Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-03-12

Rock ISLAND, March II 1888.
Society Of the W. c. u. L city OF Moline, Ills
The mayor of the City of Rock IslanC
has the honor to acknowledge receipt Of
your communication of the Sth inst. ad-
dressed te himself, to the members of the
city council and the citizens of the city
Replying in behalf of the city council
and the executive department of the city,
permit me to express an undoubted be-
lief in the sincerity of your convictions,
the fervor of your patriotism, and of the
high sense of duty actuating your society
in addressing us in this formal and Off
cial manner. The inducements offered
the proprIetors of the dIstillery" to which
you refer, have been made by private
citizens, owners of the proposed site and
as their voluntary act and deed. What
ever inducements the city ia its corporate
capacity, if any, may hereafter provide,
will merely consist in permitting railway
companies an extension of their tracks
over city property to the proposed site;
in this manner increasing the facilities of
the railways in the transportation of
freghts to and from such distillery in
connection with other manufactures and
business in the west end of the city; and
would be governed in this, as in any
other use and occupancy of city property,
wholly by public interests and due regard
for the development of increased traffic
and commerce.
Whatever may he the earnest and set
tied convictions of the members of your
society, or the private views of the mem
bers of our city council, in regard to the
demOralizing influence of the business of
.,;1 ,;.Yb, Ia Ia Of bo
United States and of the State of Illinois,
as you are aware, make the business law
full when conducted under such limita-
tions and restrictions as the laws impose,
and unless the legislature of the state
should provide in constitutional form for
inhibition of the business by the action of
the people, the city is now and must con-
time pOwerless to prevent distilling bus
mess or the location of a distillery
at the proposed site. and equally
poweress to deny its citizens
the right to offer from their private
resources such inducements to parties to
locate here rs they may deem reasonable
and proper Such and so much facilities
as the city in its discretion may grant to
railway companies, as right of way
gratuitously furnished and not obtained
by condemnation, would be for the pur-
pose of transportation of treghts general
Iy. and if granted to all as a necessity,
could not justly be refused becatse Incl
dentally among other things some por-
ton of the freights might be the product
of a distilleTy.
If the mayor of this city is sufficiently
advised in the premises, and rightly I'M
dcrstand the general sentiment of the
people, he is fully justified in the belief
that large majority of the citizens Of
the city would not approve and sustain
any attempt to prevent the esta blish-
ment of this or any other legitimate in
dustriAl enterprise by refusal or with
holding of all reasonable and proper bus
mess facilities within the discretion of the
city to grant; and this, too even though
an eminentiy respectable and representa-,
tive body of the citizens of the city of
Moline protest and kindly advise this city
to the contrary. The judgment of the
Business Mems association, comprising as
it does large proportion of the active
business men of the city, has clearly de.
monstrated itself in offering as citizens
various inducements to capitalists and
to locate at Rock Island,
and in multiplied efforts to induce profits
able and lawful enterprises to seek the
of this locality; in all this
they appear to have. and no doubt have,
the appreciation and encouragement of
the great body of their fellow citizens.
Their object is certainly not misunder-
Stood nor have their efforts so far been
by expressions of adverse pubs
lie sentiment.
Your society, as a christian and moral
agency to prevent, as well as remove, the
cause of vice and suffering incident to
existing conditions of human society, has
a broad field for benevolent operations,
and uudeniably q trustworthy object