Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-03-06
JUNGLE JOE" CANNON, AFTER
HALF CENTURY IN CONGRESS,
GOES BACK HOME---TO SUNSET

| the 1lrSt time, though L am not
| given much to tears, L caught my
self crying. And during all the years
since have never glanced toward
| it without saying to myself, God
! bless the man who painted that pic
| ture.''
| In more whimsical vein was I'm
Gle Joe" on the day he exceeded
Senator Morrill, in length of service.
Addressing the house, every member
| having risen to his feet cheering the
! old man from DanVille, he said con-
corning the year of his first election;
THE year of 1872 was a memora-
BILE one in many respects. Vesdvius
had a violent eruption that year and
! General Sherwood and I were elected
to the house. There were otter
appenings-the organization of the
German Empire ard the French Ike
public, the emancipation of slaves
in Porto Rico, the connection IF
Australia with the rest of the world
by cahle, the Great Boston fire and
| the Geneva award of the Alabama
claims. But these concerned the
world at large while the election Of
my friend and colleague, General
| Sherwood, was personal and I am
glad he is here to share with me he
doubtful honor of Elder Statesmen.
| 81 am reminded that our hon
ored Speaker (GilletU and his pre-
decessor Clark were approaching
the polls to cast their first votes
that year, Mr.. Gillett no doubt vot-
| ing for General Grant. who had only
q few years before been considered
a good Democrat, and Mr.. Clark vot-
| ing for Horace Greeley, who was
still p sta1wart Republican and a
Protectionist though transplanted for
| a few brief weeks to the leadership
of the Democratic party.
Tribute to Mann
"Jim Mann, aged Is, was no doubt
beginning his struggle with. rival
ambitions to continue a farmer CT
become a lawyer, and am glad his
perverse nature monopoliZed his am
billions until today he is an orna-
ment to both professions, a true
scientific farmer and the most indus
trious and useful lawmaker 1 have
ever known.
"My friends, Rainey and Mondell,
at the age of II were beginning to
figure life in percentages, while Ro'
denberg, at the age of z, was VIM
ming his way with You'd scarce ex-
pect one of my age and the ambi-
lions of Claude Kitchin and Nick
Longworth, at the age of ), were
centered about their first pants.
Looking around me, l find more than
one hundred of my colleagues today
who had not even been born,
and L feel that 1872 must have been
a long way back in the history of
| the house"
Still in whimsical mood we find
'Uncle Joe" saying recently:
81 suppose reformer has his
place. l sometimes think they get
pretty thick. They say that their
province is to fight with the AL
mighty, that the Almighty and one
are a majority. Well, they have
their, place; / am not here to abuse
them. Nearly all of them are hon
est, but once and awhile we Efind
one who is a hypocrite, makes his
living by being a reformer, but who
would think of one of them as a
member of congress or a president?
Reform is a much abused
word in government affairs. When
il hear men talk about government
( reform L am reminded of a news
paper waif I read many years ago:
Tim thankful that the sun and
moen
Are both hung up so high
That no pretentious hand can
stretch
And pull them from the sky.
If they were not, have no doubt
But some reforming ass,
! Would recommend to take them
down
And light the world with gas"
Anecdotes
There are thousands of anecdotes
| about and by this remarkable man
from Danville, Ill. He has stood
! for" many a story that he never
told, He has been cartooned and
photographed thousands of times.
In the days of so-called Cannon
ISM" the caricatures-most Of them
were unfirendly and carried a
sting that\ got under the quick of
even Uncle joe In recent years,
now that the American public and
| that Mr.. Cannon did not possess
horns and that certain of his gag
I,rule" methods have been necessary
since to control the house, the news
paper stories and cartoons have
carried the touch of kindness and a
better understanding. Everybody. is
glad that Mr.. Cannon has lived long
enough to see it.
! That brings one to a favorite eX-
preston of his-and he has several
maxims:
1.-THE pendulum will swing back"
| is perhaps his best, a trite way of
saying that in life and politics is
sues rise and fall and the thing &C
cursed today may be the thing ac-
claimed tomorrow.
Other Cannonesque sayings with
a punch include:
NEARLY all legislation is the result
of compromise.
"a majority can do anything.
I'm the last analysis, sound judg
| ment will prevail.
I'm legislation, we all do a lot of
swapping tobacco across the lines
You can't make a silk purse out
Of a soW's ear, and you can't change
human nature from intelligent self
interest into pure idealiSm-not in
this life; and if you could, what
would be left for paradise?"
In connection with Swapping to-
bacco across the lines" as they did
in the Civil war, Mr.. Cannon has
told how he put through an appro-
priation for the entertainment of
Prince Henry of Prussia when that
n.