36
THE. SUNDAY OREGONIAN, PORTLAND, AUGUST JU, 190
"Uncle Joe" -Cannon Talks of , -National Affairs
Speaker of the House Is an Optimist on 'AmericaHis
" Struggles in Youth.
Speaker Cannon "The future of
this conn try Is the fatnro of the
world's civilization. This la the
great breeding ground for the best
of the human race."
"13 j- the close of this century ire
Americans will dominate this conti
nent and this hemisphere."
"ffe must have a strong Army and
Navy, not to wage war, but insure
peace."
"'We have become a world power
and must accept the responsibilities
of a world power."
"I believe the standard of official
morality grows higher every year."
-A
ANVILLE, 111., Aug. 8. (Special
Correspondence of The Sunday
Oregonian.) Sit down "with me
on the big: porch of Speaker Cannon's
big: house here in Danville and have
a heart-to-heart talk with one of the
really big- men of the country! That
wind which fans our checks like a
sea breeze jcomes from the corn-laden
Illinois prairies, rustling the forest
trees at our side with its song of pros
perity and peace. We are away from
the factions of politics, away from the
strife of legislation, away from the
struggling: of everyday statesmanship;
we are away from the big: cities, away
out in God's country, where one can
look at himself and the world. It is
under such conditions that I have had
a visit with Joe Cannon, the results of
which are embodied in the conversa
tion which follows:
The first part of our talk was of a
personal nature. I had asked the
Speaker as to his- boyhood, and he re
plied that he could remember as far
back as when he was 4 years old, now
64 years ago.
"It was then," said he, "that we emi
grated from North Carolina to Indiana.
"We came over the mountains in canvas-covered
wagons, sleeping in tents.
We crossed the little Dan River. It
was as big to me then as the Mississ
ippi is now. I can still see the great
forests, the wild flowers by the road
side and the squirrels darting from
tree to tree."
His Quaker Ancestors.
"Then your parents were Southern
ers, Mr. Speaker?" ,
"They were born in North Carolina,
but they were Quakers of the old stock
that went from Massachusetts South
and emigrated thence to different parts
of the West. They were natural pio
neers, always moving from place to
place. My father and mother, lived In
Guilford County, North Carolina.
Father taught school then in a little
red schoolhouse, of which I have a pic
ture. He afterward studied medicine
and practiced it. There were about 20
families in the caravan which went to
Indiana and settled at our little town
on the Wabash. It was there I got my
first schooling and there I lived until
I was 15, when father was drowned
and I had to go to work.
"I clerked in a country store for five
years, after which I -went Into an office
and studied law. It took me some time
to get a start as a lawyer, but I finally
succeeded, and was doing well when
I was first elected to Congress, about
32 years ago. With the exception ot
one term, I have been In Congress ever
since."
The Delights of Youth.
"Then your boyhood was not an easy
ane, Mr. Speaker?"
"Perhaps not, in comparison with !
that of the city boys oV today: but it
was like that of the other boys of the
community and I thoroughly enjoyed
It There is nothing like the pleasures
of youth and its glorious dreams of the
future. As we grow older we are con
tent with the present. I have not built
an air castle for 30 years, although I
enjoy life still.
"And yet the pleasures of my youth
might be considered hardships now. In
those days every boy rose at daybreak
to make the fire. You crept from the
warm sheets out on the cold floor to
dress. It might be that your boots had
frozen over night, and how you did
have to pull getting them on. Then,
If you had been thoughtful and had
carried in the wood before bedtime it
was not hard to kindle it and to put
the kettle on the crane; but if not, you
had to go out and split the wood in
the snow. After the fire was built came
the milking, and you took two pails
and went out to the barn. One pail
held the milk and the other served for
the strippings. You had to watch that
the old muley cow did not kick you
and it might be that she would flirt her
"bedraggled tail into your still half
sleepy eyes. After milking, you came
in and had breakfast, and how It did
taste!
'Snowballs then were as good as ap
ples now and every bit as sweet.
"When I worked in the country store
I had to get up, make the fire, sweep
out, eat breakfast and be ready for
business by 6 o'clock in the morning,
and I stayed in the store until 9 o'clqck
at night. Was it hard? No! Other boys
did the same, and we had our fun, too.
