Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-04-20
SOREHEADED SPITE.
The Trouble With the Obscure
Weekly Publication.
Repeated Attacks On the Argus and
the Cause Thereof-.-What MT. Barge
says.

In each issue Of the Rock Islander that
has been pub ished for several weeks
back there has been more or less reference
to the ARGUS, the undertone of which
was spite and righteousness and the gen.
eral tenor of which went TO show that
the green haired old man. who has long
since been counted without the circle of
respectable journalists in the three cities,
was spelling and boiling over for fight.
The ARGUS. in respect to itself and re-
spect to its readers, has been disposed to
would the yelp or bark of cur that had
been repeatedly kicked along under foot
But there is in everything a time when
forbearance ceases to be virtue and the
ARGUS has found it necessary in self
defense to apply the muzzle.
The principal subject that the once a.
week editor has been harping on lately
in his TRADES against the ARGUS is the
matter of the discovery Of the Unions
forging of the figures in the assessment
books of Assessor Barge during the last
campaign, and ne is very soreheaded and
spiteful because, after Mr.. Barge made
the discovery, he didn't wait until his
publication came out so that he could get
it first. He therefore accuses the ARGUS
of stealing his thunder and accuses As
SCISSOR Barge of breach of faith and con-
dence and of giving away to the ARGUS
what he had employed" him to get for
him; all of which Mr.. Barge stamps as
false. The trouble with the old man is.
that he is so accustomed to stealing all
that is contained in his obscure weekly
issue from the daily papers of the three
cities, that when he does happen to hear
of anything he gets wrathy because all
the dailies can't suspend publication un>
til he can get chance to use it, and save
him once in awhile the familiar sensation
to him, of getting "scooped." The con-
sentative mind will concede that neither
Mr.. Barge or the DAILY ARGUS are to
blame because the Rock Islander is a sec
ond rate newspaper and comes out but
once week. and that all the current
news cannot be withheld from the public
until its publishing days get round.
An ARGUS representative met Mr..
Barge this morning and the matter which
has disturbed the old man so much was
casually referred to. MIR. Barge took up
this paragraph and read it through:
The Union of Saturday. after seeing
our exposure of it's forged figures, comes
down and admits that its publication was
falsehood. 1t says the truthfulness of
the figures was questioned by the ARGUS
before the Roc; Islander. But it don't
know how that happened. The ARGUS
would not have known anything about
the forgery unit after we had published
il had it not got our figures by mere &C
cident. Mr.. Barge, whom We employed
to examine the record, was so elated over
the discovery of the forgery that he in
nocently stopped and gave the figures to
the ARGUS on his way from the court
house to our Office, thus depriving us of
the benefit of the work we employed him
to do. The ARGUS is entitled to no credit
for the discovery. This Office was the
sole discoverer, put was deprived of the
benefit it should have had because MIR.
Barge could not keep it to himself until
we had published it. So much for the
way the ARGUS. without an idea in its
head. or bit of labor, got our figures.
Then, said Mir Barge. Il don't under
stand what there was in what l did to
call for such remarks as the Rock Islander
INDUCES in. I'll tell you the whole
story of the discovery of the forgery of
the assessed valuation figures and
just how it came about. called at the
Rock Islander Office few days after the
election to consult with DanfOrth on other
matters, when he produced an article he
had written concerning the alleged for
geries and asked me to pass judgment
upon tit was pretty much the same in
tone as the one be published after / had
made the discovery referred to. / told
him l was not in favor of making any
such statements as he had included, and
not at least until bad Investigated and
as to whether the assertions
could be verified then suggested that
l would 60 to the county clerks office and
compare the figures, and Danforth re-
piled, very well; then will not
publish this for the present. l
will wait until you have made
your investigation, but l would
like you to do it as soon as convenient.
l told him would look it up at once.
but did not give him to understand that
was doing it for his especial benefit, as l
was not employed by him as he states.
I made the investigation to crafty my
own curiosity. Il was / who suggested
it-not Danforth-though was prompt
ed in making the suggestion by the arti>
Gle he submitted for my approval and
which disapproved."
when upon investigation, made the
discovery. WIS astonished and sur
prised-not 'elated, as Dsnforth puts it
end on my way up town l called at the
ARGUS Office and gave you the figures.
being anxious to get the matter before the
public in the quickest way possible. The
ARGUS, coming out as it did. several days
before the Rock Islander, gave it the
benefit of my discoveries. The remarks
of the Rock Islander that the ARGUS
in particular got the facts without any
labor than its part. is unjustly applied, as
it did no more labor than the ARGUS.
I performed the labor and did it volun-