The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-11-19

4 UNCLE IOE SA Us,
q TOLD YOU SO''
Or at Least That is What He
Can RightfuHy Tel House
of REPRESENTATIVES.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 19.-When
Uncle Joe" Cannon, the most ia
NOUS come back" Of recent political
history. arises to make his first speech
In the sixty-fourth Congress his text
probably will be:
u Told You So"
= II there's a man In political life
entitled to use that boastfui phrase
today It is the Hon. Joseph Cannon,
OF Danville, Ill. Nobody expects the
veteran Legislator to overlook the
Z opportunity. He Is .human-and
since the. days Of the imprudent
Adam. few humans have passed up
the chance to say, 81 told you so."
In thus Gliding the house Of rep
resentatiyes. Uncle Joe" will not be
referring to his own return to the
scene OF his former triumphs. In q
sense, of course, the Danville marvel
~ rather proud Of his reelection
after his political enemies had rel
segated hin; to the ranks of the "has
beens." Mr.. cannon, however. will
speak from the broader viewpoint
when he grows just a bit reminiscent
and bantering.
ss Historical Ago Over.
The thing that will cause uncle
Joe" to say II told you So" is the
passing Of what he used to call the
hysterical age in American politics
Ian. era of Investigations, shouts Of
down with the railroads." cries
about the money evil" and what
not.
When an ungracious (and now re-
pentant )constitutuency bowed, Uncle
Joe out Of public life at the close Of
the sixty-second Congress things
looked rather dark for the old guard.
The youngsters, the BOY Scouts Of
Ree-form, were entrenched every
where. Joseph G. Cannon appeared
about as important around the house
OF representatives as the small boy
who totes water to the elephant.
when the circus comes to town.
Too bad about Uncle joe but
hes got to CO." shouted the cam
paign orators. THE country must
be rid Of Cam onism, Aldrichism, gag
rule, the money trust, the grasping
roalroads, Wall street domination.
machine politics. etc."
His Farewell.
One day Mr.. Cannon arose in the
house. obtained recognition from the
Democratic speaker, gazed about him
at q Democratic majority Of some
one hundred and forty, and, delivered
q sort % farewell.
II The majority had always been able
TO rule in that body he told his
colleagues. Right or wrong the ma
jority should rule In its own way
because 1t was responsible. He aver
red that in time the Democrats would
ind gag rule" advisable, even neces-
sary. He shook his arms in the air.
stood on tiptoe, and decried politt-
clans who whisper in the text and
thunder in the index"
Nor did Uncle Joe" find himself
in sympathy with the constant agi-
tation against the railroads, the
money trust" corporations In gem
eral and the idle rich.
Good Prophet.
There were good and bad corpora
tons and good and bad men, he in
sisted, tracing the observations and
experience Of eighty active years.
The pendulum will swing back, .,
exclaimed the old Republican war
horse. This era of hysteria and sus-
picion will pass and hope to live
to see." !,
The pendulum will swing back"
said Uncle joe again, just before
he went into, retirement at Danville
Then he went back home to wait.
Mr.. Cannon had the situation
sized up fairly well. About the time
he quit Congress and for several
years prior therefore an EZRA Of anti
gripped everybody. Stump speakers
ceased to talk sanely of economics,
trade expansion. and domestic
growth. Almost every speech had as
IT'S basis viewing with alarm"
The land reverberated with the sound
of the chase after the money devil"
Wall street. the railroads, and the
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