Many a time we went out and danced
till daybreak and got back ready to
open up at the usual time. We may
have yawned a little during the day,
hut the elixir of youth remedied all
before night."
The Education of a Speaker.
I here asked Mr. Cannon to tell me
more about his education. He is a
well-read man, and in his speeches
uses excellent English, illustrating ljis
points from history and literature, an
cient and modern. Mr. Cannon said:
"My education was confined to the
country school, to home teaching
about the big log fireplace, where
father read to us at night, and to my
own private study, while I was clerk
ing I had more or less time, when bus!
ness was slack, and after I began to
read law I got a smattering of Latin."
"what books did you have?"
"Very few during my boyhood.
There was a little public library in
the saddler's shop in our town, and its
books were passed around. We had
Plutarch's Lives, Aesop's Fables, Jo-
sephus History of the Jews, Rollins'
Ancient History, Shakespeare and the
Bible. I read all these again and again.
I read Shakespeare before I was 15.
and every year from 9 until 15 I had
to read the Bible through from end to
end."
"Can you quote much from the
Bible?"
"I never could quote anything," said
the Speaker, but the Bible has fur
nished me more illustrations for my
speeches than any other book. It is
full of grand pictures, and it has para
bles and examples illustrating every
phase of human life and action.
"What parts of the Bible have
helped you most? I asked.
"I can hardly say. They are all
good. The Old Testament and the' New
are full of great thoughts and strik
ing images. Take David and his
Psalms, the Proverbs of Solomon and
Solomon's Songs. There is nothing like
them anywhere. Ecclesiastes is a great
philosophical poem, and all Job is po
etry. fThlnk of the story of Exodus
and the wandering of the chosen peo
pie through the wilderness for 40 years,
and that only two of all their host
over saw the promised land. And then
the sermon on the mount and the life
of Paul. The Bible is a treasury house.
It has had great influence upon me all
my life."
"What books stand next to the Bible
In your estimation?"
"Shakespeare has, I suppose, the sec
ond place, but I study Shakespeare still
and And it ever fresh and ever new.
Plutarch's Lives I know almost by
.heart, and their characters are very
real to me. From Rollins I got much
of my knowledge of the Greeks and
Romans, and from Shakespeare human
nature."
College Educations for Congressmen.
I here asked the Speaker as t.o what
he thought qf the benefits of a college
education. He replied:
"I have regretted that I "was not able
to go to college. The lack of such an
education made it so that I have -had
to do my life work with dull tools.
faculties and the man who possesses It5!
works more surely and safely. I have
for years been on the appropriation
committee of the House of Represent
atives and have signed conference re
ports appropriating more than $1,000,-
000,000. I have had my say as to the
contents of those reports, but I would
nof. have attempted the writing of one
for a fortune. Why? Because the re
ports are written in a hurry and the
misplacing of a single comma might
have cost the Nation millions of dol
lars and brought me everlasting dis
grace."
Schools That Make Men.
'But schools like yours have their ad
vantages over the colleges, Mr. Speaker,"
said L "It Is such schools that make
men."
"That may be true," .was the reply.
"There are greater disadvantages than
havlnir to work one's way through life.
Such work brings out the man and har
dens his character. Those who are doing
things In the world today are largely men
schooled as I was. They come from the
mWrllA -w-ilks of life. Thev have had to
fight their way upward and through fight
ing they grew. I learned, mucn in mat
ronntrv store. It taueht me exactitude.
Industry and the value of the nickel. Only
the fewest people ever learn that 20
nickels make a dollar. In that store the
accounts had to be exact I remember we
sold a calico dress for a dollar and it then
took just eight yards to make a dress.
We measured it off with the yard suck
Just eight yards, not a quarter of an inch
more, not a quarter of an inch less. Eight
pounds of coffee were sold for a dollar
and I learned to measure out just eight
pounds. I think we put the paper on the
srnles first Another common article we
sold was tobacco, which cost 40 cents a
plug, but which was usually sold in 5
cent cuts. I learned to cut a plug In
eighths and to put the other seven-eights
awav in a class Jar for future customers.
All this taught me to be exact"
Cannon's First Five Hundred Dollars.
"It must have taught you to be econom
ical as well?"
"Economical!" exclaimed Mr. Cannon!
