his nerves. He is neither a
scrub or a charlatan; neither q mas
querader nor a tfmeserver.
He knows what he knows. He has
confidence in himself. He never Of
fered his goods over q cheap counter.
From early b0yhOod he played for
high stakes, and he won them.
He went down in the crash two
years ago.
Progressive reformers said that It
was the last OF Uncle Joe. Roosevelt,
the author Of the new dispensation.
Il consigned this veteran to the political
lscrap pile. Labor leaders sang glad
4 reQuiems women suffra eists tsneoed
with delZht. eminent preachers. who
i played the game of politics said it was
la punfshment sent by the Lord upon
and his sins of omission. The DEM
l'ocratic donkey brayed long and Justify
Democratic editors filled their pages
u with obituaries of the passing of the
men. and Marse Henry Watterson shed
q few scalding tears. He hated Uncle
Joe's politics. but he loved and ad-
mired Uncle Joe.
: But Uncle Joe refused to remain
dead. Uncle Joe came out of his wig
wan. He did not expose his bruises
or his raw spots. He brandished his
war club. and he hurled defiance at
the time came, he made public an
announcement that his hour Of resurrec-
ton was drawing nigh. He declared
1 himself a candidate. He won tha Pa
/ publican nomination. He went ont IN
the stump and he warmed the Goodies
in the hearts of his old followers.
President Wilson penned q beautiful
letter to the voters Of his Illinois dis
ltrict. in which he advised them to lead
iUncie Joe through the slauahter house
Ito a bloody crave. Denocrafic SMELL
binders invaded the district and at
tempted to tan the rhinoceroa hide Of