The Hawaiian gazette., 1915-05-07
Uncle Joe Cannon

WT TNcLE JOE Cannon stayed Just a few
~ hours in Kansas City on his way to Homo
lulu, but in just that little while he cheered EN-
.ub SO much SO that the Kansas City Journal said
the ned morning; .HE.
ron the occasion Of his brief stop in Kansas
City Yesterday, Uncle Joe Cannon left Just the
kind Of sturdy message Of Stalwart Republicanism
as was To have been expected OF him. AT an age
when many men have passed into the lean and
slppered pantaloon 'Uncle Joe is off on little
jsunt of ten or twenty thousand miles--the geo
graphical statsticians figure out how far it is
from Danville Illinois, to Honolulu and return.
He is one of. those everlasting Republicans who
are called 'standpatters because they have sense
enough 70 know--not merely when the country is
well Off, but when it is best off. There is really
i.iIiie difference between the two. g.. De-
The man, who lets well enough alone is not a
itandpatter; though that is the usual acceptation
II the word. But the man who has the best hand
which the rules of the game can give him and
which cannot be bettered by throwing away good
ards on the chance of getting others that are no
better and are likely to be much worse-that is
the man who stands pat and that is the sort of
standpatter the distinguished son Of Illinois is.
rhe Republicans of the nation have long delight
ed to honor him. and doubtless they will have
the opportunity of doing SO again by elevating
him to- the speakership OF the next congress.
.It is. hardly accurate to say that Uncle Joe
has come back He never left. He had to stay
N home a short time because the people OF his
district foolishly refused to continue him in an
Office which he had made useful and honorable
10 bis district to his State and to the nation. 1t
was the people who came back. Uncle Joe was
there all the time, waiting for them to return.
He hasn't changed hit He is the same kind OF
Republican he has been for half a century, and
his constituents never reflected greater credit upon
themselves than when they came back and told
him 40 go back, III. . y I% y-ss $,,.yt. 4 b
Uncie Joe has beets subjectede TOT eofs
severe criticism. He has been roasted and lani7s
pooned, and accused of many offenses of which ne
was never guilty But his bitterest enemy can
not put finger upon a single dishonest or dis
creditable act by him during all the long years of
his service, 1t is quite the fashion in this land of
tree speech to place public men in the pillory of
popular contumely; but time assure to Bring vim
dication III as. in the present case, the criticism
is mere abuse founded on partisan rancor not on
fact.
THE vituperation heaped upon Uncle Joe has
never injured him particle in the estimation of
those who know both him and his revilerS He
brings message OF cheer, of rousing Republican
victory next year, of the return to the party OF
those who seeing the mistake they made when
they left it. 1t is not a mere prophecy 1t is
statement OF fact, made in advance of the final
proof OF its correctness. Republicans dofot have
to hope that it is founded on facts They are only
waiting for the time to come when the statement
will be more completely verified. In the mean
time Uncle Joe will be doing as much as the
next man to assist in the veri6cation."
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