The Rock Island daily Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1872-1873, 1873-10-13
The Bloomington Excursion Bills.

The Union comes out in favor of paying
the illegal bills contracted for the enter
tainment of the Bloomington excursionists.
This is as we expected, the editor of that
paper having been one of the free lunchers
on that occasion and he naturally prefers
that the people shall pay for his cakes and
wine, his cigars and his hack rides Siren
uous but unsuccessful efforts were made
by the committees to induce somebody
from THE ARGUS office to become free
luDcher on that occasion, but the commit
tees were given to understand that THE
ARGUS was opposed to a raid on the peo-
pies treasury for any such purpose.
The Union argues the question upon the
hypothesis that the excursion from here TO
Bloomington, last December, was an official
one, authorized by the Board of Supervi-
sors and the City Council 1t was no such
thing 1t was Major Beardsleys excur-
sion, gotten up by him, and it was he who
invited the guests, and made the arrange
ments 4; some Of the gentlemen who at
tended that excursion were members of
the Board of Supervisors, and of the City
| Councils of this city and of Moline. They
did not attend in any official capacity or
by any official authority The persons who
did attend accepted Inequalities while
there and they alone are under obligations
to return the courtesy. 1t is just as prop
er that the Moline City Council should
share in the expense as that our City
Council should And it is not proper or
just or legal for either, or for our Board Of
Supervisors, to take the peoples money to
pay for their spree
The Uaioa complains that We have
shielded Mayor Davenport and City AttOr
ney McElherne from all censure while
'heaping' it upon others. This is not the
case. as to Mayor Davenport We inclu-
ded him in our censures, then, and we do
now. He ought to have opposed the steal
from the start He should have vetoed
the action ordering the appointment of a
committee he should have refused to APP
point any committee ne should have We
toed the appropriation and he should
have refused to sign the orders for the
money unless upon a mandamus from the
Circuit Court. And when he found him
self in the scrape, he would have added
largely to his popularity by paying the
whole bills himself rather than see the
money taken illegally from the pockets of
the people at large
As to Mr.. McElherne, he is neither a
member of the Council or of the Board of
/ Supervisors, and he has no more RESPONSE
bility about the matter than Mr. Hayer-
stick-they were both free-lunchers at the
expense Of the people at large, and if they
are content to see the people plundered for
their junketings they have dull sensibilities
as TO the prophecies of life.
The article in the Union rs evidently
published, at this time, for the purpose Of
getting the Board Of Supervisors to pay
one half the expenses illegally incurred
We trust that it will have no such effect
and we intend that the people shall know
who tavors any such raid upon the county
treasury.
Outsiders can have but faint idea of the
pretty pastoral effect given by Grange il
, full session, clad in the becoming costume
: of the order, and with the implements o
husbandry displayed. 1t reminds tn,
classical reader of primitive scenes in Ar
r cadia, when the Shepherd piped and tn,
D maidens danced, and all the world anC
= love was young The principal makers o
+ the rural regalia required by Patrons o
' Husbandry are Joseph Seymour & Son, o
Sc Montgomery street, Syracuse, n Y.
: and from them intending Patrons may Sc
E cure full sets of jewels, working tools ant
It every requisite for carrying out the beauti
= full ceremonies of their very excellent in
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