The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1874-03-25
Chr g g aFilllg Ar9alsj.
Independent IN Eoerything.
The SaWaust Sxindla-

Some enterprising person who had a
genius for making money by engraving
promises to pay, precisely like the govern.
ment promises, AMI who, no doubt, would
have been willing to redeem them, Just as
the government does, with other promises,
had the opportunity been afforded them,
went into this business in this city a few
years ago. They hired an office down town
and advertised largely They received
money from their customers and consigned
to them therefor, not greenbacks, but saw
dust. They held themselves out to be
public benefactors, and perhaps they we're.
But there was no furniture in the office,
nothing but the sign on the door An in
digent lad with saggy trousers and moist
noise, considerable gift of bad language
and an uncomfortable desire to throw
slops on passers-by, idled around
| the entrance earning precarious
pence by misleading inquiries for the firm.
| With increasing business the boy grew
consequential. loafed on the banisters with
more of the air of an articled clerk, screw
ed round piece of glass in over one eve.
and wrinkled one side of his nose in the
queer way of people who devote their
whole minds to that species of scenic effect:
and he thought he was doing business him
self So when one morning an unusual
distribution of sawdust had brought a
larger crowd of inquirers than usual to
the door, he family remonstrated-not with
his employers they did not tolerate that
but he said to the general public, This is
altogether too much. Shortly afterward
he was lifted by the scruff of the neck into
the presence of his employers and inform
ed that If he was not more careful they
wonld discharge him and get another boy.
The whimpering lad had got the notion
that he was the organ of communication
between the firm aud the public. He was
not an organ; only d Tyre. He never re-
monstrated after that, but the aff1uence Of
profanity with which he bounced upon ev,
erybody who intimated that the firm haC
disappeared was in its way quite frightful
He was queer boy; all that he knew wa!
that the members of the firm were out,
and that was all the information he coulC
:. give to the gentleman who had received
sawdust
1t seems to be quite the fashion for per
sons in the sawdust business to keep effen
\ sive and unwholesOme young persons a
the door to mislead the public, and be
tween spells annoy the neigborhood. Her
is the Administration party, for instance
issuing sawdust at a most bewllderln
- rate, and whenever any innocent perso
I'd who has been fooled comes around maxim
= inquiries about the Civil Service, or tn
1T Franking Privilege, or the National Finar
ces, or any of the other things it advertise
W to take care of he finds nothing but the sig
er over the door and the toul-mouthed youn
I'D persons standing by expectorating ba
language. They have lately broken OF
nd with unusual vinegar because the Tribm
casually remarked that the party whic
- made so many fair promises at Philade
phia in June, 1872 cannot be found /
the people who accepted them. They So
the Tribune intimated that the party
Il dead, which is false, and they as noisy al
importunate about it as a mongrel dog {
\ bakers wagon Well, it is all rig
n enough and proper enough, we presum
n for these creatures to fulfill their missio
w 1t really makes no difference with the pu
re- lie whether the party is dead or has on
led moved away What the people want
de- de-, know is, where is the party that made Il
promises of June, 1872, and who are tho
- people in Congress and elsewhere "
y issued 80 much sawdust IN y Tribua