Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1921-02-06
.HERE are only two men in
Congress today who have per-
II ~~nol ,noo,,ct;or ~ hro !, n,

MERE are only Two men III
Congress today who have per-
sonal recollections OF Abraham
Lincoln. They are former
Speaker Joseph G. Cannon. who re-
Gently broke all records for length of
service in Congress and who is the
only man now living whose name ap-
peared on the ballot. with Lincoln's.
and Representative Isaac r. Sherwood
of Ohio. the Oldest man in point of
years who ever sat in the House, and
VINO Is the only man in public life who
stood in the throng on the, east front
Of the Capitol during the Lincoln in
augural. -
Uncle Joe" Cannon, as he is now
known throughout the nation, who is
nearing his eighty-fifth birthday, was
q mere STRIPPING when his name ap-
peared on the Lincoln ballot as a cam
didate for county attorney. Cannon
also was delegate to the convention
that Nominated Lincoln; he heard Lin
coin in his famous debates with
Stephen A. Douglas. and he met
Lincoln on railroad train when the
great emancipation" having been
elected President. was making a trip
for the last time it proved-to visit
the woman who had been a step
mother to him.
stories about Lincoln relates to that
period Of his life when the lanky Ken
tuckian was clerk in a country store
and sold. all kinds of things. among
others, with the civilization as they
had 1t then-whisky. Douglas taunt-
ed him with It. anu Lincoln said:
Yea did; but it takes two to make
= bargain. / was inside the counter
and Douglas was outside"
= + +
LANNON'S "Reminiscences of Lin
coin are human impressions OF
how this gaunt backwoodsman made
. dominating impression on the peo-
pie Of his day and nodded the policy
OF the nation in q most crucial pc
riod. How Lincoln came to be known
and followed by the people Mr.. Can
non describes as follows:
HE practiced law on a country cir
cult He was easily the leader of the
bar on that circuit-the old ninth cir
cult. David Davis. the nisi prius
judge. was afterward nominated by
Lincoln for justice Of the Supreme
Court Of the United States. He was
. great friend Of Lincoln's. Both OF
them were wings. ! say he was
easily the leader Of the bar. but all
the time he was talking politics. Even
after l. went to Illinois the only
amusement they had was when, twice
year. they had the circuit court
which was the nisi prius court OF
common law jurisdiction, law and
equity. Twice a year the lawyers
would come riding in on horseback
A little later on some of the country
towns were reached by railroads. and
of course, they were utilized. and the
jurors and the witnesses would come
to the county seat. There were nc
theaters and few circuses. Van Am.
berg did run a great moral menag.
erie once in q while. ] was twenty
years old before ever saw any other
amusement.
They came together to visit. The.
filled up the houses in the little coun.
~ town. Some of them camped ou
in tents, some slept in their wagon.
while they were in attendance upor
court They knew the merits ant
the power Of the lawyers as they ad
dressed the court and wrestled fol
verdicts. But at least one time in tn,
day. sometimes at the hour of id
journment at noon and sometimes il
the evening. the lawyers In attend
ance would address the people from
the political standpoint. Lincoln wa.
always ready under these conditions
Out of the historic Missouri .;om
promise" gathered the great conflict
as hurricane. and Lincoln stood on
20 the commanding figure. ITO de
scribe the situation by the singh. cx
Sre~sion that we sometimes us,
farther west says Mr.. Cannon
"yhere was blood on the face of tn