The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-03-13
THE TRUE REASON.
Some Sound Facts in Regard to the
Proposed Horse Railway
Over the Bridges.

The organ of the ferry monopoly tries
to cover up the fact that Capt Robinson
and his ferry interests are at the bottom
of the opposition to the horse railway
over the bridges, and wants dead contro
versies" relegated to the past. But the
attempt to prevent the free use of the
bridges by the people and to shut them to
public travel altogether upon the first
proper opportunity, is not dead issue
but a live one, right now, here before the
people, and they are not to be humbugged
by any such thin covering attempted to
obscure the facts.
The proposed horse railway deprives no
one of anything. 1t simply adds facil
lty not now possessed of crossing the
bridges. If this added facility is to the
detriment of the people or city it is only
because the bridges themselves and free
public travel over them are such detri.
ment. To be logical and consistent
the opposition should oppose all such free
travel whatever The ferry interest did
just this very thing when the bridges were
first opened and has done its best to close
them by toll gates since, but when Capt
Robinson and those in his interests spend
days interviewing the aldermen and others
trying to have the city council pass resGlu-
tons opposed TO the horse railway, let
them have the honesty to come right out
and introduce resolution to close the
bridges wholly to public travel and see
what action would be taken on that And
let aldermen who may be piled with
specious arguments rccollect that they
represent the people and not the ferry
monopoly, and that if they seek to lessen
the rights of the people or to prevent their
having needed facilities for their cheap
and easy travel, such as are now proposed
without cost to them that the people will
not be blinded to their interests, but will
see TO it that they are represented by those
who regard their good and not to be caioled
or brow beaten and blind to their interests
1t is cheap and easy travel for the
people that the opposition is fighting
and they cant disguise it, be they ever
so sly and specious The latest
dodge is to howl that the horse
railway is granted monopoly. Where is
the monopoly? viii not the bridges be
as free to travel then as now? The pro-
posed bill provides that the use of the
bridge by the horse railway shall cease at
any moment the secretary of war chooses,
and that the rate of fare and all control
is to be absolutely regulated by him, and
that all workmen to or from the island
shall be charged not to exceed two and
one half cents fare. Where, then, is the
monopoly, when the right can be termi-
mated by a scratch of the pen of a wholly
disinterested person, who has only the
public interest in view? Such talk is all
bosh. The horse cars may lesson Capt.
Robinson's individual profit of his ferry
and prevent him from piling up second
fortune out of the people and starting
another bank, but the people and commu-
nifty care nothing for this What they
want is free, cheap and easy travel, and
they will have it and woe betide any per-
son who is so short sighted and narrow of
view as to disregard their wish.