Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-11-29
LOCAL OPTION
TO Be Revived
Mass Meeting Of Ministers and
Laymen of Moline and Rock
Island Held.
ALL FAVOR ANOTHER FIGHT
Committee VIII Be Appointed to Eff
feet Permanent Organization
for Spring Campaign.

The local option movement Is TO De
revived and will In all probability be
an issue at the spring election. This
was the sentiment of the mass meet
ing held at the Spencer Memorial
church yesterday afternoon. The meet
ing was a joint gathering Of the anti
saloon forces from both this city and
Moline. There were about 200 men
present at the meeting and the decision
to bring the matter before the voters
at the next election was unanimous.
Rev. F. E Shut, pastor of the church.
called the meeting to order, and Clar-
ence S. Trevor of Moline was selected
to act as chairman. Mr.. Trevor said
he was glad that the meeting was COM
posed entirely of men who have the
right to vote on the question before
them, as It is by votes and not by talk
that "the saloon must be wiped out of
existence" He called upon the local
option enthusiasts to prepare them
selves to make voters for their side
by being able to answer what he called
the fool questions which are directed
at the reformers."
Preachers Not Politicians
Rev. R. B. Williams of the First NJ.
E. church of this city was the first
speaker called upon to express his
views He said he did not have much
faith in the ministers of the two cities
in the capacity of politicians, and that
he believed that In order to win at the
next fight the sympathies and efforts
of the leading laymen must be inter
csted in the campaign and that the
bfunt of the battle must be assumed by
them. In addition to this, the atten-
ton of the local optionists, he said,
must be turned not only to the ques-
ton in hand. but to the election of the
men who are to enforce the law after
It is made a law Rev. Williams ex-
pressed himself as disguised with pre-
yailing moral conditions in the city.
Rev. W. A Storey of the United
Presbyterian church. Moline, explain
cd where he stood on the proposition.
and said he would always be ready to
enter into a fight against the legalized
saloon traffic. At the same time he
felt that it was up to the laymen to
say whether a campaign should be en-
tered into or not. He believed, how
ever, that even though the chances OF
success appeared slight, it would be
proper to make the fight in order to
help the local optionists who are fight
ing in other cities.
Duty OF Christians
Professor /. N Anderson of the Au-
gustana college faculty expressed the
belief that it is the duty of every real
Christian to fight the saloon. He said
that to fight for civic righteousness
was next to fighting for life of the
soul, and that the local option move
ment was peculiarly a movement of
the church against vice.
DR.. w s. Marquis, who conducted
the campaign two years ago in this
city, was called upon, and gave a short
talk. He recalled the fight of two
years ago and characterized it as a vic
tory, even though the saloon forces
apparently won He told of the prom
Use made by the liquor interests after
the fight, when they said that they
would clean up the town and keep it
clean, and he claimed that in failing
to keep this promise the saloons had
injured themselves to great extent
and were in reality committing suicide.
Volunteers Called Upon
After DR.. Marquis had concluded his
talk. Chairman Trevor called upon the
laymen present at the meeting for
their views on the subject, and nearly
an hour was given over to hearing men
who volunteered their opinions. About
a dozen in all spoke, and they were
unanimously of the opinion that the
question of whether the fight would be
successful ought not enter into the de-
cision. They expressed the belief that