The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1874-07-17
DEFYIaG PUBLIC OPINION,
Regulating Home Rule,

the state liquor law was so amended tn,
county boards cannot license the sale {
liquor in any township unless a majorit
of the legal voters of such township pet
ton to that effect-petition for the partit
ular person they desire to have licensed
This was recognizing the right of the pee
pie to manage their own affairs.
At the opening of the late session of gu
Board of Supervisors, Feaster, of Cano
Greek, moved to defy this principle o
home rule, and his motion was laid o.
the table by the following vote
YEAs-silys, Morey, Krell, Dart, Kerr, Jacob.
| NAYs.-Feasler, llama, Trent, Huntoon Cam
| bell, Todd, Smith, ParmenterS.
| Absent DALEY Wray-2.
| The Chairman, (Grenell) voted yea aut
thus laid the motion on the table, where i
was believed it would rest. But on tn,
last day, on motion of Supervisor Daley
the Board voted 90 to y that it woulC
grant no license during the present year
The members voted as follows
",
toon' Campbell, Jacobs, Todd, Smith and Parmen
terl0
Na,-Messrs. silyis Morey, Kren Dart, Kerr
Wright and Marston-7.
Not voting-R NJ. Greneli.
Absent. E. Wray.
The license party lost one man-Jacobs,
of Coal Nalley-who went over to the 9TH
er side. The anti-li license party was also
REINFORCED by Daley, who was absent on
the first day.
Now the points we ask the people to
consider are these
]. Charles Gray and c. P. Albrecht, of
Port Byron, presented petition signed by
a majority Of the legal voters of that
township (96 out Of l6l) asking that they
be licensed, but the Board detied the will
of the people and refused to license In
effect the Board says the people of Port
Byron are incapable Of governing them
selves, and also gives notice that if the
entire population Of any township in &C
cordance with the new law, shall ask IL
cense for any one of its citizens they shall
not have it. This is clear case of the
servant defying his master Of the repre-
sentative refusing to represent those whom
he was sent here to represent. Messrs.
Daley, Feaster, Hanna, Trent, Huntoon,
Campbell, Jacobs, Todd, Smith and Par
menter have told the people in advance
that they will not be governed by those
who sent them here. We leave them to
defend their un-republican position as best
they know how.
2 Mr.. Trent has refused to represent
the people Of his town, and grossly insulted
them, by telling them that their petition
shall not be heard No matter what his
private opinions may be on the question
it was his duty to have carried out
the will of his people, 1t is
an insult to them to thrust
his private opinions to the front, against
the will of a majority Of his constituents.
His duty clearly was to have paid a re
spGctlul Difference to the will Of a minority
of his town, and voted to carry out their
will He has no right to have opinions as
against the opinions of the people of his
town, lie was sent here to give voice to
their opinions not his own. 1t not con
venient for them all to come here, and
that is the reason for our representative
system So Of the State, and of the
United States. The people cannot all as
sembe together to do their business, and
| therefore they have established the repre-
sentative mode Of doing it. In case
where representative does not know the
will Of his constituents, and has no means
of asccrtaining it, then it his duty to carry
out the policy he believes a majority of
them desire But in this case Mr.. Trent
has not peg to hang an excuse
on. He knew the will of his
people but did it not, He
should have paid respect to that will
aud carried it out If he chose to protest
that he was not voting his opinion, but the
opinion Of his people, in doierncc to a sa-
cred principle on which our government is
founded, it would have been all the better
for Mr. Trent 1t would have shown that
he had some respect and regard for popu-
lar government HIS course has proved
that neither he nor any other Of the ten
comprehend or respect the democratic.re-
publican principle on which our govern
mcnt rests. The people Of their towns
should teach them TO respect it, by leaving
them at home, in future, and chosing men
to represent them who eau comprehend it
and who Will respect it.
Nlll,, N,r-.ili,s ,-alts NJ ,,I',