Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-12-08
PLAN PROPOSED TO AID
FORMER COUNTY TREASURER

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| Hon. William jackson. attorney for
Pleasant f. Cox, the retiring county
| treasurer, was called upon TODAY by
an Argus reporter bent upon learning
the terms of the settlement proposed
between that gentleman, his bonds
men and the county in making good
the shortage of Lyford. Mr.. jackson
made the following statement:
1T is true that l have from time to
| time been consulted by Mr.. Cox and
many of his friends concerning the
shortage left by Lyford. l wish to
say in the beginning that the article
in the Union yesterday relating to the
matter. if it is taken by the commu-
nifty as the course to be pursued by
Mr.. CoX's friends, is calculated to in
| iure that gentleman. Mr.. Cox is Il
man of small means, and every dollar
that he saved, except his actual eN-
penses of living, during his term of
office, was taken by Lyford, so that
| he has now nothing left except a
small farm of II acres and a third in
terest in the land of his mothers es-
| tate. The value of this entire landed
interest is estimated by some at ST.
900, by others at $500. This whole
| interest Mr.. Cox proposes to turn
over to his securities except his
homestead claim. That will dispos-
sess him of all the property he has,
but will not pay over half of Lyford's
stealingS. Now Mr.. Cox and his
friends, to make up the one-half as
proposed, will require his friends to
subscribe between one and two thou
| sand dollars. which would go to the
| banks to make up the one-half before
Mr.. Cox could get one dollar. The de-
felt to the banks would have to be
paid first.
Every intelligent person knows
how hard it is to raise money. for u
loss sustained by bank would be a
phenomenal subscription. The gen
tlemen who belong to the banks in
terested know this fact as we'll as
anybody and if subscriptions were So
licited. a portion of which was to be
used to pay part of the loss of the
banks in the first instance it would
kill the whole project. | am well sat
isfied that this statement on refiec-
ton will be well understood by the
gentlemen interested, therefore why
embarraSS the first effort to assist
Mr.. Cox? 1t will not assist him to
pay the first money of his friends to
the banks. 1t will substantially de-
feat any aid that people may be dis
posed to render him.
ITO succeed in such an effort one
must be in harmony with the people
This cannot be if one asks people to
oiE hni - no
loss. Il loss that many of the people
look upon as Il part of Il business ven
ture. Situated as | have been in con-
ference with Mr.. Cox and his friends
| know the arguments that the people
use in saying that the loss by the
banks as suretieS must be charged up
and counted as an ordinary loss with
other ventures of the same character
under the same conditions.
The friends OF Mr.. Cox are now
circula ting subscription for his ben
eft. The proposed plan is to pay all
subscriptions to committee of five
consisting of Ii. ID. Mack. W. +. East
man, William Payne, w. III. Ashdown
and Oscar l.. BTuner. These gentle
men to take the money subscribed
and apply it in such manner as will
in fact assist Mr.. Cox in the unfortu-
nate situation in which he is now
placed by the defalcation of an en-
ploye of the county who was allowed
by the county the miserly salary of
5000 year as deputy county treas
urer. Such a salary for such respon-
sible work was a daily invitation to
steal and many citizens think the
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To ask any man at this day to do the
work of the deputy county treasurer
and be responsible for accidents in
handling thousands of dollars at a
salary not any higher than many la
borers have received who had no re-
sponsibility is not only to tempt Prov
idence. but is a constant temptation
to an individual to embezzIe''