Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-05-20
Rule Of the Big Stick Arouses Much Hostility

ment Is concerned He did appeal to
the war department and was Informed
that if he would voluntarily retire his
retirement would be accepted, hut il
he refused to retire he must remain in
exile. Having nearly four more years
to serve before the age of Involuntary
retirement, he declined that proposi-
ton. Some friends interesting them.
/ selves in his case, he was transferred
from the Arizona desert to another
abandoned post near ST. Augustine,
Fla, but had not unpacked his goods
and chattels there before he was per.
emptorily sent back. All of this has
been done to this man. who has spent
his lifetime in the service of the Unit
I'd States and is veteran of two
wIrs, without one word of explana-
lion. He has not been court martialed
ncr even been granted court OF in
i, Try. What the high crimes and mis-
denned to solitude in the sagebrush
unless willing to retire from the army
nobody knows.
The discharge from the army of
three companies of soldiers without
trial and the apparent persecution of
Colonel Stewart are incidents which
would not be likely to make the serv-
ice popular if Mr.. Rooseveltwere much
longer to continue to be commander in
CHIEF
The Closing Days of Congress.
With an overwhelming majority in
the senate aud the. house .ana with
continued and noisy protestations of
devotion to the presidents programme,
congress has thus far passed through
the house only two of the multitude of
bills which he has urged. The second
one, that involving child labor in the
District of Columbia. passed only with
the aid of Democratic votes. Nothing
for free wood pulp and print paper,
for the amendment to the antitrust
law, for publicity of campaign con-
tributions or any of Il half dozen neces-
sary laws for the government of the
District Of Columbia.
The editor of q weekly newspaper of
national reputation sitting in the press
gallery With me the other day and
watching the perfect discipline with
which Speaker Cannon, Leader Payne,
Dalzeil, Hepburn and Tawney worked
together TO prevent anything of really
national importance from being brought
to vote on. the floor said:
, 81 can't understand the theory on
which these men are working. Here
the entire Associated Press and the
American Newspaper Publishers asso-
citation have united in demand that
wood pulp and print paper be put on
the free list. yet all they can get out Of
this congress is the appointment of a
commission obviously intended to carry
i the subject over until next winter and
which is conducting the investigation
in such a way as to make it perfectly
apparent to, all who attend the hearings
that the cards are stacked against the
| publishers. The newspaper owners
are threatening reprisals. In this pres
ent house there are thirty-five Repub-
licans sitting whose districts are 50
close that change of thousand votes
from the Republican to the Democratic
side would retire each one of them.
THE Democratic minority has put it.
self on record as unit for free pulp
a petition asking that the bill be called
up has been signed by every Democrat
in the house. Only one Republican
dared sign it against the speakers OPP
position. What will the press of the
country do? The moral sentiment OF
the country is Il unit in favor of the
national publicity law. yet the speak
| err and his cabal will not allow it to
be voted on i'll the house. If the Re
publican party Us to go before the ma.
| ton on the record of Roosevelt, the
| immediate answer is that the Repub
lican congress has repudiated him by
refusing to accept his recommends
| tons. If the record of congress is tic
| be the issue, it is one of impotence and
dereliction of duty. One almost thinks
| that that gang down there whom we
| all know at heart are hostile to the
president and to Taft are systematical
ly plotting treachery for the overthrow
| of BOTH
| The Singular Senator From Arkansas.
If Senator Jeff Davis desired to at
tract attention irrespective of whai
sort of attention it might be. he eoult
| have hardly done better than he dlt
| with his. speech week ago in the sen