History of Lee County, Illinois - Bushnell Historical Society

HISTORY OF LEE COUNTY 25
Mr. Huglies had been iu poor health for some time but the
immediate cause of his death was an injury received when his sad-
dle horse fell. He went to Excelsior Springs, Missouri, for treatment
and there passed away on May 12, 1907. The remains were
brought back to Lee county and interred in the Palmyra ceme-
tery on which occasion many of his colleagues in the state senate,
and other prominent men throughout the state, as well as his
relatives and old-time friends were in attendance. Perhaps no
better summary of the life and of the character of Hon. Charles
H. Hughes can be given than by quoting from the Dixon Daily
Sun of May 18, 1907. Among other things that paper said
"Charles H. Hughes was one of the leaders of the public life
of this community. Though he has silently gone from the ranks
and the gap may appear to fill with unseemly haste the good that
he did will surAdve him and will even perhaps survive the memory
of his name with the busy majority of the community where he
lived and loved and labored. His influence will pass into the
minds and hearts of his fellows and there will live and uncon-
sciously manifest itself in the actions of their days yet to come.
"About ten years ago Charles H. Hughes was elected mayor of
Dixon. At that time there were few of the modern and permanent
improvements within the limits of the city. The civic pride
of the city had not kept pace with its commercial spirit.
"As mayor of Dixon, Mr. Hughes decided to pave the streets,
at least in the business center, and replace the plank sidewalks
with safe and durable walks of cement. Knowing that this would
be seriously opposed, he quietly laid his plans, but he laid them
well and with aji indomitable will he carried them into speedy
realization. The feeling of many of the business men of Dixon
ran high against this improvement and the action of the mayor
was condemned in the harshest terms. But he pursued his course
with words of reason for a time and then in silence. Over the op-
position he triumphed. To do this it took great will and sterling
courage. It is much harder to contend for what you believe to
be right in a small community where the long association of the
people has ripened into friendship than it is upon the broader
field of the world's acti^dties. Time proved that the mayor was
right in his contention and the improvements once started were
continued until now Dixon is one of the most finely improved
cities in the state. Besides the convenience of these improvements
there is one value that is not generally considered. This is the
fact that gracious and well kept streets and sightly public im-'
SAUK VALLEY COLLEGE
LR.C.
103510
: