Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1871-1872, 1872-11-27
A history OF rHR rRaaY MoxopoIY.
tn. 1niu.tis. Of il. Opposition to . Ere. Bridge,

~ eAS OAphla OhOh Vi tilC pINoOhb OhdieSt
Of the ferry company it will have been
about half century since John Wilson,
the father-in-law of J, W. Spencer, of the
present ferry company, commenced run
ming ferry at Rock Island. Half cen
tury Of monopoly in one family The
present charter runs till 1881. 1t is be-
heved that John Wilson started ferry |
here sometime between 1880 and lS40 but
the first charter we can find is dated in
ls4l. and il authorized John Wilson, his
heirs and assigns, to keep ferry across
the Mississippi river between Stephenson,
in Rock Island county, and Davenport, in
the county of Scott, and Territory of Iowa.
1t was provided that his taxes and assess
ments for this privilege should not exceed
twenty dollars year And the legislature
reserved the good old Democratic right to
alter amend or repeal the charter at any
time when the public good might require
it. This charter carried the monopoly up
to 1851.
The. next charter was granted in ls49,
and was entitled An act for the relief Of
John Wilson 1t extended the same
privileges to 1861, and provided that the
taxes should not exceed forty dollars year
The clause to alter, amend or repeal was
omitted but in lieu of that it was pro
vided that after 1851, the Legislature or
County Court might grant charter for
another ferry to the City Of Rock Island.
Next in order was the Bailey charter of
1857 1t was entitled An act for the re-
lief of the heirs of John Wilson, de-
ceased and extended all the privileges
of former acts to John W, Spencer, 7. J.
Robinson and james Grant, for ten years
more, or up to 1871. The clause author
izing the County Court to license the City
to keep a ferry was stricken out, and it
was provided that the ferry company
should pay to the school board of
this township $500 a year, which sum
shall be in lieu of all taxes, assessments
''or charges for wharfage by said City
against the said ferry franchise" 1t
was also verbally agreed by and between
. T. J. Robinson for the ferry company, and
VIM Bailey, then Mayor Of this City, for
the people, that the ferry company should
also pay an additional $500, a year into
the city treasury, this agreement the
ferry company has, up to this time, refus-
ed to fulfill This was keen trade, in
which the ferry company got rid of take,
and wharfage to a much larger amount
than they agreed to pay, and then never
paid only one half what they agreed to.
The next charter was granted in 1867,
and extended the monopoly TO 1881. And
in this charter it Provided. that
the sum of FIVE hundred dollars per
year to be paid to the school board shall
! be reduced to the sum Of one hundred dol
lars per year from and after the opening t.
public use of any free bridge across the
mississippi river between the cities of
Rock Island and Davenport And
this sum was to be in lieu of all taxes,
wharfage eta sharp trade for the fer
ry company, in which the people as usu-
al, got the worst Of it.
/ These various charters, as is well known,
were granted by the Legislature on the
petition of the people of this vicinity. The
ferry franchise is therefore not an acquired
property in the ordinary sense of that
word, but is donation by the people, in
50 far as it was obtained on their petition.
1t will be observed that by the last
amendment Of the charter under which
the ferry company is now acting, the con
tingency Of free bridge across the Mis-.
sissippi river was provided for, and the
ferry company accepted the charter sub
lect 10 that contingency Until a free
bridge should be established the ferry com
pany was to pay $500 a year to the school
fund, which was to be in full for all taxes.
assessments and wharfage, and thereafter
the sum was TO be reduced TO one hundred
dollars year, so that in case the bridge
should be made free the ferry company i:
virtually released from the payment Of
taxes and wharfage.
Under these circumstances It come.
with bad grace from the ferry company
to oppose the making of the government
bridge free, on the plea that it will injurt
its business and franchise. The ferry
company has no moral right to use fran
chise thus procured, to prevent the peopl,
from obtaining free passage over the gov
eminent bridge The ferry franchise wa
obtained by request of the people and no
acquired by any act of the company-ant
the people, who aided the company in &C
quiring that the franchise, have a RICH
now to insist that it shall not be used t
exclude them from free passage over tn
bridge
We cannot believe that the authorize
} at Washington, or on the Island whel
they fully understand these facts, will pa
much attention to the pretence of the ferr
company that free bridge would be a
> iDfripo ynant Of liz riObtS