Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-03-08
Joe Cannon's Unparalleled
Record
BY JOHN T. BOFEUILLET


American congress lost its most picturesque
character.
Upon his voluntary withdrawal from ,ac-
tive and official participation in congress
sional duties he had attained the greatest
length of national legislative service in the
annals of the government. His member
ship covered a period of forty-six years.
The record for the next longest congress
sional service belongs to the late Justin
Smith Morrill,, of Vermont, who served
twelve years in the house and thirty-one
years nine months and twenty-four days
in the senate-a total Of fOrty-three years,
nine months and twenty-fOur days, but his
career was part in the house and part in
the senate, whereas Uncle JOe's fOrty-siX
years were spent exclusively in the house.
He was never member of the senate.
Mr.. Cannons service exceeded Mr.. Morrills
by more than two years.
Unique and Notable Experience
The broad and deep honor, distinction
and uniqueness of this unparalleled record
will be the more readily recognized and
appreciated when it is remembered that
about eight thousand men have been mem
bers of the sixty-seven different congresses
of the United States.
You will realize the extent of Mr.. Can
mons congressional life when you reflect
that it was passed during the administra-
tons of eleven presidents towit Grant,
Hayes, Mckinley, Arthur, Cleveland, Benjamin
Harrison, Mckinley, Roosevelt. Taft Wilson
and Harding. And, while Cannon was
member of the house the following eleven
men held the office of speaker: Blaine,
Kerr, Randall, Keifer, Carlisle, Reed, Crisp,
Henderson, Cannon, Clark and Gillett.
1t is interesting to note that while
the term of office of president is four
A1o oJyo7c ;o TTy,oI
Joe has seen exactly the same number of
persons in the presidency as in the speaker
ship. He saw his own unique self in the
chair for eight years, and also aspired to
behold himself as an occupant of the White
House, but in this latter aspiration he
failed. He was a candidate before the Re-
publican national convention in 1908 for
the presidential nomination, and received
fifty-eight votes, a number far short of
the requisite majority.
Path of Blasted Ambition
In this connection it is timely to remark
that the speakership has been generally re-
garded as a stepping stone to the White
House, but results have not justified this
idea. About thirty-seven men have been
speaker, and of these James K. Polk was
the only one to obtain the glittering prize,
and there was an interval of several years
between his occupancy of the chair and the
White House. Randall, Carlisle and Reed
We're. exceedingly masterful speakers but
were unsuccessful aspirants for the presi.
dency, neither of the three even getting
nomination. Reed YVES a very prominent
candidate in 1896, and in the Republican
national convention of that year ran second
to Mckinley. Apparently, he became en-
Uttered by his defeat, and when he re-
signed from congress in 1899 some persons
attributed this action to his feelings of dis
appointment over his failure to land in the
White House
Speakers Clay, Bell and Blaine received
presidential nominations, but failed to be
elected. Henry Clay, the ablest and most
brilliant of all speakers, and James G.
Blaine, himself a phenomenally accom-
plished parliamentarian, are the most con-
spicuous examples in American history of
blasted ambition along the route from the
speakership to the chief magistracy.
Grasped Frozen Shroud
Champ Clark, while in actual occupancy
of the speakers chair, sought the shining
presidential robe, but only grasped "a
frozen shroud." In the Democratic conven-
ton of 1912, at Baltimore, he led on thirty
ballots, in eight of which he had clear
majority. Clark served speaker four full
and consecutive terms-eight years. Can
non holds with Clark the record of eight
years of consecutive service in the chair.
No other speaker has edualed this tenure
of office, except the great Henry Clay,
who served ten years, eight months and
two days, but his service was not con-
tinuous, as he resigned the speakership
twice, once to go to Client as peace COM
missioner and once to return to the practice
of law in order to recUperate his financial
condition. Cannon was nearly sixty-seven
years old when first elected speaker, and
nearing seventy-five when he retired
from that office.
Nominated Twenty-Five Times
Horace Greedy, the great epic figure of
the American press, was the Democratic
presidential standard bearer in 1872, and
he and his party were crushingly engulfed
by the Republican flood. Among those that
the tidal wave of victory swept into office
was Joseph Quincy Cannon, of Illinois, He
was that year elected for the first time
to congress. He has been reelected twenty
two times. However, he has received the
nomination of his party twenty-five con-
secutiye times, but failed of election twice,
due to Democratic landslides
Champ Clark, in speech in congress
several years ago, in speaking of Mr.. Can
mons longs congressional life, said: such
a record can be made only under a rare
and peculiar set of circumstances. First
the constituency must remain in the same
political faith during more than two score
years Second, the man himself must be
as constant as the northern star and be
possessed of unusual endowments, mentally
and physicallyA Third, his constituency
must have such faith in him as would re-
move mountains"
Uncle Joe Alone Was Inere
AS Uncle Joe looked for the last time as
member upon the historic and familiar
scenes where he had for nearly half a CEN
tury been an outstanding figure, he turned
to trace the long way that led him up the
steep, and as he cast that backward look,
and there passed before his minds eye in
review the nearly eight thousand forms that
had at one time or another travelled the
course with him, there sat not one of this