The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1878-03-04
How Order may be Established, ana
Representative Men of the
People be Elected.

portant ana necessary TO Ignore paftlhan
contest, and elect representative men re
CARELESS of party ties. Any one present
at that meeting must have been impressed
with the fact that an unusually large num-
Der of citizsns were present and in sym
patty with the object of the meeting who
are not accustomed to attend party
caucuses, or to take any active part in
placing candidates before the people.
The presence Of that class of men, and the
extraordinary number of that class, is
proof that they felt the necessity Of ignor-
ing party and uniting in citizens move
ment. And the citizens Injecting did its
duty faithfully and well. The. ticket pre-
scented is composed] of men of various
shades of political belief, as heretofore
classed, but whose acceptance of nomin-
alton at that time and under the cir
cumstances was virtual pledge that
politics should be ignored in the coming
municipal election, and that the citizens
would act upon that basis. The ticket as
a whole is an unusually good one. 1t is to
the fullest extent as representative of the
industrial and material interests of the
city, and as much composed of laboring
men in the strict and limited sense of the
term, as that of the so-called Workingmen's
party
The citizens nominees are mostly old
residents, long known and highly esteemed
We make 10 distinction among the names
on the list-they are one and all good men
to fill the offices for which they are nomin-
ated. Their lives, their occupations, their
willingness to ignore party for the sake Of
the city's material interests and prosper
| ity, all these considerations commend them
to public favor, and identify their position
with the wants and necessities of the present
emergency. THE ARGUS makes no re.
serve Whatever in its full and unqualified
support Of each and every man upon the
citizens ticket. THE ARGUS does not claim
the honor of having originated the
movement at this time. 1t was not
until after repeated assurances, and unde
niable evidence Of sincerity on the part o.
Heading men Of opposite faith of desire t.
unite all parties for the preservation of thu
city's honor and material interests, and o
making nomination of citizens upon tina
basis, that this paper consented to supper
the plan.
There is no doubt whatever but the mel
who were active in effecting the arrange
ment for citizens ticket, are honorabl
straightforward reputable citizens; there i
no doubt but they have acted in good faith
and with an eye single to the good of til
city, and in the way which is believed to b
the very best 20 meet the dangers whc
impend. The cont est is in no sense wheth
er Democrats as such. or Republicans a
such, shall administer the city government
Whether we like it or not, whether "
would avoid it if we could or not
the contest is sharply defined and per
sistently enforced. 1t has a deeper sign
ficance and wider portent than the mer
success of party, or the selection and eIet
ton Of this or that particular man. Whe
the Commune of New York faunts th
red flag, and says take away your Arm
from our midst and we will show you no,
quickly labor will seize its rights, there is
dark and meaning menace in the lauguag
| NH Cf . ha IT kAo
p Commune, of the lawless and Coolies
D rage of blind and Infatuated mob tina
made France drunk with blood to vom
crime" When the Organ" Of the cou
G munstic element iu this city says of tn
9 little handful Of soldiery constituting til
@ regular army 10 this country, that it is to
/ large by half, is any one 10 doubt in regar
to the community of sentiment betwee
the expression of ore place and that of tn
, other?
Its not charged. nor meant, that tn
{ great body of the so-caled Workingmen
r party contemplate or wish for scenes
, violence, or that they believe for mome1
their organization has such a tendency {
D can possibly lead to untoward results. Blu
, they must remember this, that within the
body there is confessed secret league, en-
bracing chosen few of their own number
!, and with whose plans and operations frol
, the necessity of the case they know nothin
except such as the league choose to divulg,
All conspiracies, all coups d etat, a
highhanded and organized attempts again
= government or society are concocted an
? arranged in secret conclave, they are NJ
5 known and explained to the mass Of th
party before hand = the blind unsu
' pecting obedience cf the grei
: honest mass is counted upo
simply because they are kept blinded, be
cause the real object is disguised and shar
aud lure presented in its place Ii til
} workingmen themselves have implicit col
fdence in leaders who band together
secret league, if they choose to follow
unquestioning faith and credulity the cour
sells and the teachings of select few int
whose secret meetings they are not admit
ted, and of whose "uiterior' objects the
know nothing except what they take upo
the faith of sayso, certainly the working
men cannot complain if their fellow cit
zens take altogether another view, questio
with earnestness the purport of their ute,
lances and scrutiniZe the character On,
professions of the leaders who are SO pre-
} fuse in their declarations Of sincere disintel
Ion.ad c.;andah;r, e. .Lass 49,. IL .: