The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1918-05-24
"UNCLE JOEr CANNON BIRTHDAY
SPEECH TO HOUSE OF REP.
RRSENTATIyES

RRSENTATIyRS
Mr.. Speaker, was told this morn.
Ing that somebody was liable to 70.
collect that this was my eight-second
birthday anniversary. Frankly, I wish
! could call II the seyxentIeth or the
sixty-nfth. The party who notified
me said, AS like as not they will cal
on you to say something" and, as the
time OF this House Is valuable under
existing conditions, put In black and
white can get through In three min.
utes, and will read II. applause
! thank you for remembering the
anniversary of my birth, but | do moi
feel lonedome at the age Of so. The
census that threescOre years and ten
Is the span of life, for by last census
there were more than 100000 people
In this country who had passed that
age; there were about half a million
who had passed the fourscore; 49,
900 who had passed the age of 90; and
nearly 1000 who had passed the CEN
fury mark. Physicians say that we
are soon, through their skill, to live
to be $50 years old. wish to God
they would hurry up. daughter and
applause)
am not even the Methuselah Of
this body. There is my friend and COL
league, Gen. Sherwood, nearly year
older than |. can count half a dozen
seniors who are no longer here, but
hale and hearty. There is former
Vice-President Levi p. Morton, who
served here in the Firty-Sixth Con-
Sress, and is "a. William Pitt Kellogg
who was here in the Forty-eighth Con-
gress, is 81. Gerry Hazleton, of Wis
consin, who came in with Gen. Sher-
wood and myself in the Fortythird
Congress, Is SO, and active In his pro-
fession. Henry w. Blair, of New
Hampshire, who came in the Forty
fourth, Is 81. llama Jim" Wilson, of
Iowa, who came in the Forty-third, is
SO. and Gen. Keifer, of Ohio, is six
months older than | am So am only
a cadet.
Long service here brings one conso-
lation. AS | have seen the gavel swing
from one side of the Chamber to the
Their, have become more and more
convinced that patriotism is confined
to no party (applause), and that while
this a Government through parties,
and always will be, all parties work
for the best good of the country ac-
cording to their light. The Forly-third
Congress was one of much party con-
tention, with men of spirit and cour-
age and convictions on both sides. We
had here then Hawley and Barnum, Of
Connecticut; Blount and Alex. Steph-
ems, of Georgia; Maxwell, Fcrt. Nc
Nulta and Morrison, of Illinois; Hol-
man and Tyner, of Indiana; kasson,
McCrary, and Wilson, of Iowa; Beck
and John Young Brown, of Kentucky;
BlaineSFryc and Hale, of Maine; But
Ter, Dawes, and The tW3 lloar broth
ers, of Massachusetts; Burrows, Con-
ger, and Huber, of Michigan; Mark
Dunnell, of Minnesota; Lamar and
Lynch, of Mississippi; Bland, "ritten-
den, and Stanard, of Missouri: Will
liam Walter Phelps, of New Jersey;
Sunset" Cox, Tom Plat, Fernando
Wood, William A. Wheeler, Clarkson
N. Potter, and Stewart l.. Woodward
of New York; Charles Foster Gar
field, Jewett, Larry" Neal and Gen.
Sherwood, of Ohio; pig Iron" Kelley,
Sam Randall, and Charles O'Ncil, of
Roger Q. Mills, of Tex
as; Luke Poland, of Vermont; Jerry
Rusk, phlotus SAWYER, and Alex. Nit
chell, of Wisconsin.
From the Territories were George
O. Cannon, of Utah; Martin Maeinnls
of Montana; AMI Jerome B, Chaffee,
Colorado.
The House never had greater
number of virile men than in that
Forty-third Congress, and nonpar-
isan would have found himself I'M
here at that time when
We had sharp battles over reconstruc-
ion legislation, especially Gen. But
er's civil rights bill But | have no |
loubt that confronted with the con-
litions Of today, Blaine and Alex.
Stephens, Ben Butler and Lamar, Gar
ield, and Randall, and the other great |
)arty men or that day would nave |
United to support the Commander in
chief of the Army and the Navy in de-
ending the honor of the Republic. |
Applause.)
let Wing and Tory stir the blood
There must be stormy weather;
Gut for some true results of good,
All parties stand together.
So sang the English poet, and so
las the American Congress acted
When there is a crisis in national af-
airs; so it will continue to act while
he crisis lasts. We are here as
americans all, each and every one
rying to do what he can to insure
ictory for ot1r oausp When that has |