"Ye gods! how economical I was then! A
nickel looked bigger than a double gold
eagle does now, and I am not extravagant
today, t wanted to study law and get
ahead and I saved every cent How closely
I saved you may know when I tell you
that for five years I received $1000 in
wages, an average of ?4 a week, and I
saved just half of that The result was
that I had $500 when I stopped clerking.
I lived upon that while I studied law.
"That saving taught me the uses and
value of money," continued Mr. Cannon:
'It gave me habits which enabled me to
pay the debts incurred in the dull season
of my law study and early practice. It
caused me to Invest my surplus thereafter,
with the result that wherf I went to Con
gress I had what was then considered a
good income outside my salary.
'Could you not live upon your salary
while in Congress?" was asked.'
I have not done so," was the reply. "I
have lived well, although not extrava
gantly. My expenses have been about
twice as much as the amount received
from the Government. Nevertheless those
Investments made In the days of my law
practice, owing to the rise In farm lands
and other things, have made it so that I
could now leave off public life and be
comfortably off. I don't mean that I
would be a rich man in the present sense
of the word, but I would have enough for
all my needs."
The Prime of Life at Sixty-Eight.
"You are too young a man, Mr. Speaker,
to think of retiring. You seem to be In
your prime."
If a man Is as old as he feels," said
Mr. Cannon, "I am still In my prime. I
am 68, but I have never felt better, phys
ically or mentally. I work more easily
and can handle men better than In the
past How long this will last I do not
know:, but there are many men in public
The Responsibility of the Train Dispatcher
What Duties Arc Required of the Man "Who Must Keep Traffic Moving;.
THE position of train dispatcher is
certainly the most responsible one
connected with the transportation
department. It Is Indispensable that they
be first-class telegraph operators; must
be thoroughly posted on the rules and
regulations governing the movements of
trains, and must have a clear head and,
what is most essential, to know how to
retain their coolness under the most try
ing circumstances. He should be consid
erate of the feelings of those who, for th8
time being, are placed under his orders.
While strictly maintaining discipline, he
should be affable to all other employes
with whom he may come in contact. He
should not scold trainmen, englnemen or
Operators for apparent shortcomings.
There is a trainmaster or assistant su
perintendent who will do all the "glnnlng
up" which may be necessary. The grumpy
dispatcher will never meet with that
measure of success which attends the
efforts of the affable, cheery fellow, pro
vided that the ability of the one approxi
mates that of the other. But here are a
few of the bits of knowledge he must
have at his fingers' ends, and not only
must he know but he must know how to
apply his knowledge to the best advan
tage. He must be familiar with and have in
his mind's eye at all times when on duty,
the topography and conditions obtaining
upon the particular division of the road
with which he may be connected. He
should know every grade, curve, bridge,
Water tank, junction, sidetrack and sta
tion on his division; know to a nicety how
many cars each siding will hold; the ca
pacity of every engine and capability of
every engineer and conductor for "getting
"over the road." Weather conditions are
also controlling factors which govern his
judgment in handling trains. An engine,
the hauling capacity of which, under fa
vorable conditions, may be 5000 tons,
might not be able to handle 1000 tons, or
even less, during a snow storm. There
are from two to 50 wires strung along
the right of way of all railways, a cer
tain number of which are assigned to the
railway company for their own use, the
remainder being for the use of the tele
graph company which owns those wires
and which has been granted a right of
way along the railway, but In case of
storm or accident. If only one wire re
mains In working order, "that one must
be turned over to the train dispatcher. On
life older than I who arc still doing good
work. Senators Frye and Proctor are 73;
Cullom, the chairman of the foreign re
lations committee of the Senate, Is 74,
while Allison and Hoar are each 75. All
these men are more efficient than they
have ever been. The length of a man's
working life is largely a matter of Indi
vidual constitution. Some are older at
30 than others are at 60. If the Lord
should give me threescore or even four
score years of working life I shall be
glad. I should like to remain upon this
earth as long as I can be useful to my
self and my fellows, and no longer. When
I begin to fall I want to retire. I don't
want to cumber the ground."
Uncle Sam and .His Hemisphere.
