The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1882-08-21
MARsH cav BE DEFEATED.

4 It is conceded by republicans and demo
1 Gratis alike that Marsh was the weakest
man in the Illinois delegation in the forty
seventh congress. For that matter, it may
| truthfully be said of him that he was no
/ toriously the weakest member in the
| house If the democrats nominate strong
| man. aman who would be of some benefit to
| this large and important district, they can
| defeat Mr.. Marsh, as the people have al
ready had too much of him. They have
given him four terms, and he has had all
| the opportunity possible to make
| his mark but he has proven
lamentable failure. Even his
| party papers have not had the temerity to
give him whole souled or hearty support
| for denomination. They could not con-
scientiously do SO. But now that he has been
re nominated they will undoubtedly shut
their eyes to the unpalatable dose rendered
them, and swallow it uncomplainingly, but
not without the consciousness that he is
not the man for the place. Let the demo
Gratis do their duty and the people win do
theirs.
1t is au open secret in this neck of the
woods, that the Union of this city, recog
nized as the leading republican paper of
the Eleventh district, is secretly opposed
to Marsh and it takes his denomination
with an i'll grace. When speaking of it,
it does so complainingly, and the following.
which is hardly a fair sample of it's whining
before the event, will demonstrate that its
heart is not in the cause. However, it
will. of course, support Mr.. Marsh. even if
it does so grudgingly:
The action of the republican congress
sional convention on the Hancock county
contest is very generally regretted by Rock
Islanders as not only being a violation of
the rights of the people, but as setting a
precedent which will invite similar distur-
Dances and contests in the future by des-
perate and unprincipled partisans, The
McClaughry men of Hancock county were
so clearly in the right that the committee
on credentials should have had no hesitan-
cy in unanimously reporting in their favor,
The committee was made up of four Marsh
adherents and two others, and the Marsh
majority were more bent on making GER
tain the nomination of their candidate than
on indicating the majesty of the people.
1t was their duty to report in favor of the
regular delegation even if in doing so they
sacrificed their favorites chances and the
duty was certainly no less imperative,
though far easier to see and perform, when
it did not change the assured result that
they were seeking, but merely left the ma
iorIty narrower than was desired. By do
ing the right thing at the right time the
committee and the convention had the OPP
portunity to remove all cause for serious
differences and disaffection in Hancock
county, and put all possible boilers on the
defensive. By perpetrating an inexcusable
wrong the convention lot only invited a
bolt but placed the rightful delegation in
position where they could only vindicate
the people who sent them and their own
self respect by Withdrawing,
The Union is not to be blamed for it's
course. 1t is exceedingly difficult and
disagreeable for self-respecting editor to
stultify himself by bolstering up man
whom the public know just as
well as he, is not of the proper stamp. For
seven years MIR. Marsh has been in con-
gress, and for what good he has done the
district he may as well have been in his
grave and the Union knows this. In
word. It knows that Marsh has been q flat
failure hence its reluctance to see him
re-nominated The ARGUS admires the
conscientious course of its morning con-
temporary and consequently resents as un-
just the harsh criticism of the Moline
Djspatch which appeared in that paper on
Saturday The sordid soul of the
Dispatch man is of the earth
earthly, and he can hardly be ex-
pected to soar into the realms of the
higher class Of journalism journalism
that is as sensitive to right and
wrong as the aspen leaf is to
the faintest zephyr The Superior Intel
ligence7 of the Union is beyond the ken of
Kennedy, and by him the Union man will
go to that bourne from whence no traveller
returns unwept, unhonored and unsung.
The following is the opening sentence of
the article TO which we refer, and we
merely quote it to show how far removed
is the Moline man from being an Oscar
Wilde young man:
"The Superior Intel ligenee which pre-
sides over the columns of the Rock Island
Union, and which continually impels it to |
make war on better republicans than itself, |
and to detect the conduct of those whose |
preferences run contrary to its own cor |
rDnt and Vpnal motives and methods |