The Rock Island daily Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1872-1873, 1873-09-18
THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS DON'T
PAY FOR THE BLOOMINGTON
SPREE.
Let Those who Dance Pay the Fiddler.

lncy were uuL SSht thSiC vi e'Hy S'N''
business of the people-they went on the
invitation of Mai. Beardsley, who pro
cured dead head tickets for the party
over the railroads, and entertained them at
the Home-at the expense OF the State,
of course. While there, the individ-
uals who composed the party accepted
hospitalities from citizens Of Normal and
BLOOMINGTON. In return for the obhga-
tons they had thus placed themselves I'M
der it was very natural that they should
personally ask the people who entertained
them TO visit Rock Island, Moline, etc
OF course they did this on their own indi-
vidual authority, but in order to make the
people pay for it, little wire-working be-
came necessary. On the eth of July, Maj.
Beardsley appeared before the City Coun-
ell, then in session, and sOft-soaped our
City Dads until they didn't know whether
they were standing on their heads or on
their heels. He related, in his peculiar
Smiler Colfax way, how generously his
excursion party had been entertained at
Bloomington and Normal, and what nice
thing it would be to invite the people of
those towns and Mclean county, generally
in some official form, to come up and see u.s.
Gus. Stengel, then an Alderman, land who
formed a part of Maj. Beardsley's excur-
SION got chuck full of patriotic ardor-to
spend somebody's money besides his own
and he made a motion. Gus always was
good at making motions,-he seemed to
have hankering after that part of the bus
mess, and so the record, July It'll, reads
as follows;
Aid Stengel moved that the Council invite the
City Councils and Boards OF Education OF the
Cities of Bloomington and Normal To visit the city
OF Rock Island, and that this Council be Com
mittee to meet and receive them Carried.
And thus matters rested-except that
the Union probably being in the secret
scheme to make the people pay for the
spree. as Haverstick was one of Boards
ley's excursionists and free-lunchers)
praised the action of the Council, and
abused City Clerk Barge for being slow
about sending off the invitation.
On the 4th of August, the City Council
being in session. the record says:
The Mayor announced that the City Councils and
Boards of Education Of the cities Of Bloomingt'u
and Normal had si-uiied their acceptance OF the
invitation 10 visit this city. and that they Will ar
rive here on the It'll day OF August inst
Alderman Don moved that committee OF ar
engagements be appointed, consisting OF two mem
bcr~ O! the Council. Adopted.
The Mayor appointed Alderman Don and Warner
said committee.
Aud on the same day, the Board of Su-
pervisors being then in session, Assistant
Supervisor Billy Jarvis was mesmerized
and exhibited himself, under Court House
manipulation, as follows:
Supervisor Jarvis offered the following rcsolu.
ton and moved It's adoption:
WHEREAS. The honorable Board Of Supervisors
OF Mclean county and the City Councils OF Bloom
iugton and Normal. will wish our county the pres
ent week
Rssotrsd, That the chair appoint committee
Of four TO perfect arrangements for their reception
and entertainment
The yeas and nays being called resulted as fol-
lows
Yeas Supervisors Daley, Dickson, Donaldson.
Martin, Plrmenter, Silyis aud Wright
NaFs-Super, isor BowIes.
Ansent-SupCrvsor Felix and Todd.
The chair appointed Supervisors jarvis Ken
worthy. Lohdeli aud Silvis a. said mmitt=e.
On motion of Supervisor Donaldson the chair
man Of the Board was also made member OF -aid
committee.
Well, the party arrived here on the eth
Of August, and consisted of one Superyi-
sor, one Mayor, eight Aldermen, one City
Attorney one City Marshal and the Chief
Of the Fire Department, of Bloomington :;
two Trustees of Normal: several menl-
bers Of Library Associations, school teach
ers, editors, the Circuit Clerk, ladies and
citizens, in all about $50 persons.
Messrs Lobdell, Silvis and Grenell, as
we are informed, took no part in the at
fair: but Jarvis and kenworthy lprinci-
pally Jarvis a minority of the committee,
in connection with A dermen Don and War
ner, Of the City Council, went ahead and
contracted bills for dinners, carriages, wine,
cigars, etc, etc, to the amount OF some
four or five hundred dollars.
The intention Of the managers seemed
10 be to make the people of the county pay
one-hqlf of the bills and the people Of the
city the other half, which would really
saddle about ree-fourths of the expense
on this city,as the city pays about half
the county tax. Accordingly Alder
men Don and Warner held back the bills
at the last meeting of the Council to see
what Assistant Supervisor Billy Jarvis
could do with the Board of Supervisors.
But Jarvis efforts proved Intellectual. He
couldn't get any report on his bills, and
they now rest in the capacious pocket of
Madison BOwles or some other member of
the committee, and we hope that no
favorable report will ever be given them.
Billy don't seem to be success as a
representative Of the people He permit
ted the Republican ring to fool him at the
start, on the judges of eection-though he
did succeed in partially correcting his mis-
take in that respect. He allowed him
self to be used by the ring to intro
duce the resolution for the Blooming
ton spree. He seems also to be
found on record in favor of the highest
for salaries-forgetting that
he is a representative of the people, and
not of the office holders; forgetting that
it is his duty to guard the treasury in
stead of being made tool of to drain it
dry.
Now, we have only to say, at present,
that there is no law or color of law author
izing Boards of Supervisors or City Coun-
ellis to invite anybody here on spree, or
to take one cent of money out of the pock-
cts of the people generally to pay for it.
What possible excuse can be rendered for
adding to the taxes of the farmers, labor
ers, mechanics, business or professional
men, to pay for livery teams, dinners,
wine and cigars for Billy Jarvis, Dave
Don, johnny Warner, Jim Beardsley and
those who enioyed such luxurious with