The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1880-05-18

Special Me citing of che City ceune,l
A special meeting OF the City Council
was held on Monday evening. May 18th
1880. Present, Aldermen Brown, Henry.
Lundy, Rinck. Spencer, Schmidt, Ste
phens, Warnock aud Gray. Absent. His
Honor the Mayor. and Alderman Rei~
mers.
After sitting around in do-nothing
sort of wsy. for some time. Clerk Koehler
called the meeting to order and then Aid.
Henry broke the monotony of the pro-
ceedipgs by nominating AID. Lundy as
acting mayor, which motion being second
ed by Aid. Spencer. was put By CLERK
Koehler and carried.
Acting Mayor Lundy asked for informa-
ton as to the purposes of the meeting ana
Aid. Brown rose and explained that the
meeting was called to consider the rai'rosd
matter which had been SO long neglected.
He then handed to the clerk and had
read an ordinance repeating the
ordinance relating TO certain pre-
negatives enjoyed by the o. b. y, rail-
road. II was a lengthy and intricate doc
ument, and after the CLERK had FINISHED
Its reading, save those who had prepared
lit. or were familiar with its contents, there
were few aldermen present who seemed
70 understand what it meant. 1t was
regular abstract of the whole matter from
tie first granting of right of way on First
avenue below 18th street,up to the present
time.
Aid. Browne moved the adoption ofthe
ordinance and AID. Henry seconded the
motion.
The acting mayor put the question and
asked for remarks.
AID. Schmidt rose 10 an uncertain way
and said be had listened attentively to the
reading of the ordinance and confessed he
did not know any more now than before
He would like to vote intelligently and
wanted some one to explain.
Aid. Brown. who was the apparent lea
der in the movement rose and in a speech
of some five minutes went over the ground.
reverting to the time when the citizens on
First Avenue went before the council and
demanded the enactment of an ordinance
similar to the one now before the council.
He also charged that the previous council
had sdilly -dallied Tin the matter until
the people were tired Of it. and he thought
it was time that something should be done
Having explained the matter to his salts
faction Aid. Brown sat down.
Acting Mayor Lundy. thought the
Council ought to act deliberately in this
matter-not hastily. If there was any
need FOR urgency why not say so. This
was not matter to be hastily acted upon,
and it was question with him and had been
with the previous Council whether legisla-
tive action was sufficient. He was actuated
solely by a desire to do nothing rash. and
thought the matter ought to be referred
to committee, and acted on when the
mayor was in the city.
Aid. Brown. jumped to bis feet, and
pitched into the old council, and ridicuIed
the suggestion to refer to a committee.
To refer to committee was to bury it out
Of sight. as had been done before. IF the
peoples rights were to be considered the
time to act was now.
Acting Mayor Lundy replied that he
was DESTROYS of doing nothing that would
have to be retracted hereafter or that
there was possibility of being retracted
by litigation. It were much better to
make haste slowly and deliberately.
Aid, Brown was On his feet in an instant
aud 10 spoke for about FIVE minutes. on
the same subject, He was for the people
for his constituents, and he wanted to
know if railroad companies were to be
allowed to run their trains in front Of
their very DOORS He went over the
ground once more, got in some good ticks
for Alderman Brown, demanded the yeas
and nays and sat down.
Acting Mayor Lundy. put the question
on the adoption Of the ordinance, and the
call OF yeas and nays resulted as follows:
Yess-Browne. Henry. Spencer, Rinck,
Schmidt. Stephens. Warpock and Gray
8.
Nays-NoDe.
So the ordinance was adopted and so
declared by the acting mayor,
Aid. Schmidt wanted some action taken
ss to the running Of trains. Some of the
trains came into the city at rate ofabout
Is or 20 miles an hour, and in some cases,
cars were switched on the tracks right in
the heart of the city-frequently these
cars would come down the tracks unat-
tended.
Acting Mayor Lundy informed AID.
Schmidt that it was the business of the
city marshal to look after these matters;
that an ordinance was in force which pre-
vented the running of trains faster than
FIVE miles an hour, and if it was not en-
forced the marshal should see that it was.
Aid. Schmidt accepted the explanation.
gracefully. sat down, and once more there
was death-like Stiffness 10 the room.
Aid. Henry moved to adjourn aud Aid. |
W arnock seconded it, the chair put the |
motion, it was carried, and the special |