The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1878-04-17
Rapias city correspondence.
RAPIDS CITY, ILL, A

Aprl1 Is the month OF pTUuISC VI DuuS
and blossoms. and of-spring elections.
The month of April is sung of by poets
the least, and yet we generally have very
lovely and highly important times and
events in April. One of those events was
town meeting and election day, and the
question was who should be assessor Z II.
Nj. Mitchell was one nominee, stauhch
democrat and greenbacker. The other
was blue ribbon and workingman, or ma
tional; and the national was beaten. Next
in April order came the election OF town
trustee, and a democrat fills that office.
To day we have an election for city. or vii
lage trustees, and the fight is warm and
bitter. The tickets are: Citizens, or Lii
cense, aud is headed against taxation for
municipal purposes" and is composed OF
Fl. M. Gilchrist, j. Ramsey, Peter McCarl,
Casper Mourer. j. A. Vogel, John Mitten,
and A. j. Rowe, clerk.
Mr.. FL. NJ Gilchrist is we'll known and
held high in the estimation of all for his
sterling qualities j. Ramseyis also good.
P. McCarl has resided here long time,
and is equally a good man; as is also q.
llourer. j. A. Vogel is good man, and
a member of the old board. j. Mitten is
not quite SO we'll known, but will work well;
he is also on the old board. This ticket
believes in giving licenses and properly
controlling those licensed; allow no drunk
enness and not levy any special taxes for
city purposes. We already have special
one of five per cent. on valuation per as
sessment to pay for the school house here.
By licensing, the city receives $3.50 per
year from saloons alone. This amount so
far has kept US out of debt, and this year
would build our new sidewalks and fix up
things generally, for which the no license
men propose levying special tax,
Thee other ticket is pure blue,
printed on blue paper, and blue
as blazes, Il is composed of
D. w. Thompson, A. B.. E. Adams,
w. Riley, j. F. Viderstrom, A. Lloyd, A.
Eicholtz, J. W. Gunnug, clerk, and is
headed with Francis Murphy's celebrated
saying of Lincoln's with malice toward
none, and charity for ALL D. W. Thomp-
son is we'll and fayorably known. Joined
the NJ E. church some time ago, the Blue
Ribbon soon after, and mere he is, A, B.
e. Adams is good man and well known.
W. Riley is also a reformer, lived here
some time, been q B. r. man but short
time j. z. Viderstrom is good man,
we'll known and became engulped in the
| B. f. mire with the rest. A. Lloyd is
we'll known but do not know how sure he
| is on B. R A. Eicholtz is comparatively
new man, but is strong temperance. vi
the clerks, both are republicans, Rowe
being, present clerk, and performs the
duty we'll. They have nothing TO say
about license and such things, 80 We viii
drop them. The blue ribbon was FIRST
inaugurated in Rapids City by a man
named Corbett, mot the Rock Island law
yer) who opened it under religious fol
lowing, using prayer and singing to open
! with, same as church. Mr.. Corbett dis
appeared at or near Princeton, we are in
formed, as blue ribbon man. The move
ment gained, and like all other towns VIZ
soon had 800 or 400 names in a temper
ance roll. 1t was then a religio-temper
ance organization and as such it dried up ;
good deal of our saloon trade. Had i
stayed in that form it would have been al
right. 1t could have nominated its tickets
&C., very well, but it degenerated anG
politics were it's theme; for they argueC
that by putting in temperance boards il
Port Byron, LIE Claire, Cordova, Hamp
ton and here, that the liquor traffic would
cease. So it became for time a republI
can temperance organization, and to-day il
such at the polls, and if beaten will be only b,
a determined fight. We wish them success
if they can, but it looks as if the right wa
would be to stop the manufacture an
J thus we could not get that which Steal
! the brain away" The question is can it b
stopped By a temperance board? Tn
United States gives wholesale license t
dealers and under that head the Schooner
propose to license, should the B, Rs. carr
the day. If they do, and, the coming yea
shows that they are able to do what the
say, [ for one will be glad. But if the
can not carry out the reforms they propos
while granting no license, and drunkenness
RACES as it always has, and we fear Away
will, then it will kill the movement. BIZ
3 we admire their spunk, they have an ide
e that they can do it and the best way
prove it is to let them try it: for by bein
often tried" are we found worthy or uu
worthy. It our fair little city could b
. run without saloon in it. if all our mil
y ing and other population can be induced
Y remain temperate for even one year,
O should be glad indeed, but, | fear the tas
n is too great.
Aud we were talking of April; all natul
% puts forth her efforts in this month, mt
}. swear anew and commence anew to live
y better life. Mrs Tilton waited until Apr
/. and then came down on Henry, ar
"a Henry promises to be better man al
" says by gracious he never di
l. but human natures pledges a
70 like flowers in April; they start into lif
If rush vigorously ahead, and finally Il
freshness wears off aud they wIther ar
die. Such is human life. In the spriI
TX we make new pledges, new resolves: al
is in the fall we reap the reward. If v
sowed good seed we reap a rich and bea,
tiful harvest; but if not we find ourselv
- back in the old paths and one year lost
+ vain. Such will be the fate of the blue RIB
re- movement. II it proves to be Eu
We Oh good solid moral principles. fund
tn aud started arig ht, and the fall harvest
a. its results prove rich and worthy, it W
last But if built in too hasty a mann
and its pillars and supports not built
good, lasting, moral and upright principle
We the treacherous sands will engulph it anf
will go down.
q Last night there was temperance me
w. ting in the M. f. church, and greenba
meeting in the back part of Mitchell
d. store; both were we'll attended; the gree
back more so than the other and col
d. mittee and permanent organization forme
7 About forty signed the roll, a CONSTITUTE
was adopted and will be out soon.
lit We will close with charity for all.
n. 1881
LATER Since I wrote the above t
e result of the election shows up as follow
For License H, NJ. Gilchrist, G. Ma
n, rer, j. A. Vogel
- Ma Iicnnaa n W frho.nrnou