The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1880-08-06
He Thought He owned the Town.

| Galvs journal.
/ It becomes our duty this week to record
la case of partisan meanness and littleness
which, when we take into consideration
the position of the author and all the cir
cumstances surrounding it. transcends
anything in that line that ever fell under
our observation. The democrats Of Galva
10 couple of weeks or more ago raised q
Ipurss to buy a flag. aud DR.. j. f. Todd
with public spirit and liberality charac-
teristic of him. not only headed the list of
donors. but furnished fine hickory pole
| from his grove and had it spliced and pre-
pared for setting at his own expense
Permission was asked to erect the pole on
Railroad Square, which is the property of
the @. b. & @. railroad company, and
granted by the roadmaster and division
superintendent Afterwards this consent
was modified by the condition that the pole
should be placed within ten feet of the
| line bounding their grounds. This it was
| found would necessitate placing it directly
in the wagon road along Front street
which is partly on railroad land. The
agent here. Mr.. Kerr, being unwilling to
transcend his authority from head
quarters and permit the erection of
the pole further south and at greater
distance from the line. DR.. Todd went
down to see Mr.. Hitchcock, and division
superinte ndent at Galesburg, and secured
from him the desired modification of the
order. While there he was informed by
Mr., Hitchcock that III. Nj. Ford state
senator from this district. had written to
him to induce him to refuse the reasonable
request of the Galva Democrats.
We do not feel competent to 6ttingly
characterize this act of Fords It was SO
Icontemptibly mean that his party friends
were eager to deny that he was guilty of
it without consulting him, and we even
heard one of his employees offer to bet ten
dollars to a cent that Mr.. Ford never
wrote such letter. And yet it is 10 per-
feet keeping with the arrogant and dicta-
| torial character of the man who has
dominated the town of Galva to its untold
injury for the last twenty years. So
accustomed has he become to lording it
with high hand and bending men to his
wishes and purposes by the force of a
powerful will, backed by an amount of
| wealth sufficient to make him dreaded, that
| he seems to have come to the conclusion
that he owns the town. That in his
private borough and directly before
| his eyes as he gaZed forth from his
EN- orium OF calico and tape, anyone
| should have the hardihood to attempt to
despised was an insult he could not tamely
brook: hence this letter. to have written
which would cover with confusion any
ordinary politician, but which Ford will
presently justify with the most braxeu
effrontery.
Oar stalwart friends have had much to
say about the taking down of piece of
cotton printed in imitation of the stars and
stripes and nailed upon the corner of q
hotel will they be equally free to condemn
this attempt of senator ct the state of
Illinois to prevent the raising of an Amer
lean hagp Iu that act he manifested
spirit which would, had he the ability,
lead him to atfiict upon his political foes
all the tortures e Torquemada. He
would deny to those of opposing political
faith the rights he claims for himself; he
would, and has made men the victims of
oppression ard injustice because they re-
fused to allow him to dictate their political
course. He is to day the malignant enemy
of the JOURNAL not only because we have
dared to tell the truth about few of his
minor offenses, but primarily because We
refused to allow him to use it as a phono
graph to echo his sentiments.
We ssay. these things and devote this
much space to M. Nj. Ford because he is @
man powerful for evil. one standing high
in the councils of his party, and one who
has shaped and is shaping our LEGAL affairs
in such a manner as best TO aggrsndise
himself, without regard to the ruin be is
working to the interests of others. In
willing to allow to his opponents the same
right to defend and propagate their opiu.
ions which be claims for himself, be merits
the appellation of a nsrrow-minded bigot
and tyrant; attempting to control the acts
of men in regard to matters with which he
has legitimately nothing to do by terror
;sm and intrigue; and eDdeavoring to
advance the interests of his political party
By means so utterly contemplate that his
political associates make haste to disavow
them, he shows to the world that he has
DO better appreciation of the principles
that underlie our republican system OF
COVER nment than has the hickory pole
which was the object of his futile spite.