Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-08-29
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Public Improvements---An Enemy
TO Our Merchants.

The Bigotry of the Union in Opposing
Public unconventional Enemy
10 Our Merchants.
The Davenport Democrat Gazette says
with a good deal of truth:
The best friend Davenport grocery and
dry goods stores ever had. so far as free
advertising goes, is the Union in Rock
Island. 1t keeps prodding its readers on
the subject of cheap goods, and inform
ing them that it is for their interest to
trade in Davenport. Every time the
Davenport s. Rock Island railway project
is mentioned. the Union shrieks Stop
it; stop it," and the same old reason is
always given-the trade of Rock
Island city will go to Davenport.
The merchants of Dav-
export can afford to pay the Union to
keep right on in the course it has pursued
for the past five years. 1t has been the
means of benefting them to the full ex-
tent of its circulation. That is why the
Davenport press has paid so little atten-
ton to the frothings of the Union on this
subject. When your enemy is benefiting
you, unwittingly. it pays TO let him con,
tinue in his good work.
Yet the Union pretends to be consider
ate of the interests OF Rock Island in its
bowls to prevent communication with
the outside world. The above extract
from an outside paper shows not only
the impression gained from the Unions
course, but the harm it is working by
such course to the business interestsof
Rock Island. 1t is for this reason that
the ARGUS claims that the merchants
of Rock Island do mot admire
the policy OF the Union, for as
stated yesterday, it insults them
every one and it belittles their business.
The ARGUS Is most uncompromislngly
opposed to fencing this town in, as the
Union advocates. 1t believes in throws
ing open its gates to the commerce and
the traffic of the world, and to take a
back seat to nobody. Is there one Of
Rock Islands merchants that would like
to see stone wall about this city, or in
front of it or behind it? At this very
moment our merchants are, by an organ
lied movement eudeavoring to open up
an unobstructed inlet from the country.
Is it not just as fair and just as proper
that we should nave an inlet from other
directions? 1t is the same public spirit
that prompts the ARGUS in urging
the Improvement contemplated at
Monday afternoons meeting at the Har-
per house that leads it to favor the bridge
railway. If the Unions policy were to
become popular-as it never will-the
Mississippi would be filled up, all rail-
roads driven out of the city, the Milan
bridge tolls increased, all avenues to Mos
line shut off and the city left in a beauti
full % stale of stagnation. We want no
such Kansas policies here. The mer-
chants and people of R ock Island. thank
heaven, are not so narrow>minded and
.bigoted as the Union would have them ap>
pear. 1t is not necessary that our people
must 60 to Davenport or elsewhere for
more advantageous trading and shopping,
the morning sheet to the contrary not
withstanding. The Union by its own
senseless course has proved itself the
champion of the interests of the mer-
chants of Davenport, and not satisfied
with being hostile in spirit to Rock ISL
and business interests, has seen fit to in-
suit the local merchants by publishing to
the world that they are afraid to enter
into competition with outside trade.
Pretty state of affairs to be going abroad
isn't it2
The Union must have received some
later inducements from the merchants on
the other side for it is restless lest the
council pass the ordinances desired in
order that the consolidation and improve
ment of the tri-city railways be accom-
plished. One of its cracked brain
editors got it into his head that the mat>
ter would come up at the special session
of last evening called for another purpose
and this morning he exclaims exultantly:
There was special meeting of the
council last night, but no one said any,
thing about any desired ordinances.
The simpleton didn't know that the prop
osition could not legally come before the
meeting. under the call