Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-12-20

his assumed office of chief of police, at
least. should know what is going on,
and when it is realized that the charges
The Argus has made are matters of
common knowledge, the boy mayors
hluff becomes worse than laughable
II is indeed. boyish. The arrest of 2S
women of the town in one night the
early part of the present month, with
the imposing of nominal fines and the
return of the prisoners TO their accus-
toned haunts, with the attendant Incl
dent of one of the number appearing
IA a Justice court later and asking if
something could not be done whereby
she could recover the fine she had paid
IN advance, should be still fresh in the
mind of the boy mayor. despite the eN-
element he is laboring under But. if
n reality he is serious on the topic of
more timely information, which he
should have known himself. both as
10 notorious disreputable houses as
well as saloons that harbor women. he
may have il for the asking-and it
viii not cost him 500. either.
Where The Argus Was Not Bound.
On the allegation of The Argus sell
ing out a democratic candidate, the
only inference to be drawn. and this
from what the mayor has been heard
10 say on the street, is that he refers
to the appointment of J. w. Cavan-
augh as superintendent of waterworks
as binding The Argus to support Nc
Caskrin'S political aspirations IL
more is needed in refutation of this as
sertion than The Argus own denial
that it had any understanding or agree
ment with Mayor McCaskrin as to the
waterworks superintendency appoint
ment. or was responsible for it in any
sense, Mr.. Cavanaugh himself will no
doubt clear the mind of anyone who is
enough interested to ask him. For
shortly after Mr. Cavanaugh's appoint
ment he was personally assured by
The Argus of the fact that, however
well pleased this paper was with his
appointment, and happy as it was TO
commend the action of the mayor in
making it, The Argus was not respon-
sible for il. The fact was furthermore
made plain to Mr.. Cavanaugh that his
appointment did not bind The Argus to
support any of Mr. McCaskrin's politi.
| cal ambitions. This in view of the may
| or's then congressional aspirations
and his desire for democratic indOrSe-
| ment, which The Argus informed Mr..
Cavanaugh then, as it did in subse-
quent conversations, ii was, as far
as it's influence in democratic politics
might go, opposed to. Fully aware
| that, because of The Argus sincere
| friendship for Mr.. Cavanaugh, his ap
pointment might be used and construed
as an evidence of an agreement to up
hold his candidacy, The Argus frank
| ly stated its own position to Mr.. Cav
anaugh at the outset and through its
columns prior to the democratic con
vention contended against any course
other than straight cut democratic
nomination. So much for Mr. McCask
rims idle charge of The Argus selling
out democratic candidates. The Argus
in the first place. does not own demo
cratic candidates, and in the SECOND
place, does not enter into contrac
either for their favor or to use its in
fiuence with the party otherwise thar
in the party's interests.
The mayors allegation as to The
Argus abuse of aldermen and official!
till this city has forfeited the streets Il
corporations etc, is simply as false "A:
il is libelouS and unworthy of atten
ton in a newspaper discussion.
some Things tn he Thankful For.
So that, taken as a whole, the may
or may enjoy himself to his heart!
content in his play to the galleries
through q handful that made its ap
pearance in the night "a hours afte
the charges that he complains of were
published in The Argus. If in th'
interim the disreputable dives were
subjected to a cleaning ont process pre-
lparatory to a bold front and there wa:
a hasty shutting out of town in The
trail of Weiss, alias White, alias Wei
lington, and made a hasty exit wheI
Monday nights Argus appeared, afte
oTnamenting the streets since the sum
mer months, The Argus neither knows
nor cares-beyopd the satisfaction tina
would afford il to realize that mora
conditions in Rock Island had through
its instrumentality improved a trifie
at least
In the meantime, as for Mr.. McCask
rin-Mayor McCaskrin-The Argus ha:
only pity.