The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1876-09-14
Reform is Necessary.

1t is quite evident that reform is neces-
sary in Rock Island. How it is in regard
to some of our county transactions may be
learned by another article in this paper.
In relation to the management at the
county poor house we think there is still
room for reform.
In our town matters, especially in re-
gard to town auditors meetings. The AR
GUS has produced salutary reform. Au-
ditors now hold legal meetings, take only
legal pay, and town clerks have learned
not to take $50 when only $40 was due.
In relation to city matters reform is also
necessary. The Uuion need not worry
about the two nobby young mems names,
or their mothers heartache, or the color OF
their sisters cheeks,-that is not what we
are after. What THE ARGUS demands is
that our courts shall be honest courts, and
their records not lie; that all men shall
be treated exactly alike, and that there
shall be no toadying to the Methodist
church or to its rich members, or to any
other church or its rich members. THE
ARGUS declares
l. The city marshal should, when he
made up his mind to pull the house, have
taken all its inmates to Jail and brought
them into court in the usual way. Not to
do so is to show favoritism. If there was
no public complaint about the house; nc
disturbance of the public peace; no COM
plants from neighbors, the police were not
justified in disturbing it at all. If neigh
bors complained, or the public peace was
disturbed. then the police should take no
tice of it-but when they did take notice
of it they should have taken all the
inmates to Jail, and the next day have
brought them into court in the usual way
serving them exactly the same as they
would have served the humblest people, or
people who were to them entire strangers.
In this respect the police did wrong, ard
nearly all the people say so-all except
those who are liable to be caught in such
places.
2. When the magistrate was awakened
at night he should have refused to oper
his court, and should have left the police
to take the parties to Jail and to be brought
into court in the morning in the regular
and usual way. Any other course show:
that the court was willing to convive a
covering Up violation of law. Wha,
course did the court take? 1t got out o.
bed at ! or o'clock Sunday morning, ad
mitted the parties, locked out everybody
else, received the plea of guilty from all,
and entered names on its record that 1t
knew were false. 1t is this unusual and
illegal proceeding of which THE ARGUS
complained-a secret court at l or 2 O. clock
Sunday morning; doors locked; citizens
kept out by policemen; and record made
which is lie. That's what THE ARGUS
censured, and all it censures. 1t was q
proceeding which shows that court anG
policemen were afraid to treat these two
nobby, frst-family young men in the same
way that they would have treated men Oh
boys with less influential relatives. A
police officer or court should treat al
alike. The Union, of this morning, hal
been driven by force of public opinioni t.
agree with THE ARGUS, and it now says;
I'VE question the legality of Sunday
court, and at any rate we question the pro
priety of Magistrate getting up at
O'Clock in the morning simply to give
e couple Of ''the boys" chance to slip on
of an ugly scrape without receiving tn
punishment they deserve. We don't car
TO know who the men were. but we do sa.
0 that Squire Chopper had no right to shoy
, them special favors