The conversation here turned to public
questions, and I asked Speaker Cannon
his opinion as to the future of the United
States. He re"plied:
"The future of this country Is the future
of the world's civilization. This Is the
great breeding ground for the best of the
human race. It is the source of that ele
ment which does things, controls things,
creates things. We have 80,000,000 people
now. Within another 100 years we shall
have" 300,000,000, and will have spread be
yond our borders on the north and south.
the train wire the dispatcher holds un
limited and unquestionad sway. His or
ders must be promptly and correctly
obeyed. All surface roads have a time
table which shows In the middle col
umn all stations and sidings and the
distance between one and the other. On
one side of the middle column, a col
umn for each, is shown each train go
ing In a certain direction, and on the
other side is shown each train go
ing in the opposite direction. Each
train is numbered (the odd numbers move
In one direction and the even in the oppo
site), and the time of arriving at, or leav
ing each station is given for each train.
Trains are usually divided into two
or more classes, as: First class, pas
senger trains; second class, mixed, or
accommodation trains, and third,
freight trains. If it should be neces
sary to run trains other than as pro
vided for In the time-card, they are
made a section of a regular train, or
as an "extra" or "special," and have
no rights whatever, except what may
be conferred by special order of the
train dispatcher, and must keep en
tirely out of the way of all trains
which appear on the time-card. When
trains are on time and no extras on
the road, the lot of the dispatcher is
rather an easy one, but when trains
are late and extras or specials are run
ning, then he has troubles of his own.
He must see to it that passenger trains
arc not delayed by reason of waiting
for freight or other trains. He must
also remember that stock, tea, silk and
other fast trains are not unnecessarily
delayed through his orders. Sometimes
solid trains of tea, silk or other Ori
ental commodities aro sent out from
Pacific terminals In solid trains, and
the word Is given out that they "must
be rushed through."
The dispatcher who is unfortunate
enough to seriously delay one of these
trains must appear on "the carpet" be
fore "the old man" and show him. What
comes nearest to breaking his heart is
to have a washout or a snow blockade
on his division. Then it Is as unsafe
to bother him as to beard the savage
Hon in his lair. The superintendent
must be Informed as to any and every
change in the situation; he must keep
in touch with master mechanic and
roundhouse foremen, advising them
when possible In advance as to possi
ble needs for motive power. In unset
tled weather he must call up every
, hour, or instruct operators to report
, CONGRESSMAN JOSEPH CANNON, SPEAKER. OF THE
By the close of this century we. Americans
will dominate this continent and this
hemisphere. We will have passed beyond
Mexico, Central America and the Isthmus
of Panama, and will have ' Inclosed all
So.uth America In the grasp of our in
fluence. "By this I do not mean that we will un
dertake the political government of the
South American republics. I do riot mean
that we will hold them as we now hold
our colonies, nor even as Cuba, which is
to some extent a dependency of ours.
But I do mean that American' capital and
Americans will have so settled them
selves In our sister continent that the day
of revolutions and nonprogress will have
passed away. In the Munroe Doctrine
we have established the fact that no
European power shall ever acquire any
new territory in South America. That
doctrine will always prevail. There may
be European immigration, but those Euro
peans who go t(j South America must be
come South Americans, and this, with the
great overflow of our people to that
country, means that they will become a
part of the world dominated by our Ideas
and the spirit of our civilization,"
"How about Canada, Mr. Speaker?"
"Canada is already almost a part of the
United States. It may remain still tied to
England in a nominal way, but as time
hourly as to the state of the weather,
and he must arrange his. plans ac
cordingly. It Is the dispatcher who takes the trick
from midnight until 8 A. M., however,
who has the greatest responsibility of
all, for the reason that he Is entirely
alone and has not the advantage of the
dispatcher who works from 8 A.M. until
4 P. M., or he who fills in from that
timo until midnight in having,the advice
and assistance of the chief dispatcher,
trainmaster or superintendent. He is
placed entirely upon his own resources
and must exercise his own gray matter
until, If the situation is serious enough to
warrant It, one of those officers appears
In answer to his summons. The chief
dispatcher generally arranges the pro
gramme for the night before he leaves
for his home. This Is always done when
practicable. On hilly or mountainous
roads, what are known as helping en
gines are stationed at points where they
can be used to greatest advantage In as
sisting trains over heavy grades, and an
accident or even considerable delay to one
train alter the programme has been ar
ranged for the night might result in the
disarrangement of the plans for the entire
night and, exactly as in chess, the situ
ation must again be carefully studied out
and other plans formulated, which may
also In turn be destroyed by adverse clr
cumstances.Jbut he must bear In mind the
essentials of getting all trains over the
road with the least possible delay consist
ent with safety and with the least pos
sible expense.
