The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-09-30
SATURDAY, sEPTEnBER - 1914.
Tie Situation IN Rock Island.

81 The Situation in Rock Island
4 The Argus is not answerable to the city ad-
ministration for any methods 1t has seen ut to
persue in its endeavor to awaken the public
conscience to the menacing and far-reaching
conditions under which Rock Island has SO
long suffered that citizens had about aban-
doned hope Of ever obtaining relief But The
Argus is answerable to the $4,000 people OF
Rock Island. The Argus believes that it has al
ready gained sufficient results to strengthen
the feeling of the good people that the day is
dawning when the community will be forever
freed of this accursed influence.
/, The Argus charged that vice had become
highly organized in Rock Island; that viola
lions Of the law were 6dicially tolerated be-
tause of an arrangement between someone in
authority in the city government and the Rock
Island vice ring, group Of men maintaining
systematic agency through which tribute was
tollected from the various forms Of vice. The
Argus sought to show, and is satisfied that 1t
has made out its case in the minds of the ma
bority Of the decent people Of the community,
that the police authorities were unable, even
though they might have been so disposed, to
buppress public prostitution, gambling and
! hootlegging. It has shown that the underworld
WAS controlled, not by the police department.
BIS it should rightfully have been, but by q
band Of vultures who thrived on the funds
gathered from among the operators Of lawless
traffic, promising in return for such payments
Immunity from disturbance by either city or
county authorities. 1t has shown that these
vice lords were building up an organization
that if permitted to continue uncurbed would In
time secure such domination over the COM
munity that they could successfully manipulate
elections for Offices all the way from justices
l>f the peace. up through the city hall and to
Inc courts in the county temple of justice. The
I;>rgus was fully conscious Of the ramifcations
bf this influence, and it realized that 1t had be-
home firmly entrenched that it.would be no
easy task to achieve the moral renovation
Il that was essential to affecting the vital nerve
NJ the vice organization.
vi 1t is not necessary to repeat here the Joint
promise of City Attorney j. X. Scott and Sher-
ff John Miller, printed in The Argus Aug. s..
But the indisputabe fact remains that it was
not until Sept 2S that Mr.. Scott publicly de-
clared that those promises had been fulfilled.
And The Argus has no hesitancy in asserting
| that there would not have been such an extern
siSe remedying of conditions had not the po-
tential effect Of public protest and demand
forced officials to apply the weapons of sup
preston. The Argus does not deny the asser-
zion of City Attorney Scott that Rock Island is
eleaner morally than it has been. but neither
Hoes The Argus see that any credit is due Mr..
Scott or any other official for this improved
condition. Whatever they have done in con-
ttibutng to that desirable change has been
6hiy in fulilment of their oaths of office
4 The people themselves are entitled to the
credit for any moral cleansing to which Rock
bland has been treated, and that moral clean
&g has come only because the people have re-
fased to desist in their hammering at the city
Ahll and the sheriff's office. Your officials
could not have much longer withstood the at
tack. They would either have had to resign
Or indicate some willingness, however reluct-
4ntly, to live up to their sworn pledges to en-
lorce law and order in their respective juris-
6tctions
II The Argus is not in position to assure the
citizens Of Rock Island that vice conditions
wtl remain at the low ebb they display at the
present time. But The Argus-does promise to
continue to perform its duty to its readers,
and to that end shall keep them posted on the
future efficiency Of their officials in the con-
j. trolling of lawlessness. Officials who have
been derelct in the performance of their sworn
duty have not The Argus to answer to for their
shortcomings. But they have the people to
make an accounting to. Whether the people
VIII accept in good faith the belated change Of
heart Of oftcialdom toward public lawlessness
remains for future events to disclose.
!. The Argus has incurred the displsasure Of
certain officials, but that militant display has
! been aroused, you will observe, not because of
anything personal The Argus might have said
concerning these officials. but wholly because
The Argus has been belatoring conditions the
exposure of which seemed to irritate the sensi-
bihties of some gentlemen who are being paid
liberal salaries by the taxpayers to keep their
city clean and decent II 1t IL . sin for . news
paper to call upon public ofacial to perform
his sworn duty against brazen lawlessness. then
The Argus pleads guilty to having most griev-
ously sinned And. furthermore. Il It IL q
source Of information to onicialdom. The Argus
may repeat the sin 1t any time in the future
9 when 1t discovers IL paid cDsblie servants
ettaying far aAslA.
The Argus has been demanding Q free and
I characterization Of the police department,