Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-08-31
PITIABLE PLIGHT.
The Unions Bewildering Pre-.
dicament.
Is NOW POSING AS A REFORMER

Blames Chief Sections Method of Hand
ling the Notorious Mary as an Obstacle
to Changing Her Ways and the Police
Should Not Modest "rhis Class" Anyway.
Ii some one who has the faculty to
do so will ascertain what the imbe-
cile Union would like to have Rock
Island converted into, there would
no doubt be inaugurated forthwith a
movement to carry out its ideas to
the letter. But at the present time
it seems to be afflicted with an at
tack of incoherency that actually
arouses pity to behold. Its bewil-
dering predicament is painful.
Confronted with the penalty for
its unwarranted libel on Chief Sex
ton, it was seized with a paroxism in
which it will be recalled it attacked
the entire town, terming it rotten,
and wound up by following the ex-
ample of the Italian in Milton No
ble's dramatic production-itd damned
everybody. Not only the chief, but
the mayor and the aldermen-and
the aldermen from Elgin, who came
to Rock Island as the city's guests
all came in for abuse. But the chief
burden of the Unions complementary
utterances was the assumption that
lewlessness, iniquity and vice were
carried on in Rock Island in a shame
| essly open manner; that scarlet wo-
men paraded the streets, and that
vice was unchecked.
Condemned for Acting.
In the same connection it threw
ont the intimation that it possessed
the knowledge of a terrible misde.
meanor that Chief Sexton had been
guilty of and which, as favor to
him, it had suppressed. Yesterday
when forced to do so, it revealed this
offense, which was nothing more
than that he had muzzled a notoriou.
character, Mary Woods. who had be-
come blasphemous and indecen,
while resisting the police raid upon
her den OF vice. Now this morning
it shifts its position again and de.
ciares:
When The ARGUS attempts to
Justify Marshal Sections abuse OF 9
depraved woman, that paper sinks tc
lower level than the woman has
fallen. Articles OF that kind are
seized upon as an excuse by men OF
Sections stripe and their harshness
in the treatment of the depraved and
the vicious makes it next to impossi
bic for reformation to be successful,
carried on among these classes
Those who are interested in reforma
tory work in this city will bear the
Union out in this statement. When
the vicious do not pay their "assess.
ments" with reasonable regularity
and amiableness, the police have nj
more use for them, but THE ARGU.
can't justify the police in killing of
this class or in abusing any member
of it,
The Police Duty.
Chief Sexton did not 90 to Mar,
Woods house to reform her-ht
went there to arrest her for violation
of law. The police are not hired tt
60 about with little tracts in theil
hands pursuing reformatory meth
DDS. and if they waited until the,
| Hdu dNSOII plisHet Il ItiOlI III Will some
of the criminals they handle befor,
exerting force, the arrests would b,
few and far between-however tn,
Union will not be molested in it
views OF how to suppress 1awless
ness. The insinuation that the po
lice are Influenced by the s.asses
ments" is another libel and falsehoot
as far as it has any meaning, but tn
climax is that the police have NJ
right to kill off this class-the,
must just reform them, treat then
gently and perhaps the spirit viii
move them after awhile, and then tn,
law will be indicated.
Nice town this would be with all tn
lust the Union remorselessly declare
exists here. if the Union were to pro
vide the remedy.