Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-09-04
AS OTHERS SEE US.
4 htor Corey, who Accompanied the
Alabama Expedition, Writes the city
mp In a Complimentary Manner.

ALABAMA Expedition, WHITES fSitS
mp in n Complimentary Manner.
Editor Corey. of the Montgomery I'D
uertiser, who accompanied the Alabama
expedition which visited Rock Island ten
days ago, sent his paper letter abound>
ing in complim entary mention of Rock
Island. 1t was written under date of
Aug. "a. and the editor in commencing
says Alabama on Wheels spent half of
yesterday and sK of today IN the lovely
and hospi1kble city of Rock island. Hill
moss 6sfhen, after devoting some space
to s4rFiew of the trip previous to reach
ingsthis city the writer returns to Rock
STAND, and says:
But to proceed. These people load us
down with kindness They meet us
through their mayor and other officials
and prominent citizens ride us all around
in carriages and on dummies, show US the
sights and would 'set up the Deer only
none of us drink For instance, here In
Rock Island the mayor, Hon. V. M,
Banding. and half dozen leading citi-
zens boarded the train AS it rolled in and
as soon as it stopped his honor made
speech of most cordial welcome TO which
Capt. Burke, of Sheffield, responded IN
his own happy style. The next thing was
? a drive and there is something in Rock
Island to see, The city which IS solid
and wealthy place OF some 2O,oOO people,
takes its name from an island which here
iuts up boldly in the midst OF the broad
Mississippi. On this island away before
the war, Jefferson Davis. then secretary
of war of the United States, located
government arsenal 1t has been vastly
enlarged and improved from time to time
BY the expenditure Of millions OF money
until it is now one of the largest estsb
neuts of the kind in the world II was
great prison, too. il war times, and o.
100 dead confederates sleep here unknown
= graves that are leveled with the plain.
1 The great factories of Rock Island are
- nride of her citizens, but we see them
Everywhere. 1t is the beauty and the
history of the place that charms. Here
old Black Hawk and Keokuk and their
Indian braves lived and fought and were
lnouered A dummy line runs out four
b,es to some heights that overlook the
an,,S and beautiful valley of Rock river.
VA, hese heights are called Black Hawks
% "a t%Ser. From the tops of the trees
height perpetual sentinel kept
&C out for the approaching foe. Now
swings and picnic shelter or two,
II saloon, a tobGggsn slide and other
appliances of pleasure resort have
us1rped the office of The Indian guard
and soon grand summer hotel is to
complete the spoliation. Baldriedge is
responsible for the statement that Monte
oano is no finer.
Our party is under special obligation to
Mayor Blanding for his unremitting
jklnd1ess; to Aldermen Gray, Winter and
Howard; to Mr.. c. H Stoddard, the en-
gineer who built the dummy line; to Dr.
Plummer and Capt. Peetz, chairman OF
the local reception committee, and to
others for their courtesies. City Editor
Simpson. OF the ARGUS, gave Alabama on
Wheels the best notice ii has had. and the
Union was captured. too Editor Dam
forth, of the Rock Isldndsr says out and
out that TIE south is the place to 60.
We have now seen, not the newest but
the solidest portion of the great north
west-the empire state of Illinois. 1t
has its best foot foremost in this entranc-
ing August weather. Nearly every acre
of land is occupied and cultivated. SO
swift was its development that it is al>
ready an old country. whose values are
,Staple, whose currents of business are
liked and whose wealth seeks returns
elsewhere. There are vast boards of
wealth here and it has been employed for
years in the settlement and development
of the farm lands to the westward. The
surplus population, the adventuresome
spirit of the people and the surplus cap
itsl have all found their outlet there. Can
they be turned south? The indications
are favorable. Everywhere we have been
the people were already talking of Ala
bams. They have misconceptions hich
makes them timid but the prejudice we
have all read so much about, | have not
found. The feeling is Just the other way
it is ignorance of US and ours, not pre-
judice. For instance not long ago the
thermometer here was 1913 Is it any
wonder that as they lodged about in the
shade to keep from being sunstruck. the
people said: "If its this hot here il must
be as hot as hell in AlabamaI And vet
IT wasn't as hot there as here. The facts
have need to be spread, if the current is
to be turned our way