Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-12-09
Taft and Cannon Are Struggling for the Mastery

and tell them what tie purposes.
Suggestions, even implorations, haze
gone to the president elect from his
progressive friends to enc the suspense
and say whether he will fight the Cam
non-Aldrich influence or permit his
party to remain in the clutches of the
sinister forces which heretofore have
deSpoiled the peoples government for
selfish gain.
The Minority Leader.
Whatever may be the outcome of tie
internecine warfare in the Republican
party, one thing Is assured-that the
populace will have on guard warrior
in the person and brain and strong
right arm of Champ Clark, who will
be minority leader in the house and
who already has barred some of the
false prctensions before the ways and
means committee.
When last week / wrote of the IN
Outstanding which had been reached
between the high protectionists and the
| majority members of the ways and
means committee doubtless some lead.
ers estimated it as mere speculation.
Developments since that time have
proved the corrected of the asser-
tons made them, and the real revision
lists of the country have taken alarm
at the apparently prearranged program
and demanded that their representa-
| tives make good" or hear from their
constituencies.
| Mr. Clark has asked some embarraSs-
ing questions of the representatives OF
special interests who have appeared
before the committee and has stripped
away some of the masks worn by
those who professed to be laboring in
the common veal
To be specific, lumbermen went be-
fore the committee to ask an increase
Of double the present tariff of 50 a
thousand in forest products. After the
big Missourian had got through with
his queries the hope of higher lumber
duties had fed. and kilograms were
going to home firms of millmen that
they would be fortunate II they re-
tanned the existing duty.
Uncle Joe sneers.
Apart from partisan politics, the
most significant event ON the Washing
ton calendar is the conference to be
held in the week beginning Dec. In
this city to consider means for the con-
servation OF natural resources.
This movement, it is fair to say, has
been kept free from the grasp Of the
politicians and has been engineered
. with due regard for the patriotic in
terest which all Democrats feel in the
nations veal. Such eminent Demo.
Gratis as Champ Clark, Senator F. G
Newlands, Congressman Joseph E
Isansdell Of Louisiana, Senator Over
man Of North Carolina, John Mitchell
the great labor leader, and Governor
George e. Chamberlain of Oregon are
prominent In the conservation move
ment. the last named having been Sc
lected by the committee on manage
ment to speak for the governors of al
the states at mass meeting for Tues
day afternoon, Dec 8, with President
Elect Taft as presiding officer.
1t Is quite apparent that Democrats
as well as Republicans are interested
vitality In this movement, against
which in general Speaker Cannon al
ready has spoken in sneering terms
the occasion being meeting in Chica
go of men eminent In financial and
commercial life in that metropolis.
In the main this movement has been
Iopposed by oil the horde of men who
look upon government as thing to b.
used rather than as something organ
ized for the common good. In tn
congressional debates all sorts Of OF
stacles have been elevated in the path
way along which the conservationist
wish to travel, and learned diatribe
have been hurled at those who plannet