Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-02-17
THIS CITY'S CLAIM,
What the Fulton Expedition
Went to Emphasize.

s'sss~s wv ossSs e~pC0tSsOsb
Went to Emphasize.
LAWLESNESS WAS ALL THERE.
. P0pnlse LEGAL Demaad ana
the Temporary visit Elbows That the
Act was Jastifisbis - Cisek Haves'
Posftion.
1t is surprising to note the wild
statements sent out from Fulton re-
fecting the views of some of the
people there of the expedition sent
from Rock leland to bring the Wood
men head offices to this city. It
might be imagined that the lawless-
ness shown was by the invaders
whereas the demonstration was e.
tirely on the part Of the people of the
Whiteside city. which is holding on
to what does not belong to it through
q process of law that has been twice
pronounced ineffective. The Rock
Island party went to claim its own,
and to emphasize the city's right to
what the courts had declared prop
erly belongs to it. The lawlessness
shown was with the resist
ing force, not the aggressive, and if
the Rock Islanders had carried out
their threat and cut the hose that
was used to dash water on them,
they would have been perfectly
justified. Rock Island fought
for its own until the man.
date of the law was brought forward
and then it yielded with every pro-
per evidence of submission to the
decree of the courts. That in the
meantime it's course was justifiable,
and that there was in existence no
binding writ, was shown conclu.
sively in the fact that q separate
paper providing for temporary re.
ST. q mt from Whiteside county Judge
las necessary. Until that came. the
appellate court having dissolved the
injanc ion. there was no decree oper.
alive, aud hence this city had the
moral and legal right to aid the
Woodmen officers in moving prop
erty where the head camp Of thu
order had signitied ills desire to have
it taken.
The Local Feeling.
For years. indeed ever since tn,
in junction was secured, there hal
been a feeling here that at the frs
opportunity in which it could b.
lawfully carried out, q party shoule
go from Rock Islard to Fulton ant
bring the head Offices here. Th,
directors have always held tina
nothing of that kind should be I'M
dertaken until it could be done il
accordance with the entire process
of law. The only time that such |,
proceeding was possible in the mint
Of the directors, on their meeting o
Monday. was after the injunction
had been dissolved. and the direc
tors thereupon agreed to having i
done, ii there was NO ap
peal perfected. When Mr.. jackson
was sent for aud the plan Of the di
rectors was made known. both b,
and his partner, Mr.. Hurst, wer'
careful to ascertain from Ottaw,
that no appeal had been perfectet
before countenancing the expedition
Great as was the difficulty encoun
tered in communicating with Otta
va, they ascertained that no pro
Gee 1ings had been formally entered
and the temporary writ afterwart
secured by the Fultonites shove,
that they were correctly il formed
Rock Islands attempt was therefor
perfectly legal. and the only unlaw
full proceedings were the tactics re
sorted to by the Fultonites to della,
the work Of removing the chattels o
the head offices while they had no
the protection of the law and pendin.
the arrival of the court order for
continuance. As it was, the Roc
Island expedition did the best posi-
BILE. and because it failed, those VIII
composed it should not be cast down
They did what has been eagerly
sought to be done here all along. an,
il they had not made the move, Their
might have been at . future time
Glamour that q golden opportupit
had been permitted to pass. The
made the best Ct the circumstances
made valiant effort in behalf o
Rock Island, and were repulsed onl
by the law. That same law We mus
now look to to give us our rights
which il has twice deci eed that "
should have.
Head Clerk Rawss' Position.
There have been many expression
of opinion as to how such undsrtak
|ings as the removal OF the head ofIic
should be done, and some hav
thought that the bringing of the sea
and chief records here would hav
been all that was necessary. Til
system employed in keeping the &C
counts with the $50, 900 members Q
the Woodmen IL such that Maj
HAYES, ~ the custodian, feels tina
he should protect the papers pertain
ing to all the members alike. Tn,
duplication of each Of the $4,000
members is on file and must be con
shifted before anv calm ia maid r.