The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1868-10-29
Communicated
THE CHARGES AGAINST sICKLEs NOT
DENIED
win the Republican Party Disgrace itself
by Eleeting a Pegurer and 9 Dishonest
Man as its Representative


TO THE EDITOR Of THE Rock ISLAM
ARGUS, SE;-The communication Of "a
Moline Republican" published in your pa
per of last week in relation to II. i. Sick
les,wes timely and, in general correct. The
few friends he has here have not the hard
hood to deny them, for they know that theil
correctness can easily be established. Your
correspondent, however, commits one tr
fling error, in saying that Sickles was a del
eRRte in the convention which nominated
him. he was not delegate, but he pro,
cured the appointment of the delegates and
attended them and controlled most Of them
in all their movements and it was through
the want of vigilance on the part OF our best
citizens that he got a chance to play the
game be did. In a quiet way he gathered
together his few followers and made up the
list to suit himself, and had them instructed
to cast the entire vote of the town for Capt.
Morris for circuit clerk. And it is reported
that on the day Of our county convention
| THE 8th OF June last he took a large por-
ton Of his delegates to your office and asked
you to show them letter you published
from Capt. Morris, during the war in order
to convince them that they should stand BY
| Morris. This is true. -ED. ARGUS And
he went to Morris, on the day of the conven-
ton, and told him that he Sickles made a
motion, in the Moline primary meeting, to
instruct the Moline delegates for him Nor.
ris and carried it. Now" says Sckles,
what can you do to help secure my nomi
nation Of course Morris felt grateful for
| this effort Of SiCkes and went to work for
/ blrp-mhila Sioll.a
work to sell Morris for Hodges, secure his
own Enominaton, and lay on the shelf such
men as 5. r. Allen, John Buffum, Capt.
Jordan, and others. The history of this
transaction alone ought to make every re.
| publican in the county erase his name from
their ticket. 1t was this that slaughtered
not only Allen, Jordan, Buffum, and others
for the legislature, but laid out HAYES,
Payne, and Wilson also-and Sckes was
the snake who crawled around and did the
work. Can our party afford to encourage
such tricksters, and thus be made the tool
of designing demagogues For one ! say
| No well, says one, how eau We pre-.
vent ~ Why, very easily. Vote for
John McCandlsss, an honest, upright, we'll.
| informed farmer who will give to Moline
| everything necessary by way of local legs
lation, and be no disgrace to our county
| BY such course we shall teach dema-
| gogues and trlcksters not to attempt, again,
to manipulate our conventions, and foist
upon us unworthy men. Az your cores
pondent truly said, there is nothing political
to be done by the Legislature, and as far as
our county or our party is concerned a dem
ocrat would represent US as we'll as a republi-
can--and better If there are any more ferry
charters to be lobbied through. And if an
effort should be made to defeat or delay the
free bridge over the Mississippi, John Nc.
Candess is man who could not be bought
or intimidated. Can we say as much of
Sickles
There is another item in relation to Sick !
les which your correspondent did not allude |
to, and that is the attempt he made to get |
$500 out Of our town corporation for the |
old Metamora engine. A few years ago, a
man named Sweetland, who had been connect.
ed with our fire company, absconded, taking
with him the ornaments belonging to the
engine. be was afterwards heard of in OF. !
tawa, and when the company was about to
send for him Sickles volunteered his servi.
ces for that purpose, saying he was going to
Chicago on business and would stop and
see Sweetlaud and dothe business. Sickles
drew up power of attorney to make COL
tectt0nS for the Metamora engine company
and it was signed by Judge Gould and 9th
ers. When he returned he claimed to have
paid $500 for the engine company, but
brought back no ornaments and no voucher
for the payment Of the $500; but he de.
manded 500 from the town corporation for
money paid, though he had no authority to
pay cent, and never did pay cent. His
claim was disallowed, but every time O new
board of trustees was elected he wonld make !
The same effort over again; until, last
spring. he offered the trustees compromise
+ they would pay him 800, telling them ,
hat he had placed his claim, the papers
&C., in the hands of ]. B. Hawley and or 5
Tered him to commence suit against our !
own corporation. Mr. Lobdell, one Of the
rustees, on hearing this, proposed to allow
'ickles 500 rather than to have law 9
nit. But before the proposition was acted
n Mr.. Lobdell was advised to 60 or send P
ONE one to see Mr.. Hawley Oh the subject
nd learn the facts. Mr.. Browning was :
eputed to see Mr.. Hawley, which he did,
nd then learned that Sickles had neither II
laced any papers or case in his hands or =
yer exchanged a word with him on the sub d
'ct--and that Mr.. Hawley knew nothing ~,
e about the case, except what he u
nd seen in the newspapers. In Conse. IL
lence of the outrageous falsehood told by &c
ickles, in order to get spurious claim paid
him out of the peoples money, commit. 81
e was appointed to investigate the matter ~
I'd their report was made to a meeting of IN
10 board of trustees held on Wednesday b
'euing March 4, 1868, and adopted BY the
,ard, and ordered printed with the proceed. pa
&c, and it was so printed in the Union of 70
arch 9th, as follows: 81
To the Presidsat and Trustees Of the Topsn oil
oHne :-Your committee to whom was referred ca
g claim of II. F. Siokles, IS owner of the FIRE M
CINE "Metanfors," beg leave to make the follow Q
2 report That after a careful investigation Of
matter, We find that said fire engine was pur-
sSed sometime in lS55and placed into the hands v
the trustees Of the town of Moline, it being IN
rstood at and subsequent thereto that twas to an
public benefit, and considered in the light of an
donation by the stock holders that since thst sta
10 the town has maintained and keptup repairs Ro
1t, purchasing hose, &C., and been considered
the public as belonging to the town aforesaid
i sometime after its purchase, one swestlsnd,