The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1867-02-11


and then, two weeks afterwards, resolve the
other way againl The lawyers claim fha'
the balance or majority Of testimony on any :.
given point shall govern and control, anu oh
this principle we insist that the stul''hea por-
ton of the city council, having oeeh twice
for the neonle and only once for the ferry,
and beino on the side of the people when
Last heard from. shall be counted on that
s;ae NOW nv Messrs. Webster and Goe.-
Tbonob we rather think it would be fair to
count one of them a cypher, inasmuch as he
has been twice for the people and twice for
the ferry--once as alderman and once as
member of the board CT education.
The present board of education, it seems,
are opposed to the city deriving any revenue
from the ferry and thus relieving themselves
from some fthe burdens of taxation. The force
of habit is very strong, with some people,
and the board having become so accus
toned to taxing the people, it is not strange,
perhaps, that they should have no mercy on
them in this matter.
After the stulti6ed city council and the
taxing board of education, the Union pub
fishes exactly eighty names, but fails to pub
lish what they signed. Did these men give the
poor heirs of John Wilson permission to thus
publish their names? They did not. Is it not
a breach of etiquette and of fair dealing, to
thus parade mems names before the public
without their consent? Most certainly it Is.
But Senator Webster is not the man who is
guilty of this outrage. The papers were not
intended for the public were not intended
to be presented to the legislature, but were
for the eve of our representatives alone
Capt. Robinson having handed them to SEN
ator Webster, asked for their return, and it is
he who lays them before the public without
leave from those who signed them. We are
glad he has done it-but we rather pity
the men he has killed off by this
most outrageous breach of conhdence.--
Some of these men, since their names
have been thus used, and since they have re-
aected upon the ferry matter ia all its bear
ings, have publicly declared that they are
now opposed to the passage of the Robinson
extension, and prefer that the whole matter
should be postponed until the next legisla.
tire meets-as the ferry charter has yet .foaa
gears to run, and by postponing the matter
until the next legislature, the rights of nc
ther party will be injured,
Why didn't the Union publish the text OF
the petition these men signed? Is it sc
querelg, or obscurely, or cunningiy worde6
that the poor heirs of John Wilson don't
want it examined and criticised? Did not
quite a number sign 1t on Robinson's repre-
sentatlon of It's contents. and without read
ing it? They did. Did not Robinson rep
resent to some of these men that it was
simply Il certificate that he kept good fer
~? They say he did. Have not some who
signed his paper already withdrawn their
names? They have.
Now, under this state of facts. we insist
that Senator Webster's duty to the people
clearly is to postpone this whole ferry busi-
ness until the next legislature. BY that
course he will injure no one, and Will give
the people time to reflect No charter of
the KIND ought TO be granted four years IN
advance of its taking effect Great changes
may occur here in the next four years, in
bridges, canals and railroads and the rights
OF the people ought not to be given away in
advance, and they prevented from recovering
them.
The Union places these rightly names
against the .four OF fire Hundred on a petit
ton presented to the senate by Senator Web
stcr, and says:
They as much, if not more inter ested in
having good ferry and low taxes as any other
set of men who names can be secured to any pc
tition- They are competent to judge of the
wants and general interests of our citizens
Now, we think that four or five hundred
men have little better right to say what the
policy of this city shall be than eighty have.
And we think that they know quite as well
what that policy ought to be. Why this is
the very principle on which our government
rests, VIZ: that the majority shall rule. Il
was this principle that sent Messrs. Webster
and Coe to the legislature. The principle
tIe onion advocates would compel them to
vacate their seats and put B. N. Stevens and
Samuel BoRles in their places. We wish
this could be done,-the people would ther
certainly be protected.
The Onion publishes some chiefly names
such as the gentleman from Dubuque
and Others. of equally solid capacity
which were probably signed to some kind o.
a paper what it was the public are not per
mitted to know bat they are not all the luel
to be found in this city, or oil the men VIII
represent capital or business. We fail I
find among the eighty, such men as William
Eggleston, Isaac Negus, 2. l.. Cable, Edward
Burial, Bailey. Davenport, A. Shawn Bro
B. p. Buford, B. H. Kimban, s. B. Stoddard
Charles Buford Weyerhauser & Denkmar
Rice, Brightman & Seely, James NJ. Buford
George NJ. Babcoek, Christopher Atkinson
Louis n. Buford, George Wagner, 7. n
Babcock, Warnock d Ralston, James n
Oopp,, Geo. VI. Copp, David Halves, c. 4
I Mclaughlin, W. H. Whitman, Thomas ,
Buford, C. W. Andrews, r. r. Gable, Blocl
Newburger & Co, R. Don, Peter Fries, Do
& Elliott, J. D. Taylor, NJ. B. Clark. Jaco
Frysinger, l. Heinsfurter, A. K. Philleo, |
Ridenbaugh, W.A.Johnson, VIM. Kale, Jaco
Norris, Joseph W. Bracket, Cha res NJ @
born Henry Curtis, ,Jr., Thomas PIumme
E. G. Spencer, VIM. II. Thompson, E. tn
ner, DR.. Bracket, E. C. Chopper, Jacob r