The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1868-01-03
ELEcT1Na INCOMPETENT MEN TO OFFICE.

We admire consistency in newspaper,
and, during our editorial experience, we have
often had occasion to condemn, quite as Sc
verely, some of our political friends, as we
have any Of our opponents-nor nave we
ever hesitated to do so when the occasion, IN
our judgment, required it. But nothing In
the line of hypocritically looking one way
and going the other has quite equalled the
the feats of our contemporary, the Union, in
condemning democrat because, in its iudg-
ment, he was incompetent for the position to
which he was elected, and at the same time,
failing to condemn radical for the same
reason. The Union was loud in its censures
of poor Mr.. Wagner, because he made few
errors in his assessment, but has nothing to
say of its own county surveyor who is pro-
claimed by the leading radicals to be unit
and incompetent for the Office. The radical
majority in the Board of Supervisors passed
set of resolutions calculated to disparage
his abilities before the whole public. Hsuch
prominent radicals as D. N. Beal, B. B. JOS
lin, c. 81. Stoddard 1.-THE surveyorl and many
others can, be believed, Gould was wholly ig-
norant of the duties of surveyor when he was
forced upon the people of this county by the
radical party. b. B. Joslin, Esqr., supervisor
from Yuma, writes as follows:
"The first ever learned of Mr.. Gould's abili-
ties as a surveyor, was about the first of Septem-
Der last, from D. n. Beal, when he was made 3
delegate to the county convention, to nominate
Treasurer and Surveyor. Mr.. Beal spoke with
full knowledge of some of Mr.. Gould's surveys,
and said that he (Beal would not support Gould
if nominated. The next week the Board of Su-
pervisors met, and the nominations were fully
discussed, and not one republican member OF the
Board expressed satisfaction in regard to Mr.
9oulds nomination. All that did express an
opinion said they did not believe Mr.. Gould quail
ifed If Mr. Gould wishes to know who some of
them were, and ascertain how popular he was
with the electors of this county, he can enquire
of Supervisors Perkins, Wells and Marshall, rep
resenting the towns in which / believe he had
done the most surveying. IF that should not
satisfy, inquire of the attorneys, the Board, and
both parties attending the road trial of Simpson
vs. Town of Coe, where the costs of the suit we re
not less than $780,
Mr.. Joslin, after criticising Surveyor Gould
at length, says:
"If the gentlemanly surveyor would watch q
there would be less complaints from the people of
his cutting four rods off one mans farm and Civ
ing it to another, and so on making corners
where none ever existed, and creating more cause
for litigation and expense than all the acts OF the
board combined.
"If the gentleman wishes any further light, it
would be we'll for him to get the election returns,
and carefully look ss0se and Andalusia. where
think he has done the most surveying in the last
two years.
The vote in Coe, was, Thomas, radical for
treasurer, 10; Gould, radical, for surveyor,
lSl And in Andalusia, Thomas, "A Gould
20! In the county Gould ran $50 behind
Thomas-enough to have beaten him if any
candidate had been out against him.
Mr.. G. II. Stoddard writes as follows:
"When Mr.. Gould was first elected surveyor,
he came to my house and asked me TO give him
lessons in practical surveying, stating to conf
dentially that he thought he understood the the
DRY, but had never practiced surveying. | then,
being ignorant of his character, consented TO as
sist him and took him 10 the lower end of the
county and gave him instructions for one week
which l am satisfied were the first lessons he ever
received in practical surveying and which he &c
knowedged "were worth hundreds of dollars to
him." | then furnished him with a copy of my
field notes, referred to above, which were worth
Sleb 70 any surveyor IN the county. He then
procured of Mr.. Campbell, surveyor of Davenport
old instrument which had been thrown away
useless, and commenced operations with il
officially. But the people beginning to mis-
trust from his work, that there is something rot
ten, consequently refuse to employ him.
''In regard to his official acts, can and may
expose some that impeachabe, but enough
has been said for the present.
The Union, after condemning Mai. Wag
ener as incompetent and denouneing the
democratic party for electing what it calls
an incompetent man, hasn't word to say
against Mr.. Gould, as incompetent, or the
radical party for electing an incompetent
man! And it now stigmatizes the commu
nications of such leading radicals as Super
visor Joslin, and Ex-Surveyor Stoddard a.
"bores," and "a miscellaneous lot of oil
communications Most people think if the
Onion was right in regard to Maj. Wagner
it should have been equally severe upor
Gould and the radical party,-but such PEG
pie forget that the Uition can see only ont
side of any question, and nothing but wrone
in the democratic party, and nothing wrong
in the radical party. The Union don't lik,
to hear but one side of any question: i
confused if it does.
A Colored Delspate Visits Grant-Ee is In