A good dispatcher will more than earn
his monthly salary in a single night by a
careful disposition of his helpers. When
regular trains become late, as Is also the
case when extras or specials are running,
the dispatcher changes the established
"meeting points" of regular trains and
Sakes other and arbitrary meeting points,
arranges for opposing trains, as well as
those running In the same direction to use
a certain portion of the time of the be
lated train or trains, as for Instance: No.
3, a passenger train becomes one bour and
15 or 20 minutes late, and there are other
trains which cannot move without en
croaching upon the time of that train,
the dispatcher first puts out orders to
No. 3, and to all trains which it is nec
essary to help by a time order, which
will be somethlngvlike the following: Train
No. 3 will run 55 minutes from Jlmtownto
Janesvllle (generally a stretch of 40 or 50
miles, thus allowing No. 3 some margin
for making up time), This jorder is signed
.1 ' s-i
''P. . . - v
HOUSE.
goes on it will become American in sym
pathy and more and more American in
population and industry. Canada is one of
the growing countries of this time. I look
for an enormous emigration there from
the United .States. It Is a land of vast
undeveloped resources, which are to be
opened up by our people."
"I suppose that the future of the United
States will be confined to this continent?"
said I.
"Yes, to a great extent," said Mr. Can
non, "but we are now a world Nation and
we are reaching out in "every direction
and across every sea. The earth is old,
but it is hardly touched as far as modern
development Is concerned. There are
vast areas of new country in South Amer
ica; Africa is still an unknown continent,
and so is almost the whole of Northern
Asia. The world is said to have 1,500,000.000
people. There is room upon it for double
that number, and many parts of it will
support ten which now support one."
"Then you do not believe in the Mal
thusian theory?"
"No, it will be a long time before wars
or pestilence will be needed to restrict the
world's population."
"I suppose you look upon the United
States, as pretty well filled now?"
"Not at all. We have only SO.000,000 and
by Intensive cultivation we could sup
by the dispatcher in the name of the su
perintendent, trainmaster or other officer
named-in the rules and regulations. This
order is first repeated by the operator at
the station at which it has been sent
for train No. 3. The repetition of this
order by the operator is an acknowledg
ment by the operator that he will hold
No. 3 until he has delivered that order to
the conductor of that train who will sign
his name If he understands the order. The
operator will then transmit to the dis
patcher, the signature of the conductor,
and the order will then be completed or
"O. K'd." The other trains involved are
not necessarily held up awaiting the sig
nature of the conductor of No. 3, but as
soon as the first operator has repeated the
order concerning No. 3 the dispatcher
will at once start any other train against
the time deducted from No. 3. The -manifold
system of train orders is now uni
formly used by nearly every railway sys
tem In this country. The principle thereof
is that when it becomes necessary to issue
an order concerning more than one train,
that order shall be transmitted simulta
neously to each and every train Involved.
This practically eliminates every element
of risk as far as the dispatcher is con
cerned. The signal "os." Is used by operators to
attract the attention of the dispatcher to
the fact that he is about to report on the
wire the arrival or departure of a train
at or from his station. This report the dis
patcher enters upon what is known as a
train sheet which Is made up at midnight
daily and which is framed In principle just
like a timecard. This shows to the man on
duty the position (referring to telegraph
stations! of every moving train or'engine
upon the division, and enables him to
Issue his orders understanding.
Work Without Hope.
Sampcl Taylor Coleridge.
All Nature seems at work. Slugs leave their
lair
The bees are stirring birds are on the
wing
And "Winter, slumbering In the open air,
"Wears on his smiling face a dream of Spring
"Wears on his smiling face a dream of Spring!
And I, the while, thhe sole unbusy thing.
Nor honey make, nor pair, nor build, nor
zing.
Yet well I ken the banks where amaranths
blow.
Have traced the fount whence streams of
nectar flow.
