The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1922-07-25
CANNOT HATE MAN YOU
KNOW, SAYS UNCLE JOE
THIS IS THE PHILOSOPHY OF
THE VETERAN ILLINOIS
STATESMAN.
COLLEAGUE OF GREAT MEN
Has Served Under Eleven Presidents
Does Want Insurance Policy Guar
anteeing One Hundred Years OF
Life. Brief Biography.

Life. Brief Biography.
The Osler theory has been given
some terrific wallops in recent years
"Uncle Joe" Cannon, who will retire
from congress voluntarily at the COM
pletion of his present term. has Just
about administered the "knock out to
the idea that a man is useless after he
reaches the age Of 90, writes John D.
Erwin in the New York World H..
Had not "Uncle Joe" wanted to give
the Younger boys" a chance out IN
his district he would probably have
stuck around the halls of congress I'M
til his term of service equaled Me
thuselah's longevity record. AS 1t is,
his term has never been equaled IN
the American congress.
Mr. Cannon lacks only a few days
of having As years to his credit, and
when he completes his term March
4. 1928, he will have represented his
district for p terms in the house, or
40 years. ,o-,
Ii was 50 years ago this fall, or 1872,
when he first came to Washington,
after having established reputation
as a fearless prosecuting attorney IN
his home state. He had an enforced
vacation of four years through defeat
at the polls
He is no longer the Dancing Der
wish of Danville," an alliterative title
conferred on him by Champ Clark, in
the heat of debate one day, due to
Uncle Joes" gymnastic capers while
speaking, but he is still active.
The Illinois member has served un-
der eleven presidents-Grant, Hayes,
Garfield, Arthur, Cleveland, Harrison,
Mckinley, Roosevelt, Taft, Wilson
and Harding He is the only man IN
public office today who was candl-
date on the same ticket with Lincoln:
"The first notoriety | ever obtained
in the house and in the country, SAID
Mr. Cannon in reminiscent mood
was by the aid OF Sunset Cox, who
came into congress from Ohio and
then from New York. A great man
was Cox. He had versatile mind.
He was full OF humor. One day he
was running amuck, attacking the
republican side, as only he could. We
were cheering him at times on both
sides and sometimes there was gnash-
ing of teeth on the republican side.
Finger That Got to Be Notorious.
Finally, he made remark about a
constituent of mine who had just been
nominated for commissioner OF inter
nal revenue, Gen. Green B. Baum, a
good strong man, former member of
congress. Just at that time Alice
Oates was here in opera bouffe. She
was inimitable One of the characters
in her opera, as | recollect 1t, was
General Boom Sunset Cox in his re-
marks said: why, here at last they
have turned out a good, honest COM
missioner of internal revenue and ap-
pointed somebody think he is from
Illinois-General Boom.
"Well, that aroused me, and l jump
ed up and said, "Will the gentleman
vield?' oh, no, said Cox. I cannot
yield. The gentleman shakes his finger
and he scares me- Then a smile came
over his face and he said, Yes, will
yield For what time? inquired Mr.
Speaker Blaine. AS long as the gen
t1eman will keep his left hand in his
pocket answered Cox.
81 accepted the yielding and stood
in that aisle, and l began vigorously
to defend Gen. Baum; but | had not
talked 90 seconds until | forgot all
about the left hand and out it came.
Times up said Cox, and it was up.
THAT was my first notoriety. In the
campaign of 1874 that finger was car
tooned all over the country. The joke
was good, and the cartoon abounded
on hand bills on every tree in my dis
trict
Cannot Hate Man He Knows.
my own experience in public life
inc1ines me to the view expressed by
Charles Lamb that he could not hate
the man he knew rather than to the
old proverb that Biting and scratch
ing is the Scots wooing.
Thus spoke Uncle Joe" the other
day.
zone of my earliest friends in the
house was Alexander H. Stephens. |
had heard of the man who, as vice
president of the ConfederaCy, was the
ab1est adversary of Lincoln, and | had
opinions; but on the floor and in the
hotel where we both lived | came to
know him as man different fom my
opinions.
80 it has been through the years,
and to me partisanship Hneans the
necessary contests over policies by
which the republic must be governed,
nave seen some CIdllScS III pdl u
san politics When l came here, be-
lieving in nationalism, was impress
ed with the state rights doctrine OF
some OF the men on that side, and |
remembered speech by Randolph
Tucker, OF Virginia, in opposition to
Randa1ps bill to loan $1,500,000 to the
Philadelphia centennial exposition. Mr..
Tucker warned the house against
stretching the welfare clause of the
constitution, and turning to Randall
shouted a warning that should the
appropriation he made Chicago and
even Yorktown would some day come
for aid to an exposition. Well, they
both came, and many others, and Mr..
fuckers son was president of the
jamestown exposition"
Brief But Authentic Biography.
Once when he was asked for an au-
thentic biographical sketch the Hi
nois statesman replied characteristical-
~, in this language;
Mr. Cannon was born OF Godfear-