Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-05-10

r | influential number OF citizens, who, a
T individuals. have expressed an earnes
8 desire to have the council increas'
= the amount OF saloon license to much
= higher rate. As the immediate rep
= resentatives elected by the familiar
8 with the sentiments of their respective
s constituencies, the aldermen as a bod,
j.; are invested with discretionary authority
D to fix the amount OF license at any sun
5 they may deem proper not less thanS5O0
Having, therefore, due regard for the
9 business interests involved in any change
4 and no less regard for what you maj
, know or believe to be the wishes of 1
{ majority of your fellow citizens, il Is com
, petent for you to act or omit to act a
the present time on this subject as yor
, see fit; consequently the responsibility
7 of leaving saloon licences at the present
/ sum, or of increasing the amount by tn,
passage of an ordinance to that effect |;
, left to the discretion and must wholly
rest upon the volition and action of the
aldermen in their legislative capacity
Clothed as you are with these large pow
ers OF sumptuary character, your action
I in the premises should be deliberate and
UMPIRE JUDGED and solely with view t.
serve and protect Impartially the inter
ests and welfare of the largest number
and promote the general good.
After having made the usual provision
of funds for cleaning streets and alleys,
unavoidable repairs, and other routine
expenses in the several branches Of pub
lie service. it is in my judgment import
ant to specially provide for completing
the repairs of the Milan roadway from
the city boundary to the point OF last
years work, to enlarge the bridge over
the canal at Sears mill, to put in good
repair within the city limits the street
leading to the cemetery, and to thor
oughly repair and put in good condition
Fifth avenue from Twenty-third street
eastward to the city limits. Milan road
way and Fifth avenue are the two main
lines over which the largest number of
teams and vehicles pass to and from the
central business portion OF the city, and
are propoItionately most out of repair at
the present time. The cost and expense
of opening new streets, of making new
improvements, such as paving. curbing.
| grading, entertainments for protection
against overflow of water, and work of
| like character are recommended to be
done by an equitable and carefully pre-
pared system of special assessments. The
| U
| the city is the subject of much adverse
criticism, perhaps of serious complaint,
especially those constructed in former
years of plank and now wholly OR greatly
| decayed the construction of new and the
renewal of old sidewalks are included in
| the same recommendation of special as
sessment. The report of the street COM
| missioner and of the street and alley com.
oh, Nh.a, rs hat
| accomplished in the way of sidewalk im>
proyement during the last year; the elab-
crate and well digested report of the
street commissioner with its valuable
suggestions is especially commended to
favorable notice and legislative action.
Fifth avenue and other incompleted
portions of the city's sewage system
| should be carried to completion the press
ent year, including the necessary cOnnec
lions of the several parts and gateages
or cutoffs to prevent influx of high water
| from the river. The early completion of
the sewers, both as a measure of surface
drainage and of sanitation. is earnestly
and urgently recommended.
The subject of labor employed by the
city is one of serious import, both to the
city and the laborer, and should be fairly
|
as rai. osti..~to .h~t tho.O two
| thousand wage laborers in the city ems
| ployed in the various manufactures, the
railway shops and yards. other industries,
and by the city itself, including in the
estimated number of persons on salary
rs well as employees by day work, out of
this number not to exceed 300 can by
any possibility in average years be en-
ployed. directly by the city, and this
number only for six to eight months of
the year. BY mere resolution, not by
ordinance, former council attempted to
establish for city labor eight hours as a
days work to be paid for at 81 SO per
day, or 19s cents per hour, while the
wages of other day laborers of like Ca
pacity in o Their parties employment were
only $3.50 Cor less) for ten hours as a
days work. thus causing the work done
for the city to cost undeniably large
per cent more than the cost of like labor
to any other industry within the limits of
the city and vicinity. The practical eff
feet and operation of the rule is to give
some 300 persons premium because
they work for the city, while ZOO pers
sons, less or more, for whom the city
cannot possibly find employment in Orr
binary times and under ordinary tinan
cial management are compelled to work
at lower rates of wages and contribute at
the same time out of their smaller wages
in the shape of taxes, their proportion
of the premium paid by the city to the
favored 800. To say nothing of the dis
content and favoritism thus likely to be
created and felt, the injustice of dis>
elimination in behalf of the few who can
be employed by the city against the
greatly preponderating number who cans
not be employed IS readily manifest and
needs no lengthy discussion to be made
apparent; it Is self>evident, because those
who do obtain city employment at a
higher rate than going wages are no
more entitled to preference than those
who cannot possibly have such employ
ment, and marked inequality of condi-
tions of labor among the wage workers
of the city is made by the act of the city
itself. approximately. the city In the
aggregate paid during the last year the
sum of 1874, 900 for wage labor; without
the eight hour rule the same number of
| hours labor as was actually rendered
need only have cost some $4,000, or in
other words the city paid some So, 600
premium more for work than any other
industrial agency paid for labor of the
same character. The injustice Of such
discrimination and favoritsm is still fur
Their apparent when it is considered that
the city standard of wages neither in
creased. nor tended to increase, the
rate of wages paid to all other wage la
borers employed by other parties. 1t
was from knowledge of these facts and
under sense of duty owed to the city
that late in the season of last year when
the appropriation was nearly expended
and it was desirable to complete the
work about to be commenced. If possi>