Bloom, O ye amaranths! bloom for whom
ye may.
For me ye bloom not! Glide, rich streams,
away!
"With lips unbrlghten'd, wreathless brow, 1
stroll:
And would yon learn the spells that drowse
my soul?
"Work without Hope draws nectar in a sieve,
And Hop. without an objent cannot live.
port ten times that number. It is said that
Texas alone would feed the United States.
And then our mineral resources. The
country hag not been scratched and we do
not know what we have under the soil.
We are already the greatest manufac
turing Nation of the world, producing
more than Germany. France and England,
our three greatest competitors. We send
only 3 per cent of what we make abroad,
but that 3 per cent forms 29 per cent of our
exports, and we are now the greatest ex
nnrtinp Nation on earth. Indeed, we make
one-fourth of all the factory goods made'
by the world.
"The basis-of our manufactures is our
home-market," continued, the Speaker. "I
want to see this protected in every pos
sible way, for It is the foundation of our
prosperity and of our enormous possibili
ties. There Is no market like this. We
Tiavp mnrp! wants than anv Other ueODle.
nnd snpnri mnrn mnnev to satlsfv them.
We consume three times as much per
capita as the people of Europe. Our
SO.COO.COO in that respect are equal -to any
other 200,000,000. We are equal as con
sumers to two-thirds of ail tne peopie oi
Europe. This market we must keep to
rturnAlirno anil the tnrlrr miisr Dfi SO ad
justed that there will be no danger of
losing It"
Great Fortunes and Their Dangers.
"I know we are rich, Mr. Speaker. But
are we not growing too rich? Are you not
alarmed at the growth of the great Ameri
can fortunes?"
"No. Most of our great fortunes have
come from small beginnings. They are
the result of the brains and Industry of
the men who own them, and when their
owners die they will soon disappear. I
know many of the multi-millionaires of
today.
"Take Marshall Field. When I first saw
him he was a boy clerking In a store. He
Is worth many millions now. John Rocke
feller, who started life poor, is said to be
worth hundreds of millions, and the same
Is true of Andrew Carnegie and others.
When those men die they cannot earry a
dollar away with them. Naked came they
into the world and naked shall they de
part from it That fact exists today as
it did at the time of the Scriptures."
Yes," said I, "but the fortunes still re
main in the families."
"Not long," replied Mr. Cannon. "It is
an old saying that it Is just three gen
erations from shirt sleeves to shirt sleeves.
It is impossible to tie up fortunes so that
they will remain long in the hands of
one's descendants. You may remember
the case of old Thulleson, who died about
200 years ago. That man was enormously
rich for his day and he willed his fortune
so that it should be kept intact and In
vested and reinvested for generations, and
at the end divided among his heirs. His
will was contested again and again, but
in vain. The result was that the English
Parliament made a law that no man
could dispose of his property for longer
than the lives of his descendants in be
ing and for 21 years thereafter. That law
has been adopted by nearly every other
country. It is a part of the laws of ev
ery one of our states.
Taxes for the Rich.
'Such things, however, are, after all, in
the hands of the people," continued the
Speaker. "It is they who make the laws
regulating the accumulation and continu
ance of wealth. In many of our states
there are now Inheritance taxes graded
according to the size of the estates of the
deceased. There may be no tax at all on
the first $20,000, 1 per cent on the second
$20,000, 2 per cent on the third, 3 on the
next, 4 on the next and 5 per cent on all
of the estates above $100,000. The people
can If they will increase the amount of
taxes paid according to the bulk of the
property owned by the Individual tax
payer. I do not say' that they should do
so, but they have the power, and If at
any time great fortunes become danger
, ous, some way will be found to reduce or
distribute them.
"Do not misunderstand me," said Mr.
Cannon. "I do not deprecate great for
tunes. So far I think they have been for
the good of the people. It requires great
capital to do great things, and the masses
are enormously benefited by the enter
prises of the rich. I am only saying that
the people have the power, and that, after
all, the future Is in their own hands."
The Government and Its Expenses.
"It seems to many, both rich and poor,
Mr. Speaker, that our taxes are very
heavy now. Are you not alarmed at the
increasing expenditures of the Govern
ment?" "No. We spent last year in round num
bers something like $700,000,000, or o'ver $2,
000,000 for each working day of the year.
