Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-07-29
THE WORST OF IT.
Is What Davenport Gave Us
Yesterday.
BxOURsIoNIsTs ARE DETAINED.

Aversion to Coming Over-Fauaticism
Rule In Sears.
Nine hundred excursionists des-
tined for Rock Island on a special
train over the Rock Island road from
Oskaloosa, Iowa, worked up through
the enterprise of the Davenport &
Rock Island Railway company. were
prejudiced against the city before
reaching Davenport through the
agency of people from that city.
and instead of coming on, left
the train there yesterday. 1t
had been planned TO have dou-
BILE excursion-one from Des MOines
and one from Oskaloosa-and bring
both through to the Twentieth
street depot in this city, but the
special from the Iowa capital was
abandoned, and Agent Jack Cook, of
the street car company. went out to
Oskaloosa and came in with the
party, distributin. literature pertain
ing to the Tower, the intention being
to accompany the visitors to this
city.
AS the train entered Davenport
emissaries entered the coaches
and energetfcally circulated the re-
port that ..blue laws are in effect in
Rock Island, and the town is dead"
The scheme worked. and of the 90
across the bridge, the others aiight-
ing in Davenport. There they spent
the day, and they spent about sl,CC0
in money, too. according to the csti-
mate furnished from that city. Rock
Island restaurants had stocked up
for big day, but they found them
selves with a surplus supply on their
hands this morning, while the ca
terers across the river were tickled
to death over the joke they had
played and the way they had gotten
the best of Rock Island-and had di-
verified healthy crowd of people
headed this way.
One OF the number said last night:
1--WE are disappointed in not seeing
the Tower We have heard so much
about, for that was our objective
point. Sunday was the only day in
which we could come. but we are
not going into any town whose Sun
day regulations We are not familiar
with. We may have been misin-
formed, but we preferred the safest
course: not that we did not feel that
we would be treated right, but from
what we heard we did not know what
to expect and felt that we miSbt be
guilty of an entirely innocent CD
fringement of stringent practices,
and that we were Nof Seeking.e
That the situatfnA q Rock Ekshd
has been greatly nAs&epresentea ana
in manner that has worked an act
ual loss to the city, is much to be re-
GREETED. Rock Island always well
comes strangers, and has already be.
come somewhat Known as an inter-
esting point for excursions. many
| more of which are booked. 1t is to
be hoped those which come here
after will be steered around Daven-
port.
Panaticism Eule at Sears.
1t is understood there is disp1si.
ton manifest at Sears, which has, as
fully detailed in The ARGUS, been
adopting code of ordinances, etc.
to attempt to close the Watch Power
next Sunday, but the Davenport ~,
Rock Island Railway company is pre-
pared to contest such a course, as it
should, to the bitter end. This ate
tractiye place is the source of too
much pleasure and comfort to the
people of the community; too much
money has been expended there to
have its usefulness destroyed at the
instance OF fanatical clamor.
The tendency to enforce Sunday de-
privations such as is the purpose Of
the Sears movement is much more
apt to be productive of evil than of
good results. The Tower is an or
derby place, and there are people who
go there Sundays who might other
wise go to much worse places. The
people of Sears, The Argus is cred
IDLY informed, as a whole. are not
in sympathy with the ridiculous
tendency. but that it is the part of q
plan to harass the railway company
on purely preiudicial grounds. and
the furthcrance of the same idea that
recently ordered the removal of the
shelter the company erected there
for people transferring for Milan. and
has otherwise grat;fied itself by med
ding with the company. The street
car line is OF too much benefit to
Sears and all the surrounding COM
munity there for the people to toll
crate the budding passion that aims
to annihilate.
As far as Rock Island is concerned,
The ARGUS has always been
proud to defend its good name
against all charges that corruption
has existed in the past. aud to brand
such accusations as false from what
ever source they might emanate.
AS good order has always existed
here on Sunday as in any city OF it's
size in the country. Hence it is
that the same nature that has re-
sented SANDER cast upon the city il
the past is as rightsouslv indignant
that reputation should be created
that the city is oppressed BY such re-
strictions as drive visitors from Us.