Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1899-04-05

No public official ever went more
gloriously to defeat than did Mayor
L. j. Medill in Rock Island yesterday.
His candidacy was sacrifice to pub
lie and party duty. Even so was his
defeat. Mr. Medill did not want to
stand for reelection. He has never
sought the Office of mayor; he has
always been sought rather than seek
ing in connection with an honor
which he has esteemed all the more
on that account. For the same rea-
son he has aimed to prove himself all
the more worthy of it, an ambition in
which he has succeeded in the noblest
sense. When Mr.. Medill first became
candidate for the mayoralty six
years ago it was in response to
The opportunities of party and per-
sonal friends. Having been induced
to become a candidate much against
his wishes, he was elected, and after
giving the city the best admin
istration the city had had upI
to that time, he declined a |
reelection, and at the conclusion of
Mavor Knox's administration, which
had been in such dismal contrast with
the one that had preceded it, Mr.. |
Medill was again called back to the |
city's executive chair. With his re-
turn the march of progress was
taken up where it stopped |
when he retired; local i'm
provements went on again, and some |
of the most notable and praiseworthy |
achievements in the history of NUM- |
cipal accomplishments were success |
fully engineered through. But as the |
time approached for the close of the |
administration which had been so
brilliant in all respects, and Mr.. Me-
dill heard expressions that came from
all sides favorable to his retention in
the Office of mayor, he insisted
that now he he permitted to retire. |
He felt that he could no longer serve
in a public position without the sacri- |
flee of personal and business interests, |
and so stated repeatedly, but when it
was pointed out that circumstances
had made him the logical and only
candidate of his party, and that be-
yond that was an obligation to the
people 20 complete the great improve
ment, the reservoir, he took 4 differ
ent view of the situation. But it was
not until the reservoir had been
shamefully attacked in consequence
the middle of March that he aban- |
doned his objections to candidacy
again, and stated his purpose to stand
by the Improvement and TO go down
with it. and his party if the people |
were to he swayed by misrepresenta-
ton. 1t so happened that 1t was not
the reservoir that was responsible for
the outcome of the election, for the
attacks which no fair-minded person
took any stock in helped the admins
tration rather than otherwise, but the
swaying of blind party sentiment
oblivious to all else. the last desperate |
appeal to party pride and devotion as |
paramount to all else, put merit |
in the background-and we have the
result.
To 90 down under such conditions |
as have attended the present cam
paign is after all victory for devo-
ton TO duty at the sacrifice of self
and pride. a victory for courage and
Mr.. Medill has made a
record as mayor of Rock Island. which
is clean cut, straightforward, pro-
gressive and business-like, q record
that cannot te defeated. n record that
will live beyond the term in which he
has served so faithfully and will stand
above and beyond the administrations
that will succC ell in control of the
government
Who will say that the future local
historian will not write of the mayoral
in the campaign just closed:
Zach had grasped the gifts OF fortune,
Zach had counted up the cost,
And the victor was the vanquishedi