The sum Is enormous, hut you must re
member that this Is an enormous country,
doing an enormous business. Our business
Is growing much faster than our popula
tion. According to the postal receipts it
has increased 1700 per cent since I860 and
It has doubled within the past ten years.
We are also doing more In the work of
human progress than any other nation on
Mrs. Maybr ick First Sang 'The Holy Gty"
This Famous Song; Was Composed by
the Brother of Her Murdered Husband
Jerusalem! Jerusalem!
Hear the angels sing:
Hosanna In the highest,
Hosanna to the King.
ST IS not difficult to imagine Mrs. Flor
ence Maybrick, once sentenced to
death for the murder of her husband
and now released, after spending many
years In an English prison, singing the
refrain of Stephen Adam's popular sacred
song. "The Holy City." says the New
York Sun. But it is not generally known
that hers was the voice which first gave
utterance to the strains which were des
tined to become as world famous as those
of Sir Arthur Sullivan's "The Lost
Chord," or "The Palms," by Faure.
The song was the work of the younger
brother of the man Mrs. Maybrick was
convicted of poisoning. Its composer was
her most relentless enemy and was main
ly instrumental In securing her convic
tion. Few English composers have more suc
cessful songs to their credit than Stephen
Adams. Few have made such a fortune
out of royalties as he. It has been
stated that "Nancy Lee' alone netted him
a quarter of a million dollars. His "War
rior Bold," "Mldshipmlte" and "Blue Al
satian Mountains" were scarcely less suc
cessful. He Is now extremely wealthy, a Justice
of the Peace and a member of the "Vic
toria Yacht Club, and he has served two
terms as Mayor of Ryde, Isle of Wight
In which capacity he has frequently en
tertained the King of England.
"Stephen Admas" is merely the name
under which Michael Maybrick publishes
his songs. Mr. Maybrick began his musical
career as a baritone singer at local con
certs around Liverpool. He Is the son of
a well-to-do shipping agent of Liverpool.
He and his brother were widely dis
similar In tastes, character and physique.
The elder was a weakling, feeble of mind
and body, a hypochondriac, addicted to
the use of drugs and with a mind fixed
upon commercial enterprises.
The younger Michael, was a magnificent
speciment of humanity, tall, broad and
athletic. Of artistic temperament, he quit
the counting-house and studied music in
Milan and Lelpslc. The elder remained
at home, always ailing, always scheming
to secure more wealth.
Tiie' brothers had .only ana trait in
earth, and, whether willingly or-not. as
we ourselves are concerned, our sphere
Is constantly widening. We have become
a world power and we must accept the
responsibilities of a world" power. We
must have a- strong Army and Navy, not
to wage war but to insure peace and to
be ready for emergencies if they should
come. I don't believe the people object to
heavy expenditures if such expenditures
are needed and the money Is properly han
dled." "But Is it so handled, Mr. Speaker?
Some people thing that a great part of it
goes into theTiands of the officials."
"That is not true," was the reply
"There may be, and doubtless are, public
officials here and there who forfeit their
trust, but they are very few. The ma
jority of the men In the service of the
Government are earnest, honest and more
economical as to Government expenses
than they are of their own expenses. I be
lieve that the standard of official morality
Is higher every year. I have no sympathy
with the idea that the country is going
to . the devil. Our people are better, purer
and stronger than in the past, and the
trend of public and private life Is up
ward." .
The Campaign of 1904.
The conversation here turned to the
Presidential race, and I asked Mr. Can
non If he though the Republicans would
have a "walkover."
"There are no 'walkovers' in our Presi
dential contests," said the Speaker of the
House of Representatives. "Parties are
too evenly divided. Indeed, a change of
2 per cent in the vote will almost always
throw the election to one party or the
other. I think that the Republicans will
win both the Presidency and the House
of Representatives, but they will not do
It on the walk. They will have to fisht
steadily from now until the election. The
Democrats have a permanent asset in the
solid South, and this gives them the odds
at the start"
"Why would you not consent to be a
candidate for the Vice-Presidential nomi
nation, Mr. Cannon?" I asked.
"Why should I wish to be?" replied the
Speaker. "I am a member of the House
of Representatives, and in my opinion
the weakest and least efficient member
of that body has a more desirable place
than has the Vice-President of the United
States.
