Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-02-27
TAFFY FOR Tact
Meeting of Rock Island Repub-
licans to Tickle War Secre-
tarys Palate.
FRAME UP ALlTlLE BOOMLET
incidentally the Cannon Sharp Prac
tice Progress Gets
Whack.


an effort would be made by the Can
non forces of the republicans to snatch
control of the meeting at the Turner
hall last evening, called by Judge c.
]. Searle to form a Taft club, there
was nothing of the sort doing, and the
taffy spread was all for the corpulent
globe trotter. For all that was said
and done one would not have known
such a man as Cannon had ever
| thought of running for the presiden-
| tial nomination.
Go Through Stunts.
The meeting tremendously launched
la Taft club and went so far as to name
committee to wait on the congression-
al committee and inform the members
of that body just what they should do,
and when to do it.
| SearIe Starts II.
| Judge Searle. having called the meet
ing, as a preliminary explained what
he thought should be done. He out
lined the two methods of selecting del
egates, the Taft plan by a primary.
|
ment by the committees. This latter
he declared to be a scheme to deprive
the voters of their say in the selection
of a candidate for president. He call
ed the situation critical, dutifully
praised President Roosevelt, and Went
through the rest of the prescribed
speech to the effect that a change in
H. 81 h. IDf,. fol Taf
is the only man to prevent a change
and reactionary elements.
Judge Searle said he believed that
the majority of republican voters are
with him on these points, and that
thusly he had called the meeting.
Then he advised a committee to 1e
named to go TO Monmouth to tell the
congressional committee that Rock Is
land does not like this committee ma
nipulation, 80 there, now"
DIR. Ludewig in Chair.
When Judge Searle had finished his
speech, several nominations were made
for chairman, but DIR. w. II. Ludewig,
it seemed, had been primed for the
job, so he was named. Then James
Mcnamara was chosen as secretary.
The preliminaries over, Judge Searle
plunged ahead, and moved that a Taft
club be formed. This meemed to be
all right, and no objections were made
so it was moved that committee of
seven be named to draw up a constitu.
ton and bylaws. This committee is
composed of one from each ward, and
includes DIR. Louis Ostrom, c. ]. Lar
kin, f. H. Kelly, G. ]. Searle, Sam Ry
erson, Isaac Livingston, and William
+ Gahagen.
| The Delegate Fight.
. Judge Searle gave signs that he does
not mean to lose any opportunity il
preparing for the fight before the coun
ty committee as to the manner of Sc
lecting delegates To be sure he ha:
q the popular idea, and this is an advan
y tage But F. G. Allen of Moline wants
u the other method. and Judge Searl'
l. mans to see that this policy is not pun
t sued.
- And so last evening he introduced
y motion that the meeting name a CON
% mittee of five to wait on the congress
J. sional committeeman and request tina
a convention be called, and that tn
,. county committees be instructed t
delegate the power of selecting dele
gates to the people.
Hon. William Jackson spoke on thi
9 motion, expressing himself as favol
6 ing Taft, and the idea of direC
& choice of delegates by the voters. TIL
6 motion went through, and S. ]. Co
x Inns, L. Simon, F. A. Smith, c. J. La
8 kin, and John Rinck were named {
x lay down the law to the committee.
g Some Keep Quiet.
8 This controversy between Taft an
x Cannon forces is placing some republ
9 can politicians in difficult and emba
x RAISING positions. Postmaster H. A.
G Mcdonald, for instance, has not muC
e to say about it. The men to whom
G owes political debts because of his a
6 pointment, Congressman McKinne
G and the two Illinois senators, are c
6 opposite sides, and naturally Capta
X Mcdonald is not pleased with the tul
9 taken toward a local fight on the que
x ton.
g In Moline, F. G. Aliens Candida
e for national delegate is admitted, b
g it is claimed that Mr.. Allen favo
6 Roosevelt's policies and the Rooseve