New-York tribune., 1920-12-30
Cannon Feted
As He Breaks
House Record
Completion of ii Years of
Service Made Occasion
for Enthusiastic Demon
stration by Colleagues
Hopes to Excel Gladstone
More Than 100 of His Asso-
ciates Not Born When
He Was Elected in 1872

Fro,n The Triburc'S Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON. Dec 29.-Halting for
an hour the machinery OF lawmaking,
the House to-day Joined Uncle Joe"
Cannon in celebrating the passing of
the day that marks the breaking of all
records for length of service in Con-
gress.
The former Speaker first came to the
House in 1872, and last November was
elected to the House for the twerty-
third time. He will be eighty-hvc
years old on May and is the only
man living whose name appeared on
the ballot with Lincoln. Only one
other man in Congress came with MIR.
Cannon. He is Representative Isaac
r. Sherwood, of Ohio. General Sher-
wood, however, took "vacation," as he
termed it, for thirty-four years, from
the Forty third to the Sixtieth Con-
gress.
Uncle joe Cannon contded to his
colleagues to-day that his secret am
bition is to beat Gladstone's record of
liftythree years in the British Parlia-
ment and expressed the hope that he
would be serving in the House when
ne was 100. He recalled to the amuse-
ment Of members how various leaders
in the House, at the time he was first
elected. "were beginning to think about
long trousers"
Morrill's Record Eclipsed
The record broken to-day by "Uncle
Joe" was set by Justin Smith Morrill,,
OF Vermont, who previously had held
the uncontested long distance" cham
piOnshlp OF forty three Years nine
months and twenty-four days in the
House
The ceremonies were begun by Champ
Clark, the veteran member from Mis-
souri, and former Speaker, now minor
ity leader.
a long political career has some
disagreeable features in it, as ] found
out on the second day of November"
very pleasant ones, and the one We are
TO celebrate to-day is one Of the most
pleasant. TO me it is a labor of love.
ION this day, Mr.. Speaker, Mr.. Can
ron has served longer in Congress than
any other man in the history of the
Republic.'
Calling some of his veteran COL
leagues TO share honors with him, Nr.
Cannon said, in part:
Mr.. Speaker, we have had so many
of these wakes that am beginning to
wonder if l am not already realizing
the hopes Of those who desire to re-
trrn from the other shore and con-
tlrue to communicate with their
friends who are still particle Eating in
the ordinary affairs of this mundane
sphere.
Elected in Notable Year
The year Of 1872 was a memorable
one in many respects. Vesuvius had a
violent eruption that year, and General
Sherwood and l were elected to the
House. There were other happenings
the organization of the German Empire
and the French Republic, the emanci-
patton Of slaves in Porto Rico, the con
nectlon Of Australia with the rest Of
the world by cable, the great Boston
IRE, and the Geneva award Of the Ala
bama clalms-but these concerned the
world at large, while the election OF my
friend and colleague, General Shef-
wood, and myself was personal and I
am Slad he is here with US to share
with me the doubtful honor Of elder
statesmen
AS I look into your faces am re-
minded that our honored Speaker and
his predecessor in that chair were ap-
preaching the polls to cast their first
votes that year, Mr.. Gillctt 10 doubt
voting for General Grant, who mad
only few years before been con-
sidered a good Democrat. and Mr..
Clark voting for Horace Greeley, who
WAS still a stalwart Republican, and
protcctlonist, although transla lated for a
few brief weeks TO the leadership Of
the Democratic party
My friends Raincy and Mondell. at
the age Of twelve, were beginning to
figure life in percentages, while Roden-
berg, at the age Of seven, was winning
his way with You'd scarce expect one
Of my age: and the ambitions Of
Claude kitchin and Nick Longworth,
at the age of three, were ccntered
about their first pants
"But as I look over the House / find
more than one hundred of my colleague