Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-11-21
OPPOSED TO THE HENNEPIN.
A selfish and Marrow. Minded Preju.
dice TO the Canal shown I'm Moline-.-
No Financial Aid There.


No Financial Ala There.
At the meeting OF the Moline Business
Mems association Tuesday night the
characteristic spirit of that city toward
anything, no matter how general and
how wide-spreading its advantages, II it
don't directly and solely benefit that town.
was made manifest. The question of ap.
propriating ss5 from the treasury of the
association as agreed upon by its repre-
sentatiyes in their meeting with the Rock
Island and Davenport representatives
here the other day, was brought up. s.
8. Davis being called on. explained that
at the Hennepin canal meeting in Rock Is
land. it was decided to assess the Moline
association that sum, as its portion Of the
expense of publishing the proceedings of
the recent Waterway convention at Gin
cinnati for circulation among the men,
bers of congress The meeting assessed
Davenport $50 and Rock Island S25, and
the associations of those cities had agreed
to pay it. When the question was put
before the house there instantly arose
objections. and Eugene Lewis made
some very pertinent remarks outlining
the situation in q concise manner. He
said Moline bad no more interest in the
canal project as it now stood
than Clinton, Fulton, Dubuque or
any other town on the upper riv-
er. The Milan route (Which by the
reports of engineers and the plain die
tates OF common sense is self-obviously
the poorest of the three proposed) had
been taken up aud decided on as the off,
cial route. and so soon as this was done
Molines interest disappeared. he pointed
out good and sufficient reasons why it
should do so, most i'm portant among which
was that the construction OF the wster>
way over the proposed route would ine-
vitality rob his city of any prospect Of
future participation in river commerce.
1t would render highly feasible and prob.
able the undertaking of avoiding the Mo-
line rapids by the connection OF the river
channel above the rapids with the canal.
This could be done by the construction of
canal only sixteen miles long at cost
of not more than S500,000 Could Mo-
line in consideration of her best interests,
countensnce such a project by lending it
financial sidf The speaker thought not.
He said Moline manufactures would not
be benefited by the Hennepin canal any,
how, only on the incoming consignments
of freight 1t would be no use to ship
pers there. and he thought Moline would
act consistently in refusing to have any
thing to do with it.
Remarks on a similar strain were made
by Capt W. c. Bennett, W. j. Eutrikin,
G. W. Vinton and others. all attempting
TO show that it would no. do for the as
ISOLATION to represent Moline as endors>
Ing scheme so msnifestly opposed to
her interests, as they expressed 1t. The
Dispatch says Mr.. Murphy's assumption
that the present congress Will take action
on the HenDepin was shown to be any
thing but we'll founded, inasnuch as
Chicago would not be so foolhardy as TO
JeOpardze the success of her great drain
age and Illinois valley waterway enter
prise by fsvorlng the Hennepin at this
time. The latter will stand no show un.
til the greater project is consummated.
and the enthusiasm OF all the Jerry Muir,
phies in Christendom will be Of no
avail"
so the association voted unanimously
not to appropriate any money for the
Hennepin canal. But the great enter
prise, by the way, was never more fsvor>
ably placed before the people sod its
pros poets were never brighter. 1t will be
started this year. and Moline proud
public>spirited Moliue-will as grace
fully accept any privileges it affords as
any of the cities contributing labor and
money TO its advancement