Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-04-07
years has fastened itself upon every

the hogs share of the patronage, and
promoting or at least countenancing
the worst possible species of graft !,
that has ever disgraccd i city. this
is what was repudiated by the peo-
pie of Rock Island yesterday. In !,
Mr.. Carse, the element of personal
popularity WAS not lacking. nor did
he suffer through acts of his own.
but he was crushed because of those
elements which acting in his absence
from the city. were most conspicuous
ly active in furthering his candidacy.
The alliances of these elements,
which figured prominently in his be-
half, not only in the circulation of
his petitions, but in the conduct of
his more important meetings, nipped
his prospects in the bud, even before
he was nominated. From the moment
it became known who expected to be
the chief beneficiaries by his election,
he was beaten man and all that he
could do could not remove the stig-
ma that had attached to his candi-
dacy
Realizing the great handicap that
| he was laboring under, Mr.. Carse
during the closing days of the cam
paign made~it a point to publicly
disavow any connection with the gang,
and in his speech at the Illinois the
| alter on the eve of the election, open
| ly denounced the gang and all that
| pertained to it, but it was too late.
| His stand at the last did him good
| and gained him votes he would other
wise have lost, but the mischief had
been done. 1t was irreparable. Even
the remarkable phenomena of the
| gang that had originated his candi-
dacy turning about and fighting him
for effect, failed to move the public
mind. The day of fourflushing pass
ed in Rock Island when the people
| began to realize that it is the intent
of evil influences, more often than
the act that must be understood.
1t was therefore of the association
with his name of bad elements il
politics, even though without hi.
knowledge or consent, that defeat fol
Mr.. Carse at the outset, which, will
the after misfortune of one of the
most bungling campaigns in his be
half Imaginable, on the part of ;
party that had scorned democratic
support at the very start, with tn
declaration that it had the votes t
elect it's own candidate without com
initial to a nonpartisan administra
ton, that reduced Mr.. Carse'
chances to the stage of utter hope
lessness.
AS to Mr.. McCaskrin, The Argu
stands just where it did four year
ago, when he was first elected mayor
In common with the expressions {
the people, it buries differences {
the past, and is ready to uphold hil
as the choice of the people for mayo
in every lal:Iable effort, to the fu
extent that he may go in the built
ing of Rock Island along all legit
mate lines and for the promotion
j, it's moral and general welfare.
- the same spirit, it believes the DEM
= cratic majority in the council wi
sustain him where he does right.
Il Certainly no man ever had a be
ter opportunity to make good thu
McCaskrin has at this moment.
, is up to him. 1t is with him. Let
all hope, that regardless of all els
=, for the sake of Rock Island, he ma
to use his own language, profit
experience and by the fact that he
:. four years older now than he W
;o when he first took up the respon'
bilities of the chief magistracy of Il
city of Rock Island.
The downing of the License OueStiO