"The Representative can do things; he
can vote and have an effect on legisla
tion. The Vice-President is merely a fig
urehead, whose possibilities are all in the
dread future of the death of the Presi
dent. He Is the presiding officer of the
Senate; but the Senate has so hedged
Itself about with rules that the Vice-President
has no power whatever. He has only
the appointment of a rlvate secretary,
a messenger and a page; that is all."
Mr. Cannon and the Speakership.
"How do you regard the Speakership?"
"It Is a very Important office and one
of' great power and influence. It rank3
next to the Presidency among the public
offices, for the Speaker is the head of the
House of Representatives, which is the
chief originating, creating and working
branch of our National Legislature."
"Do you like the place?"
"Yes. I feel honored by the confidence
expressed by electing me to It"
"But does It not worry you? The pres
sure of public business must be enor-
mous."
"les, there is plenty to do." replied the
Speaker, "but I have always been a busy
man and I think I was more busy at the
head of the appropriations committee than
I am now as Speaker, -is to worry, I do
not worry about anything. What Is the
use of that? I do the thing that Is be
fore me as well as I can, and then take
up what comes next."
The Presidential Bee.
"I should like to ask you, Mr. Speaker.
If you have any ambition to go higher.
Would you not be glad to be President
of the United States?"
"Glad to be President of the United
States!" said Mr. Cannon. "Of course, I
should be glad to be President If the peo
ple wanted me and thought me fit for the
election. There is no American capable
of filling that place who would not be
glad to have It The President of our
people ranks higher In my mind than any
monarch who sit a throne, and as things
go today he has more power than any
ruler on earth. Any one would be glad
to be President"
"I do not mean by this that I am tor
mented with such an ambition. I thank
God that the Presidential bee has never
hummed about my head. Its poisonous
sting has never inoculated my veins and
I hope it never will. I have known many
politicians who have been so stung. Some
are dead and some are living still. None,
however, ever recovered. The blood of
the man so attacked becomes contami
nated, and he carries the attendant am
bitions, anxieties and disappointments
with him to his grave." (Copyright, 1004.)
J-KAiMv. li. CARPENTER.
common. They were both enthusiastic
yachtsmen.
Mrs. Maybrick was a good musician, had
a great liking for music, an excellent
voice and a love of convlvlalty. Thus she
drow together to some extent the broth
ers who had drifted apart.
Her husband owned a line yacht, a
feature of which was a music saloon.
There many well-known singers and mu
sicians were entertained. Michael May
brick. who had just leaped into fame as
the composer of "Nancy Lee," but a3 yet
had not gathered in enough of the profits
to indulge his passion for owning a yacht,
was a frequent guest.
It was on one of these musical even
ings, while the yacht was anchored in the
Mersey, that Michael Maybrick produced
from his pocket a manuscript song which
he said he had written that afternoon,
while dreaming the time away in his
cabin, and listening to the plash of the
waters. He had caught the Inspiration
of Weatherly's words, but the voice part
only had been jotted down. The accom
paniment had still to be filled in.
Sitting at the piano, he vamped an in
troduction and asked his sister-in-law,
Mrs. Florence Maybrick, to sing "The
Holy City" from the voice part. She was
an excellent reader, and readily did this,
he filling in an extemporized accompani
ment Thus it was her voice which, for the
first time, stirred the air with strains
destined to become almost classic.
It was some years after the trial of Mrs.
Maybrick, and while she was shut off
from the world, burled within prison
walls, that "The Holy City" was pub
lished and became popular. Publishers to
whom it was submitted shook their heads
and declared it too sombre in character
and tone.
"Bring us another 'Nancy Lee-, " they
said, "and name your own price. Another
waltz song with the swing of 'The Blue
Alsatian Mountains' would be a sure win
ner. This is very fine, but it Isn't in the
Stephen Adams style, and the public
would not stand for it."
How erroneous was the judgment of
those gentlemen has been proved by the
popularity of the song. Before a year had
passed they were clamoring for more of
similar character "The Star of Bethle
hem." "The Valley of the Sea," and
"Children of the'Clty" followed: but none
of them equaled the success atalned by
the song which, was first sung by Mrs.
MavhrlcJc ...