Evening star., 1926-11-12
UNCLE JOE CANNON IS DEAD
IN ILLINOIS HOME AT AGE OF 80
Continued from First Page.)

| the Rouse AT mat tlmo me Spea kef
exercised An almost autocratic con-
troll Of the appointment Of com
mittees and it was said that no mem.
ber could be recognized on the floor
unless he previously had arranged
with the Speaker. In the upheaval
| committee appointments We're given
! to committee on committees and
| the House rules were revised The
| so-called Cannon rules were defended
on the ground that they were neces:
! sary to get business done in 80 large
and unwieldy body as House of more
! than 400 members.
| In the political deluge that fell upon
| his party two years later Uncle Joe
! failed Of reelection for the second
time in his national career. Once be
fore he had practiced law in Danville
! after his defeat for Congress. When
, he came back again At the next cleo
! ton. age had began to cool his ardor
! He sat many days without sharing in
debate and it was only in flashes that
! his old fire showed when he took the
floor.
F.; But never to the last was he in
! doubt as to the hearing the House
| would give him. never did he fail Of A
| full audience among his colleag gues
and Of deep interest in his remarks.
Born in little Quaker settlement
near Guilford. \. c.. May Z, 1895. and
named for Joseph Gurney, A famous
Quaker. Mr.. Cannon often remarked
that he seemed to have drifted away
from the faith and habits OF the pious
people whom Gurney led For he was
fiery. rough a nd-tumble fighter al
ways. On the floor he fought with
whirling arms and contortions of his
body to drive home is words
In one exciting hattie the late
Champ Clark. dubbed him "'rhe Dane
ing Dervish Of Danville" and brought
down upon his head the wrath Of
Uncle joe" Once IN the heat Of
debate. Mr.. Clark said he saw Mr..
Cannon do trick--not duplicated by
a Speaker since the confusion Of
! tongues At Babel-make a complete
circle on his heel.
Uncle Joe" smoked incessantlv. a
cigar tilted sharply upward toward his
hat brim. and cartoonists never failed
to draw him that way. When he cele-
hrated his eighty-ffth birthday ami
versary on May :. 1921. President
Harding sent a box of cigars and a let
ter telling him that II they were not
to his liking to come down to the
White House and pick out sonnet hing
else. Rut Notwithstanding the sharp
bite. Uncle joe bravely attacked
them, declaring it was not right to
look a gift horse in the mouth when
the gift horse was in the White House
Ignored His Critics.
In the same way MIR. Cannon al
ways smiled when reporters exaR-
Eerated stories about his swearing
and gambling. Harpooned from one
end Of the country to the other. he
| merely shrugged his dropping shoul-
ders and went back al night to the
game. Raising the tariff in the aft
ernoon and the ante at night" was
one Of his pet remarks when asked
how he killed time.
Because he never rushed to deny
! remarks attributed to him. he be-
came rich source for some reporters
to draw on for ina ginary interviews
| During the World War somebody
Army officers in Washington wore
spurs to keep their feet from slipping
off War Department desks. Hun
dreds OF officers were bitter in de-
nouncing the former Speaker. but he
never denied it-he just smiled and
gave his cigar a different tilt. OF
course. he never said it. 1t was mere.
| ly an illustration Of how words were
consta ntly put in his mouth.
! AS Speaker Mr.. Cannon knew how
| to control a turbulent body. Holding
, the gavel in his left handfor he was
| left -ha nded-he gave the slab Of his
/ like rife shot. and brought unruly
members to attention. Curses fire,
quently were hung at him as mem
bers surged ont of the chamber. but
invariably he smiled and smoother the
ruined feelings of a member denied
! recognition by handing him a cigar.
That was Cannons way. and while
they hated him In the chair, they
loved him in the lobby.
Fought for Economy.
AS chairman Of the appropriations
committee back in the days when
there were no billion dollar budgets,
Cannon fought eternally to hold down
expenditures. He was the actual floor
leader in all appropriation fights:
Never preparing a speech. he stood
in the center Of hostile body, some
times speaking with the voice Of
child. sometimes screaming and bit
ing off his words. often prancing up
and down the center aisle. with his
left arm waving. And at the end.
when the rattle Of votes showed that
he had won. the veteran danced mp
ana GOWN the moor ana tnen TetlIeu
to the cloakroom to do a highland
fling.
Ihat was his style of debate. He
never pretended to be an orator and
he was not Once as he was waltz
Ing up and down the aisle, Speaker
Reed. eyelng him closely, called out.
sotto voce:
Joe. YOU can't make this speech
on mileage"
In his latter years Uncle Joe"
standing at the entrance Of the Capt.
toll, heard the whirr of many air
planes and saw a flock Of machines
overhead. 1t recalled his own part in
aircraft development. Back in the
days when Prof. Langley was secre'
tary Of the Smithsonian Institution.
he went before Mr.. Cannon's com
mite with an estimate Of needs. Al
ways modest. the professor was about
ready to pick up his papers and leave
when the chairman asked Ii that
would be all.
Asked for Flying Fund.
Langley looked at the chairman and
smile touched his lips.