The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-05-12
BANQUETING THE BRAVE.
Honors to the Rifles.
An Elaborate Affair at the Rock Island
House Last Evening-The
Toasts and RespOn-
SEES.
HoNoRs TO, THE BRAVE.

land. has more elaborate affair been
given than was the banquet in honor OF
the Rodman Rifles, at the Rock Island
house last evening. 1t was given under
the auspices of the Business Mems As.
ISOLATION, and it was most fitting testl-
monial of the appreciation of the citizens
of Rock Island, regardless of class, of
the manner in which the Rodman Rifles
responded to the call of the state gov
eminent, TO defend the laws and the
noble manner in which they acquitted
themselves lat the 'front.'
II was o'clock when forty representa-
tive citizens, headed by Bleuers band,
proceeded to the armory and escorted
the company back TO the Rock Island
house The dining hall had been dec
GRATED and the tables arranged in a
manner that reflected great credit upon
the management of the house. Over the
door was the starry flag gracefully
looped, while on the front wall inter
woven with the national colors appeared
in green letters the Inscriptions. The
safety of country lies in the patriotism
of its citizens" "Our country is safe.
The band played happy strain as the
Rifles in charge OF Captain Abel and
Lieutenant Channon, marched into
the banquet hall. The citizens opened
ranks TO allow the honored company 10
pass through and followed into the
hall One hundred plates had been set,
and there appeared to be Just an even
hundred present. President Ferguson
of the Business Mems Association had
the seat OF honor. with Judge Smith on
his right and Captain Abel on his left.
In opening the banquet, President Fer
guson, as master of ceremonies, said
Company A, we welcome you home
from the seat OF war, and we, as citizens
of Rock Island, tender you these little
festivities as token of appreciation of
the people of Rock Island, of your ser
vices when called upon in defense of law
and order.
Rev. r. G. Pearce offered grace, and
an hour was given to doing justice 10 the
splendid spread which had been pre-
pared. Turkey. ham, tongue. salad. cake,
straw berries. ice cream, fruits and every
imaginable delicscy found their way from
the tables into the tempted and gratified
organs of the inner beng Cigars fol-
lowed. and President Ferguson an
nounced song from the Rock Island
Glee club. "A Thousand Years" was
given with such spirit that recall was
made, and with the assistance of & quar-
tette from Davenport, Climbing up the
Golden Stairs" was given, Mr.. L. E
Knocke taking the solo.
President Ferguson then announced
the first toast:
THE SUPREMACY OF THE LAW.
Judge A. A. Smith, of Gslesburg. being
introduced to respond to it. In COM
mencing his remarks Judge Smith ex
pressed his dislike at being put upon the
skirmish line in advance, and that he had
attempted to form conspiracy to avoid
being placed at the front, and be excused
from the unpleasant duty of making a
speech, but having been mustered into
the service, he would attempt TO dis
charge his duty as promptly. though
not as well perhaps as the gentle
men who recently responded to the
states summons. The speaker stated
that it had been said that law has
her seat in the bosom OF God,
and her voice is the harmony of the uni
verse Every good government is pos
sessed of two arms the civil and the
military. The civil arm evokes the au>
thority of the law, and the military the
force, 1t is the privilege OF one to arrest
evil doors by warrant previous to trial,
of the other to compel evil doors to dis
perse and what follows is the musket and
the bsyonet. Some people are contin-
tinually afraid that the military arm will
be used too often; they are the people
who thought twenty-five years ago, Pres
ident Lincoln should have sworn out~
warrant and sent a constable down to
Charleston to arrest the man who fired on
Fort Sumpter. Had ii not been for the
citizen soldiers whom | see here tonight
and the many others all over this country,
the man who is parading disloyalty In
the South, might today. be enthroned as
the representative of cause, not lost.
Some men say they have right to take
advantage of the principles of free
speech, and thus incite riot, violence.
and destruction of property. Even in
this loyal town of yours / heard man
say the other day that the authorities of
Chicago had no right to arrest the anarch
lists. | beg leave to dissent from any
such doctrine. The man who upholds
such doctrine is as guilty as the man who
entorces 1t. | assert that the editor who
writes editorials melting and upholding
the mob law, is just as guilty as the mob
which commits the violence. The gov
eminent of the United States expended
millions of money and millions of prec-
ious lives twenty years ago to assert the
principle that three million people had a
right to work for whom they pleased. for
what they pleased, and to quit when
they pleased, and what seems strange to
me is that the Rodman Rifles had q
few weeks ago to rsassert that same
doctrine. II We always have such
men as they proved themselves to be
when emergencies arise, the law will be