Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-01-16

those of Saturday evenings meeting
Happily for the city. the mysterious Sc:
sion of Saturday night was illegal.
TrHe, it is, the city has no reason /
feel unusually friendly toward the West
ern Union Telegraph company. Thn
corporation has failed not only to com
under the protection of the city by mean
of ordinance, but 1t has Furthermore
failed to comply with the provisions o
ordinances passed by the city in relation
to said company. On the other hand th
city has no reason to display any partial
ity to the Brush company in the prescn
threatening litigation. The Brush com
pany has been amply paid for all the ser
vice it has rendered the city in the way Of
light. Because the Brush company is {
private corporation and the Western
Union an acknowledged monopoly of the
most gigantic form. is no reason why the
city should grant more special privileges
10 one than to the other, inasmuch az
both are benefits to the public 10 general
aud the city in particular. None will
deny the advantage of local office OF
the telegraph company, and while the
city should not be bulldozsd because OF
the advantages thus afforded and benefits
derived, it should not adopt measures
looking to the driving of such conven~
fence out of town.
At the same time il is an open question
as to whether the telegraph com pauy has
not-in the face of the city having,
in the interest of the Brush compa>
nv, threatened to drive the telegraph
company off Second avenue--a legal
right to have its wires where they
are, by reason of the law of emineu: do
main passed in 1865, by the provisions of
which the government granted TO the
telegraph company the right to extend its
wires anywhere in the United States, the
government TO have in return certain re-
duced rates on all official messages.
- htH-t thNoSB VI uhJ OtuCA
where there is question in doubt, it is
the height of folly for the city to volun>
tarily involve itself in anything pertain.
ing to litigation in the matter. The city
has enough law suits on hand without
rushing blindfolded into others.
The official report of Saturday nights
council meeting appears elsewhere. The
record shows that it was called at the in
stigation of the Brush company-for the
purpose of assisting the Brush company
IN its attempt to prevent the Western
Union Telegraph company from enjoinipg
said Brush company from using its iacan-
descent wires along Second avenue be.
.ween Seventeenth and Nineteenth
streets. The Brush company ran the
meeting, dictated what was done, and
representatives of the Brush company
alone were invited to be present, and the
outcome of the meeting was just such as
he Brush company desired. The entire
proceedings were doubtless the result of
hat secret session the directors of the
asst mentioned company held last Friday,
when 1t was decided to give nothing to
he public. The council meeting was
lot called until within I've hours
If the time for calling it. and then no
me was notified except those in
crested. Manager Looney of the tele-
,ragh company, was not informed of the
Meeting. but hearing of it accidentally, |
vas present. Yet he was not called ups
IN to speak In behalf OF the telegraph |
President Huesing, of the
Brush company, was permitted to do all |
he talking, and the council did just what
e wanted it to. 1t should be said to the |
redit of two of the aldermen present,
Howard and Simmon |
that they absolutely refused to allow
heir names to go on record as endorsing |
be councils actions in the matter. In |
bis they.acted wisely and are deserving |
f praise for the stand they took. Al.
hough others of the aldermen button
oiled them and attempted to persuade |
hem to ''come over" they stood firm.
The meeting was illegal on the ground |
hat the ordinances provide that when
pecial session Is to be called, "notice of |
UGH call shall be given to the city clerk,
nd served on the other members Of the |
ity council by the city marshal OF some
'olice officer by delivering copy thereof
o each of them, or at his place of resis
ence, at least Eve hours before the time
t meeting named 10 the notice" The
offices of Saturday evenings meeting |
Tere not delivered to the city marshal |
ntil after 8 O'Clock and it was impossi- |
lie for the aldermen to have been notified |
efore five hours prior to the time speci-
ed for the converting of the council. and
be city attorney received no notif.
alton whatever. The evident intention
Tas to postpone the calling of the coun>
il as late as possible in order that no
ne more than was desired should be APP
rised Of it. The word was as quietly |
assed around as If the preparations were
eng made for prize fight or other
legal proceeding. During the course OF