The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1875-11-15
THE WAY TT BEGINS TO LOOK.
Some Pertinent Remarks About the
Anti-Tammany Victory,
From the Nation.


The Re formers" at the late city cleo
ton are beginning to rub their eyes and
ask themselves seriously wherein does the
remind one of the mob who burnt the OBJ
noxious bankers bills in order to punish
him. The plain facts of the case are that
the Reformers solemnly called on Tam
many two years ago to reform the organic
alton and expel the bad men, So Kelly,
assisted by few respectable men like Mr..
A. s. Hewitt, did drive out Morrissey and
his following, probably the worst lot of ras-
Gals by which any Christian city was ever
infested. There is no other civilized city
in which such rogues and vagabonds have
an equal share in the municipal govern
ment. These indictments formed the
Short-Hair party, headed by Morrissey
and began to wage war on Tammany as
Swallow Tails or aristocrats, their main
object being to quarter themselves on the
public treasury by obtaining fancy wages
for nominal work. The mayor and the
public works department then made the
first practical and fundamental reform
that either the Democratic or any other
party has made in city politics, by laying
down the rule that the city was bust
ness corporation, and would only pay the
market rate of wages, In doing this, they
arrayed themselves against the most dan
gerous and alarming feature in municipal
demagogy, the one which is most capa-
BILE of proving means of covert con6sca-
ton, and which is most likely to grow and
become uncomfortable. The duty of the
Reformer was plainly to support this stand
by every means in his power, and to unite
all the tax-paying classes in support of it.
and put up such ticket and such plat
form as would have satisfied the Swallow
Tails and Tammany that this and things
like this were what they must do if they
meant TO remain in power, and would have
convinced the Short-Hairs and their lead
er that the only road to comfort or power
in this city lay through honest industry,
and that it was a poor place for tramps,
vagabonds, blacklegs and gamblers.
What followed, now that one looks back
on it, was little short of ludicrous. The
reformers, including the brown stone
voter, made the remarkable discovery that
Tammany was still impure; that there
were bad men" on the general commit.
tee; that Kelly could not compare with
Peter Cooper as citizen or Christian !;
and then went to work and alleged that
Kelly had tried to bully Recorder Hackett
into allowing his court officers to be ap-
pointed by politicians, which was of course
reprehensible, but which, even if true, in
no way changed Hackett's chaIa cter. But
the feformers at once took up Hackett,
who is an old friend and comrade of Judge
Barnard, and extolled him to the skies as
model judge. They joined forces with
Morrissey and the Short Hairs, and
helped them in every way they could. by
suppression, evasion, and distortion
Nothing can be more delicate, and require
a more careful consideration of conse
quences, than any transfer of power il
this city. The reformers achieyed it, no
only without consideration, but in kline
of frenzy. For two weeks they cursed
blackguaraed, called names, bawled, made
charges" and cOunter-c charges, like s.
many acute maniacs, and ended by raising
Morrissey to the rank of the most inhuen
tial, popular leader; by convincing tn,
dangerous classes that he is the man t,
follow, and that they are an ll-powerfu
body in the city; by convincing the mayo
and the commissioner of public works
and Kelly and Tammany, that they can
not count on support in any reform as lon
as the Tammany society is not composed
of protesting Christians; and by restoring
the old rule, that the lazy vagabonds VIII
do city work are to receive fancy wages
Under all the circumstances, did any on
ever see the like? is the only appropriat
question. They are now solemnly tryin
to prove that Kelly was not 10 favor c
!, market wages, which is a comic reason fo
helping to set up another boss who is !
favor of fancy wages, and makes this hi
whole stock in trade, and who is beside
!, an habitual criminal.