Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-08-29
VILLAGE VAPOR
That is What Constitutes the
Unions Course just Now.
QUESTION OF LIABILITY DoDeDED

II Chief Sexton Did Not do what 1t says,
1t Did do Something Else and the whole
Town Is Rotten Anyway-A Beautiful
Exhibition Of Consistency.
The Union wound up its libelous
attack on Chief Sexton yesterday, in
which it accused him of the crime of
accepting money for the forgiveness
OF crime, by series of questions
which, it is said, were asked simply
for information on this particular
subject. This morning. after seeing
the chiefs outspOken answer to ali
the questions presented by the Union
1t acknowledges that The ex-
PLANTATION is prompt as it should be, :"
but it does neither Chief Sexton the
justice to publish it, as it really
should have done in the first place,
had it the enterprise to seek
the facts about the matter,
before putting them in print,
nor does it consider the interest
OF its readers of sufficient value to
give them the explanation after pre-
pairing for it in seeking the informa-
ton it was either too indolent or too
maliciously disposed to ascertain in
the first place.
But it goes on further and saws
that when Chief Sexton brought his
$4,000 libel suit he forgot he was
the servant of the people and as such
is not above having questions asked
OF him by the people. Really this is
a pretty shoot for the Union to take,
isn't it? The feature of the Unions
course that Chief Sexton most OBJ
jects to, is, that he was asked no
questions. No effort was made to
ascertain the accuracy of the accusa-
ton published. The morning paper
made the charge both directly and
implied, and then in the same breath
asked the chief how about it? Had
the Union been moved BY a DISPOSE
ton by provide Information for its
readers, which is the mission of q
newspaper, it would have furnished
the information it asked for and
thus have done its duty not
only to the public, but to Chief
Sexton as WELL
More Misrepresentation.
Combining patronizing and a bull
doing spirit, the Union says: Sen
sitiveness to criticism sometime.
arises from delicate organism, ant
| conscientious desire to do right
Then again bluff is made by thos,
who are afraid to have question:
asked, by Stimulating sensitiveness
The more the Union considers the
matter the more it is of the opinion
that Marshal Sections libel sui
comes under the latter head, espec
Tally as he once came to the Uniol
office and begged that a certain
affair, in which he was connected, b,
hushed up, as he saw his error ane
was sorry. This affair alone. had i
been pushed. would have deprived
Marshal Sexton of his star and but
tors"
As far as the latter allegation i:
concerned The ARGUS has not re
garded it of sufficient Importance t,
question Chief Sexton about, tn,
very assertion-taking into consider
alton with the Unions ever-hostil
attitude toward the chief-being il
itself sufficient evidence of falsitv
The Union has neglected no oppor
tunity to fling mud at the presen
administration of police affairs, an,
II under these circumstances Chic
Sexton ever went to the Union ofiic,
to ask the favor of suppression o
anything rejecting on his acts h
would be an ass, and the very act il
itself sufficient to warrant his dis
missal. For this reason The AsGU
is satisfied that this is another of tn,
Unions malicious falsehoods. al
though it may be added that Will
newspapers confer great favors some
times. no reputable one, no matter
what its politics, would conceal :
misdemeanor in q public official. S,
grave as the Union asserts it shielde,
the chief in, and certainly none witt
brains enough to last it over nigh
would be guilty of confessing it af
forwards. although a common inter
probation of the law is that one VIII,
will conceal a crime is as guilty a
the one who commits it.
| Village Vsporings.
After INDUCING in these strikin,
consistencies, the Union gravely de
clares that ''the whole transaction
looks like an administration move
an attempt to nail up the Union,
etc. AS to this, the first the mayor
at whom the Union is now aiming
knew of Chief Sections suit, wa
when the facts appeared in las
nights ARGUS, but the intelligen
contributor to the Unions column
takes the assumption for an excus,
anyway to ventilate his ill-feeling
by good roast of the town on gen
eral principles. 1t is pictured as thu