The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1877-12-06
CITY DRAzNAGR.;
Alderman o'Neils Plan of Draining
the Slough.

City improvements are q matter Of gen.
eral necessity and public interest, and
should be made wherever required without
reference to the Ward in which they would
be located. It is poor policy. and 10 the
end an expensive one, we had well nigh
said ruinous one, to appcrtion the public
work among the different Wards upon a
system Of equal balances. That. mode of
doing it means nothing more or less than a
system of log-rolling. the alderman from
one Ward voting for improvements in
another Ward upon assurance of being
compensated with assistance for some
thing he wants in his own. By this means
little is done for each, perhaps, and
nothing of any permanent importance
anywhere.
We make these remarks because the
history of our city legislation warrants
such conclusion, and we think the re
suits are rernicious and the principle wrong.
1t is better to do one thing and do it
thoroughly, do it SO that it becom es
last ing and permanent. than to commence
dozen enterprises and leave them in an
unfinished state liable toscontinual wastage
and destruction or annual repair, and
therefore matters of endless expenditure
and Improbable outlay.
The necessity of doing something in
regard to the slough in the west end of the
city has long been felt, and from time to
time plans of drainage have been proposed
aud urged, but hitherto no permanent
work has been done to accomplish what all
admit is desirable.
And now comes Alderman M. S. O'Neil
with his plan, which was presented to the
city council last Monday evening, and
referred to committee for consideration.
The plan is, substantially, to form q
cistern or reservoir as a receptacle for the
waters Of the slough, and to pump the
water from the reservoir into the Missis
sippi. The estimated cost Is about ter
thousand dollars.
While the committee to whom this sub
ject has been referred may not have author
ity to consider any other plan than the one
submitted to their consideration, the public
at least may be ready and willing to exam
inc and consider theafeasibility of any other
plan which may be submitted which would
possess the elements of durability, utility
and economy. Our own views in regard
to the drainage of the slough may be
neither new or acceptable, but, neverthe-
less. as we look at the matter now, we are
decidedly of the opinion that some plar
which does not involve the cumbersome
and expensive machinery of pumping
would be entirely preferable. We would
suggest as the first idea that all drainage
east of Eagle street should be made to
lead directly to the Mississippi along the
north and south streets. West of Eagle
street, so far as regards the slough, carry
the water westward; use the money which
would be required to build reservoir and
pumping apparatus, and to operate the
same perpetually, to making streets both
north and south and east and west through
out the whole extent of the slough anc
bring them no to such height of grade al
E would be above the overflow of the river
That being done, ANY sewerage or drainag'
could be constructed so as always to b.
above anything except occasional yer.
, high back water, and the whole origina
, slough would be forever buried out o
] sight. The owners of the lots and block
between the streets having filed them ri
to grade, we should entirely get rid of thi
unseemly blot upon the city, and we shoul
have regular discharge of all water j
j that part of the city the same as elsewhere
aoithout the endless yearly erpense Of
pumping operation, and sinecure positio
for hungry spoilsnen to yearly squabbl
: over.