Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-01-26
Davenport is Worried Again

The Davenport newspapers, judg-
ing by their editorial comments, are
more worried over the approaching
local option elections in Rock Island
and Moline than are the voters of
those communities. The people Of
Rock Island and Moline are fully cap
able OF conducting their own affairs
without assistance from their neigh
bors. They have passed through sew
eral local option elections, and while
they have not always been devoid of
unpleasantry, still they have passed
OF so that neighbOrs could look each
other in the face after the issues had
been settled
Without assuming to say which side
is right, there Ia an honest division Of
opinion among the people on the ques-
ton OF local option. There are ever
so many who would vote in favor of
prohibiting the sale of liquor in the
community if they were convinced
that that would put an end to the
trafficing There are others who stand
for the regulated saloon, maintaining
That there is no reason why it should
not be operated with as little public
annoyance as drug store or a gro
Gerry Davenport does not appear to
have suffered perceptibly through the
loss OF its three hundred or more sa-
looms. though it is admitted that
huge sum of money is annually car
ried to this side of the river to be ex-
pended in drink. thus furnishing the
chief argument against local option.
Moline has been without saloons two
years. with open bars on the east and
the west. None will claim that there
has been as much drinking by citizens
OF Moline as when there were licensed
saloons there, but there is enough of It
done through convenient contact with
Rock Island and East Moline to con-
vince the average mind that it is folly
to close one city and allow its next.
door neighbor to carry on the traffic.
We all must recognize the growing
publish prejudice against drinking,
which Is having its answer in widening
OF the Dry zone at every election, but
statistics fail to prove that voting out
saloons here and there has tended to
decrease the sales of hard liquor. The
only way to successfully put down the
liquor business in this country, in the
judgment Of unbiased students, is
through the adoption of national pro-
hibition, which would prevent the
manufacture. importation or sale of
any intoxicants in the United States.
In the meantime the Davenport papers.
satisfied with the way things are going
in their own city. need lose no sleep
over the future Of Rock Island and
Moline. To be sure, some of their
money comes to the Illinois side
through satisfying drink appetites of
natives. but Rock Island and Moline
would just as soon that the red nose
brigade remain at home Rock Island,
at least, has found that ii is the out
side drinker that causes the trouble.
The police records will show this.
Naturally. the Davenport editor will
answer that II we didn't have the sa-
loon to tempt him the Iowan would no,
come here. But our reply to that is
that we are not the guardians of the
weaklings Of Iowa The voters of
ROCK Island settle the local option is
sue in accordance with their individ-
ual preference. They do not get votes
from Davenport, nor do they seek
counsel there.