The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-03-05
old Uncle Joe Cannon
Who Retires Next Year
Recalls Varied Career

Lincoln. nnd that had the great
fortune 10 attend the finCOln-Doug-
las debates 90 years ago GS5S).
That was n long time ago. But ]
sny that I knew Lincoln don't mean
to create the impression knew him
Intimately or. for that matter, very
wcll. for such was not tho case. I
was n young man nnd Lincolu's
great career was just ahead 0r him,
and my acquaintance with him wa
like that or scores of other young
fellows who ~ that time were rally.
ing 10 the standard ~ tho man who
iu my opinion, aB moro fitted.
from his early life, 10 be president
than any other man Uf hs time.
The Lincoln -Douglns Debates.
~ young man I met Lincoln on
several occasions. first on the old
Ninth judicial circuit of Illinois. IN
which Lincoln WAS one of the lond.
Ing practitioners during the me-
mornble debates with Douglas. and
ns delegate 10 the III nOia repub /.
can convention which voted 10 make
him the states candidate for the
presidency. and during the mcmpr-
ablc campaign in 1860 that followed
L
rs II It we're yesterday, tho fourth OF
the debates between Lincoln ana
] Douglas al Charleston Ill, in 1853.
/ u seemed that all the foll r from the
| ptairics Of central Illinois were there
| that day, md as the events ~ that
I day come back 10 me I r"call that
! the crowd was quite evenly divided
/ In It's sympathics. and In those days
/ | can assure you, pnriisnushlp was
/ something that was virile TO the last
| degree.
I'm my lifetime thrco American
presidents have suffered martyrdon
ut tho hands Of nasnssins Lincoln
| Garfield and McKinley--and I knew
them all, and all OF them were my
friends WILKES Booth. the ASSASSIN
OF Lincoln, was n crazy man, nut
tho day that he fired the shot tina
ended tho earthly career OF Abraham
Lincoln was the spddcst day of IN,
northlnnd. I believe tho hand tina
used the weapon 10 take the life o
Lincoln was inspired by tho press
north Hs well Rs south, that de
nounCcd LincolH, and | believe tn
same thing is true OF Garfield an
OF Mckinley"
Uncle Joe than talked OF othe
famous men no had known.
"When ] came flrft To congress
In 1872" he continued, Alcxnudc
. II. stephens was "A member frot
GeorEia. | had heard n great dca
OF stephens before | came To Wash
ington. l had read about him In IN
, war news. and | had my opinionl
stephens was Ilncoln's ablcst advoI
I sRry, and In congress | came To kno'
= him, and he was one OF my earle,
, friends on the floor of the house. w
. lived at tho same hotel. and as
2 came to know stephens | realize
= that no was n man different from IN
, stephens | had read about In Ill
2 war newa, az different ns are m
n opinions OF the Archangel and IN
o archdcmon OF the universe. l hay
r learned that there are no personal
n ties In partlsnnshlp. and that m,
u who meet face to face and discu
different political Views are less arb
!, trary than are those who read q
headlines.
,e "And recall General benjamin
Butler, who In remembered as u
a author of the civil rights bill tn
1t raised such a racket in the sout
10 Butler was n stormy petrol II the
n ever was one, and while the south
'r the heat OF Its indignation over u
s civil rights hill denounced a.
m poured imprecatlons on his head. OF
10 good friends TO tho south of us al
le pRrontly did not take into consider
m tion the fact that Butler was MI
y chairman OF tho house tudlcin
d committee, which reported and y
T. through tho house the amuestly b
al which removed the political dlsabi
es ties incident TO the war from
H. many thousands OF southcrners.
"a "Marse Henry"
A. And lot me recall one OF the b,
a losers have ever known. one OF {
greatest OF American editors, wi
-, has so recently gone to hts rewal
y My reference is TO Colonel Hen
y Watterson OF Kentucky. who W
also a colleague OF mine In {
te early years OF my service In &C
~ gress, There Is popular fictl