The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-10-28
QUICKLY FORGET
OBJECT OF TRIP
Mississippi Junket Develops
Into Political POw.wOw.
DISCUSS CANNON'S FATE

Friends Insist That President Give
Speaker Same Kind of Endorsement
as He Furnished Senator Aldrich In
Boston speeeh--Wsterways Boost
ers Receive seant encouragement
From Tafts Remarks at Memphis.
Governors Discuss Conservation.
! Helena, Ark, Oct. 2S.-The ghost
of President Taft's Boston speech
praising Aldrich is haunting him.
Uncle Joe Cannon's friends in con.
gress now ask that Mr.. Taft give the
same sort of a public certificate to
him. They have held meeting on
the steamboat Quincy of the presi.
dents Mississippi fleet, and have de
cided to urge Mr.. Taft to say some
thing In Uncle Joe's favor before the
deep waterways cruise ends.
The speakers friends argue that
he is as deserving as Senator Aldrich
of the presidents o. k, and that he
stands in much greater need of it..
They add that the speaker and the
senator have stood for the same
things, and that If Mr.. Taft mdorses
one he ought TO be willing to extend
a supporting hand to the other. Some
of the speakers friends fear that the
tariff agltation is going to develop
solely into fight against Uncle Joe,
..stA n
1Hl word or two from the president.
The deep waterways excursion has
developed into political junket and
an occasion for discussing interstate
problems. Occasionally look at the
muddy river brings to the minds of
the junketers the real purpose of the
trip, but that proposed 14-foot chan.
mel has gotten to be largely an after.
thought.
Mr. Taft himself had the temerity
10 suggest that the deep waterway
agitators pause and discover whether
they really want the Mississippi
deepened, whether the merchants
themselves don't prefer rail to water
transportation. II made the deep
waterway boosters gasp, this Taft
statement, and they have come to
the conclusion that the president Is
not very enthusiastic over their pet
two hundred million project.
Practically the only topic of con.
versation on the boat bearing the III
congressman has been Uncle Joe's
future. The congressman know they
are on a waterways excursion and
occasionally refer to the fact when
they make landings, but sandbars
aud dredgings are the least of their
worries while on shipboard.
The insurgents are represented on
the boat by six men, including Muir
dock Of Kansas and Cooper of Wis
consin. Many stories of Murdock's
unpleasant life while cooped up with
the Cannon supporters have been
carried to the other boats. 1t is said
that he and Uncle Joe pass by with.
out speaking, and that when they sit
down to dinner the frost almost
freezes the ice cream.
I On the steamboat st. Paul, where
the 20 governors hold forth, the deep
waterways talks have long since
given way to the discussion of the
Conservation of the nations forests
The governors held a meeting SINH
far to the one that was held in Wash
frgton at the instance of President
Roosevelt. Clifford Pinchot, chief for
aster, told them of the work of his
bnreau, and the governors discussed
means OF cooperation between the
states and the federal government in
protecting the forests. If anybody
had raised the cry Fourteen feet
through the Mississippi valley" he
would have been fired out of the
meeting, yet they call this deep
Waterways excursion.
"It is not likely" said Mr.. Taft in
MS Memphis speech, that any of us
ny viewing the snags on the Arkan-
sas bank of the river or the ruins Of
attempted improvements is able to
harn any great lesson as to the
proper way OF improving it, but by
our mere aggregation, by our ayoir-
dupois, we impress upon the people
how necessary it is for congress and
those In power to give their time
seriously to the discussion Of the
Question of how our waterways can
he improved for the benefit of the
people."
The president intends to follow
President Rooseyelt's example in
having the governors Of all the
states at the White House. The pres
fdent has invited the 20 who are
making the trip with him and has
suggested some time in December as
q convenient time.