The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1885-06-25
TRICKY TRADE TOPICS.
Rock Island Slurred by Davenport
and Insulted by Moline, Because
of the Enforcement of License
Laws-The Municipal Code
Assaulted.


arrest of merchants from those cities-or
agents of these merchants-for soliciting
trade in Rock Island. The Democrat
across the river INDUCES in this piece of
sarcasm concerning the case:
In our sister city. across the river they
are talking of enacting an ordinance to
tax every resident entering the town from
Davenport and Moline, with store packs
ages in his or her hands They are UNI
decided as to the amount of tax, whether
it shall be ten cents or twenty-five cents
per package for adults, and half price
for children. Then another movement Is
on foot--a petition to the postmaster
general is being circulated, requesting
that the railway postal clerks be instruct.
ed to destroy all circulars from merchants
in Davenport, Moline or Chicago, ad
dressed to people in Rock Island, which
set forth the attractions in the stores in
those cities and name the prices of goods;
and if they slip through the hands of the
postal clerks undiscovered, that the posts
master in Rock Island be authorized to
destroy them. Furthermore, the petition
sets forth that the ladies in Rock Island
frequently send notes to merchants in
Davenport, Moline and Chicago, requests
ing that samples of seasonable goods may
be mailed TO them, that they may inspect
and choose desirable patterns, to the
great damage of Rock Islands trade;
therefore will the postmaster general au>
thorize the postmaster of Rock Island to
destroy letters addressed to merchants or
others in Davenport, Moline or Chicago,
and prevent Rock Island people from
trading outside their city, the petition
stating that the city is about to tax all
the people who go TO neighboring towns
and return with packages If the posts
master general does not comply with this
petition, an effort will be made to have
Gen. Villas bounced; and if the president
refuses to bounce him. then an appeal
will be made to congress to impeach the
president.
OF course there is not a particle of truth
in that portion of the above relative to
petitions to the postoffice department. 1t
is not intended to contain any truth-sim-
ply sarcastic way of rebuking our gen
eral laws, and our police force for arrests
ing merchants from abroad for claiming a
share of the trade OF this city.
AMOline exchange contains a scurrilous
article in which the action of Rock Island
in this regard is termed an outrage, and
the leading men of Rock Island are called
"curs-which they have been called for
years. says the Moline sheet No one
of our leading citizens. will it is hoped,
take this remark as a personal insult,
coming from the source it does. The
| writer either was unaware of what he was
talking about, AS he was few weeks
ago when he gave a long account of Sec
rotary Whitney's visit to the govern
ment island, Or he has so little
idea of judgment and decency thai
he cares not what he says
The paragraph alluded to. show:
not only lack of respect on the part OF
the Moline journalist for his fellow men
but for himself as well He has over,
stepped his rights and privileges as {
journalist, and no one will support hin
in any such doctrine as he has displayed
| The citizens, of Moline, we know, will be
no more ready to uphold such language
than is the ARGUS, and an open apology
| is due from the author of such insulting
language.
1t has always been the intention of thu
ARGUS, and ever will be, to uphold ant
support the municipal code of the city Of
Rock Island against the attacks of out
side cities and journals. The ARGUS i:
law abiding, be the laws what they may
On the other hand. we do not believe
in legal tendency TO fence the city in,
against outside traffic If there is pref
erence for trading in certain lines in ad
| joining cities, the merchants in thosI
cities have a rig hit to solicit the patro
mage, and supply their customers here
But there is a law compelling outside
traders to secure license, and it should
be enforced, until ii is thought wise to re
peal it,
The following is an extract from tn
city ordinances, relative to the license o
persons and occupations:
No person shall peddle any goods
wares or merchandise within the limits o
said city, without license for that pur
pose; prOOided, that this requirement shall
not extend to any farmer, fruit or win,
grower, or gardener, or dairyman. in tn
sale of the products of his farm, orchard
vineyard, garden or dairy, nor 6womel
or children peddling apples or othe
fruits, and not occupying stand, nor t.
newsboys peddling newspapers.
| In another section peddler is defined
as follows
Any person, either for himself, or a
agent or solicitor for another person, Wit
shall go about within said city from
house TO house, from place to place, o
from customer to customer, and sell o
offer to sell goods, wares or merchandise
of any kind by retail for delivery at TIN
time and place of sale, or at any othe
time or place, shall be deemed peddler
The penalty for violation of any of tn
provisions is fine of not less than So o
more than 500 and costs.
Whether or not this law is in eonflic
with the decision of the supreme court o
the United States is another thing, w
believe it is, and that one city should hav
free commercial intercourse with another
However, until this law is attested by 10
cal example, the municipal code must
abided by.