Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1871-1872, 1872-07-08

o-hEET-lhCoNelSTEhT AND ILLEGAL AC-
TIoN or MAYOR MURDOCH Oar City Char
ter (page As, paragraph 7)provides that all
ordinances or resolutions shall, before they
take effect, be placed in the office OF the
city clerk, and if the Mayor approve them
he shall sign the same, and 1t he snall
neglect TO do so, or to return them TO the
CITY Council with his objections thereto, for
longer period than three days after the
same be placed in the Clerks Office as afors-
said, the same shall go into effect.
/ The Charter further provides (pags SO,
paragraph 42) that the City Council shall
have power to regulate and provide the 10.
cation Of all steamboats, or other craft or
floats at the levee and public landing of the
City.
August I'd 1859, the City Council passed
resolution establishing the ferry landing
At EsglO street. August Q, 1869, a meet
Jog was held and an attempt made to recon
slider this resolution, but it was voted down.
Sepse mber 6, 1869, the proceedings estsb-
fishing the ferry landing at Eagle street
we're approved. May 6, 1872, another at
tempt was made to reconsider the resolu-
ton establishing the ferry landing at the
foot Of Eagle street, and it also was voted
down. And now, Mayor Murdock neglects
to enforce this resolution, which has thus
been four times Endorsed by the Council,
and BY two different Councils, assigning
as his reasons, First, that 1t would see N to
be indorsing Buford's administration, and,
Second, that the resolution is not legal for
, wsat Of Mayor Buford's signature.
/ His reasons are untenable. He is, to-day,
, enforcing resolutions passed by the
| Council which have never been signed by
any Mayor. He is enforcing resolutions
I passed under his OVID administration which
t even he has never signed. Many instances
' might be given, but one or two will suffice
lie is enforcing a resolution directing
WeyerhAuser & Denkman to do certain
work and that resolution has never been
J. signed. If the Mayors signature is so i'm
HVAAhhb " ACoOtGtiOho NSCS no SOAeAL As
s to pay our City Marshal $1,000 per year
Il when his salary was only fixed
/. by resolution? Il was done unde
I Mayor Carter's administration, but
b the resolution was never sigued at all
In bis own opinion be illegally pays out I
- $1,000 per year to the Marshal. But wors
Q than all, our Mayor to-day is iudorsinI
b. Buford's administration, whether he want
y, to or not, by complying with resolution
10 which was passed at the last meeting o
il Buford's administration the proceedings 0
Of which meeting are not even signed BY an,
v Mayor to this day. The resolution pro
C. vides for 9 contract with Mr.. Harper, where
sr BY the City agrees to pay him $500 per yea
lie rent for the Council Room. Dare Mayo
Murdoch 20 back on this resolution for tb
want Of Mayor Butord's signature? We sa
, no, he dare not, nor would We have him
y Similar resolutions would be gladly sp
proved by the people when they produc
equal public benefits.
There is no way for Mayor Murdoch 4
: escape from the untenAble position he is in
except by doing his duty and enforcing th
resolution. He must REGAL himself to
= sense OF his duty to the City aud leave tn
ferry company to paddle its own canoe
: Why did be 90 over the river to consult wit
the ferry company's lawyers and act on thei
advice instead of on the legal advice chose
a for him by the Council? Mayor Musdoc
r. was not elected to look out for the ferr
y company, bat be was elected to attend to th
business OF the City. He has no. eve
:. signed the proceedings Of his own meeting
aud yet be eniorces them.
:. The simple fact is that the ferry landi1
a is legally at Eagle street and Mayor Mu
- dock illegally permits it to be at Washing
-. ton street His excuse that the resolutio
is illegal because it was not signed is an u
worthy subierfuge for the charter makes
legal whelhsr signed or not. And he show
his leaning towards the ferry commpan
&c when he neglecls to enforce The action {
80 the Council, and, because there is a seemin
:" conflict between the two charters, take
~ upon himself to decide against the Gil
Charter, which be has sworn TO eaforce, an
" in favor Of the ferry compAny's chaus
viii be was net elected TO aid. He is sti
" at fault in another respect. The fern
company has no hight TO leave a dock
wharf at our leave at all, without permissiC
- =, of the Council, and shat permission hi
- never been given. An ordinance author
ing it was introduced, bat the Mayor kill'
it by lis casting vote. Yet he permits tb
- float to lay at our levee, contrary to la,
Any fisherman or sand dealer has as GOO
right to anchor dock at our leyee as Il
i. ferry company. Would the Mayor perm
: it? OF course not. Mayor Murdoch mu
come out of tbs, nest and stand up for Il
City il he would save his reputation.