Evening star., 1926-11-12

T1c pose WIFI tHe lUeNHdU1e lOHR tiSaA
Below: "Incle Joe" when he arrived
in Washington in 1873. He had red
hair and a red beard then.
Of his head. But Cannon said 1t
elected him.
"Irncle Joe's" features We're often
said to he of the Lincoln type. From
ears to chin he wore fringe OF close
cropped beard, the upper lip clean
shaved.
Joe Cannon was a Quaker by
chance. His grandfather. a Scotch
Irish Presbyterian from northern
Ireland settled in Montreal shortly
after the revolution. and later moved
10 North Carolina, where Uncle
.Joe's father was born. Within a
week after his birth both parents died
and the boy was adopted by two
elderly Quakeresses. both spnsters.
and reared in the Quaker faith. He
married a Quakeress. but Joe and his
two brothers inherited the fighting
snirit of their Scotch-Irish grand
father.
M.=~ated to Indiana.
When Joe Cannon was years old
his father. country school teacher
and self-taucht doctor, migrated from
North Carolina, with ten other fam
lilies. because he hated slavery. Fol
lowing the old National road In
prairie schooners. they eventually set
tied on the banks Of the Wabash, near
Terre Haute, Ind.
There the father. while swimming
the swollen river to aid sick neigh
hor, was drowned. and Joe was left
the main support of the family. He
went to work In country store,
where he spent four years.
Those were the four most valuable
wears of my early life he said short
iv after he had announced his retire
ment from Congress. Within three
months had mastered bookkeeping
and was handling the stores records.
1t was there 7 learned the value of
a dollar. began reading law in a
friends Office while was working At
the store, and slept in the law ONCE at
night to save lodging.
when I went to Cincinnati Law
School I explained to the dean that
had enough money to pay dollar a
week for by board. but that couldn't
pay the tuition fee. He said. Very
well. we'll take your note and you
can pay 1t when you are able So
got through law school. and when
/
Indiana because l couldn't afford rail.
road fare.
Moved Later to Illinois.
Il practiced in Indiana a. short time,
and then decided to come to Illinois,
where hung out my shngle at
Tuscola.'
In 1860 he ran for states attorney.
hut was defeated. The next year the
Legislature created new judicial dis
trict. and he ran again, and was elect
ed, serving for eight years.
In all his political career he had
but three defeats at the polls. the
two other times being in races for
Congress.
In 1922 "Tncle Joe announced his
retirement. after as years OF service,
and when Congress adjourned late in
ished ambition to go West again over
the route he travelled in his mother 3
arms SO years before. He started
from Washington by automobile. but
because Of fatigue was forced to
abandon the trip at Indianapolis.
I've had enough he said. in dis
cussing his retirement to private life.
It's 50 years since | first went to
Washington. and with the exception
of those two unsought vacations ire
ferring to his two defeatsl I've been
there ever since. decided to retire
voluntarily" but. he added bit
wistfully. II am just bit sorry now. "
When he first went to Washington.
Mr.. Cannon was induced to put 81 900
into scheme for the TRANSMISSION Of
after that. Later Alexander Graham
ReN than e,;oa 1x-itL :,
telephone. invited Cannon into the
company "on the ground floor" but
after being "stuns' once. as he eX.
pressed it. he resisted the temptation.
only to see other friends take up this
and other stock to become millionaires
many times over
But Mr.. Canrons own bank and
other business ventures were success.
ful and he amassed considerable
wealth.
The fact probably has been forgot.
ten by most publishers that it was
Cannon, while member OF the post
once committee, who fought for re
form In the posta, laws and put
through the bill! providing for low
rate on second class mail matter.
which is still in effect. In his closing
years. mindful of this service he often
remarked that the newspapers. which
had lampooned him, had gained much
through law giving them the right
Of sending their publications at less
than the letter rate.
In 1908. when in the glory OF his
rule as boss Of the House Mr.. Can.
non locked toward the Republican
nomination for the presidency. When
leaders proposed that he take second
place on the ticket he refused en-
practically.
Had Love for Children.
The old warriors love Of children
was greater than his love for cigars
He once told friend that Of the mul-
titude of cartoons. friendly and
vicious. the one he liked best pictured
him as a baby in swaddling clothes.
with the Lincoln-like fringe on his
face and the cigar in his mouth point
ing skyward. The original of this car
toon, with many others presented to
him by cartoonist friends, hung on
the wall of his study AT Danville.
Time softens an old mans heart
he said recently. and when | think
Of the House doing me such great
honore, not forgetting how 1t once
tried to tear me up and feed me to the
UNlyee i 0urhf m Sn m my rravM