The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1875-10-29
ELECTION NEXT TUESDAY.
A Grand Rally for Porter and Gordon


upon the danger of electing such, men to |
Offices Of public trust, No party can af- |
ford to carry such load, and the careful
men Of all parties will unite on Porter and
Gordon.
1t has been shown, beyond dispute,
that Cleaveland kept $l68O7 of money
which belongs to the people, and that he
knew, when he took it, that it belonged
to the people; that he was told so at the
time, and told that if he eyer was found
out in the matter it would go hard with
him if he came before the people for Office
again. This has not been denied.
At first his friends tried to cover up the
matter by saying that he settled up his &C
counts with the county treasurer. This
was subterfuge. for he was not charged
with not settling his accounts with the
county treasurer. He was charged with
keeEing $16s.O7 which did not belong to
him, and which did belong to the people
of this town, That charge cannot be dis
proved.
Finding that they were to be held strict
ly to the issue, and that politics had moth
ing whatever to do with the matter, they
then claimed that inasmuch as he was
elected prior to the going into
effect of the law of 1872, the
money belonged to him. They were
quickly driven from that position by
the publication of the law, which provided
that, in such cases, the officer should
draw fees or salary under the old law for
all services actually rendered prior to
July l, l872.-and inasmuch as Cleaye-
land had rendered no services
prior to that time his fees must be
nomputed under the new law. They
ever repeated that weak defence after
we published the law. Cleaveland knew
, better, for Just before he returned his
books gentleman in this city called at his
8 Office to pay his taxes and Cleaveland said
to him: 1T don't do me any good for you
, to pay your taxes, for can't receive only
800 fees and the commissions aggregate
more than that sum now,"-thus showing
that he knew that all fees over 81 500 were
the property of the people of this town.
We made this charge last week and sale
o that if it was denied we would publish thu
affidavit of the gentleman to proveit L
has not been denied.
Then they invented q new theory, viz
That as soon as he had collected 5,00(
he returned his books, and that all he col
e lected after that was as deputy for D. o
Reid, county treasurer. This everybod.
knew to be false, Did he resign as col
lector? No. Did Reid deputize him t
collect for him? No. Did ne sign tax re
ceipts as Reds deputy? No. There i
no pretense of that sort.
The town collectors books in every tow
were made returnable March 20th,-bui
IS very few collectors in the county returned
e their books on or before that day. Thos
is who did not so return then continued to col
it lect as town collector-and especially wa
I. this the case in Rock Island and Moline.
II The last bubble to save Cleavelan
1t from the odium of taking and keepin
money he knew did not belong to hir
shows to what base purposes the Guye
ring will resort to sustain an unworth
l. party candidate. IF it were true,
r shows him up in the light of connivin
g at trick to defraud the people for hi
g own pecuniary proft,-a trick whic
or should condemn him in the eyes of a
r honorable men.
e. The simple truth is that Cleavelan
or took the money and kept it, knowing
% was not his money, and knowing that
belonged to the people. There is no e.
cape from this conclusion.
~ 1t now remains for the people to sa,
next Tuesday, whether they will give hi
10 chance to do similar act again
81 whether, by their votes, they will plat
!: their money in his hands and enable hi
~ to play some other trick to defraud the
ia of money which belongs in the people
's3 treasury.
= From all appearances the Guyer rir
~ ,: have no hope whatever of electing Cleav'
land, now. Outside of few unscrupulol
politicians, nobody pretends to defer
him.
us They know Sam Porter to be homes
W, faithful, competent and responsible. The
al know that. when fairly elected, two yea
ago, the same clique that is now trying
" force Cleayeland on the county, got up
fictitious and vexatious and costly law su
to deprive Porter of his Office and put
man in his place who was not elected; al
:, they say that inasmuch as Porter is fai
a, honest, upright, competent and responsib
4 man he ought to have reelection, al
bo they will vote for him,
49, Everything indicates Porter's electio
g But let not his friends and the friends
honest officers be lulled into security
10 the apparent unarimity for him, for tn
may defeat him. Let every man wi
l. would see the county funds in safe han
10 work from now till the close of the polls
Porter and Gordon. for upon that depen
the security of the county funds. The
is no politics in the contest. 1t is que
ty ton far above all party considerations.
t 7 is question of the safety of the coun
funds, and Of an honest account for eve
cent collected. Let no other considerati
draw the minds of the people away fro
this, the true issue
e.
,n- The City Sued by Davidson,