Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-01-30
DRYS REFUSE TO
ACCEPT PLAN OF
WETS;BATTLE0 on
Ministerial Alliance Declares 1t Will
Make No Peace With the Liquor
Element.
CHALLENGES spirit OF OFFER
Declares Proposal Of Manufacturers
Is Merely Plan to Purchase
Immunity for Them.

The drys will not drop the battle
against the saloons in Rock Island.
This was made plain today when
the Ministerial Alliance issued state
ment absolutely refusing to call Off
the fight at the polls in April, reject
ing the plan offered by the Liquor
Manufacturers and Jobbers associa-
ton yesterday to donate the cam
paign fund of $4,000 to charitable in
situations if the petition for a vote on
the local option question is not filed.
The petition must be filed by Friday
with the town clerk. 1t is understood
that it is prepared. ready to file. APP
pended is the statement from the Min
isterial Alliance:
"Inasmuch as the Manufacturers
and Jobbers Association of Rock Is
land county, over the signatures OF the
president and secretary, has made a
direct appeal to the Ministerial Al
lance of Rock Island to withdraw the
petition for the submission Of the
liquor question at the April election,
we wish to make the following reply:
"The Ministerial Alliance has not
! fathered the movement for the circu-
lation of the petition, this having been
done by level headed business men
of the city who believe that they are
serving the best interests Of the city
and the nation in so doing, and will
not take kindly to the insinuation that
| this is an unpatriotic act. The min
listers of the city are in hearty SYM
patty with the efforts of these men
and have gladly allowed the petitions
! to be circulated in their respective
! churches.
| How has it happened that this
light of patriotism has dawned upon
this association of liquor men just
after the circulation of the petition
by the drys in this city instead OF jus:
before they themselves took the initia-
tive in the circulation of a similar
petition in Moline. They might have
made their proposition with more
grace had they not themselves started
j the movement in our sister city.
! Their offer to contribute approx,
| imately $4,000 to the Red Cross OF
other war work. is delightfully."- ingen
| ious but not so patriotic as they
would have it appear. AS counter
proposition we, too. would cheerful!
agree to contribute an equal amoun
tC the same beneficent objects if the
vets will agree to close all saloons
breweries. wholesale houses. etc, dur
ing the period Of the war. That is tt
say. the friends of temperance stant
ready to pay just as much to see thu
saloons closed as the authors of Tues
days communication are ready to pal
i'll order that they may be unmoleste(
in their desire to see these places KEEP
running
Challenge Claim.
I'VE challenge the patriotic claims
of any organization or business which
by offering a bribe of $4,000 seeks tt
perpetuate condition which a per
sonal representative of the secretar,
of war has declared to cause the los:
OF from two to two and one-half days
time each week out of the working
time of employees and laborers at thu
Rock Island arsenal Against this ap
parently generous offer of fiat $500
patriotic contribution, looms tn,
weekly loss of between $4,000 ant
100000 which it is estimated the gov
eminent must sustain because of thes,
admitted conditions. due to the pres
ence of saloons-a balance that il
manifestly on the wrong side of tn,
ledger and sufficient to make the we
offer absolutely ridiculous. "
LAS regards any 'unpleasantness
which our wet friends seem to deplor,
with such fearful and heart rendin,
protest, let us reply by asserting tina
in previous campaigns we have hear.
of no 'unpleasantness' save that Great
ed by the vets themselves when the,
raised particular Ned with every in
dividual whom they caught signing
the dry petition and against whom
they had the least excuse for wagin,
their campaign of frightfulness. W.
shall rejoice to see them deplorin,
this unpleasantness sufficiently t,
abandon the tactics which. in the past
have caused all the trouble between