Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-05-24
ADVANCING THE CITY.
The Improvement Association Has
An Inquiry Meeting.
Mutual Enlightenment Derived From
an Exchange OF Views by Members
Of the Progressive Body and the
Mayor and Aldermen.

The special meeting of the Rock Island
Citizens Improvement association called
by President Hsss last evening, was
largely attended not only by progressive
citizens but by Mayor McConochie and
several of the aldermen
After The routine proceedings had been
disposed of. President Hass stated the
purpose of the meeting. the prime OBJ
Ject being to learn from the mayor as to
what disposition was to be made of the
recently adopted special assessment ordi
nance and as to whether or not it was to
be enforced to the letter. Mr.. Hass
| called attention to the fact that some
| filling in had been done on Sixth avenue
near the slough out of the general fund
and indeed without the authority of the
council, matter that to the best of in>
formation he could obtain, had simply
been referred to the street and alley COM
mittee. 1t was simply his desire to know
the proposed attitude of the mayor to-
ward the provisions of the special taxa
ton ordinance.
Mayor McConochie addressed the meet
ing, and said in reply to the inquiries of
MIR. Hass that the question concerning
which he sought Information was one for
the council to decide. The ordinance, in
his opinion. was not explicit enough and
would hardly stand test. He had ap-
proved The paving ordinance for the per-
manent improvement of Second avenue,
and to his mind the question was where
to draw the line-between permanent and
temporary Improvements.
Mr.. E. FL. Guyer stated that the matter
OF permanent and temporary improvement
was discussed, when the ordinance was
drawn, and he directed attention to Sec
ton o. said ordinance, where the cost
exceeding 500 should be disposed of by
the council as permanent improvement
and that the repairing of streets, ETC.,
would be considered temporary improve
ments, but that all work such as paving
should lie called permanent improvement.
1t was matter wholly for the council to
determine on the cases seyerally. He
thought il was just and right that special
assessment and special taxation should
he the guiding policy in the improvement
of streets.
MIR. {. j. Lsrkin stated that the aues>
ton o paving Improvement had
been pretty thoroughly sgitated and that
in his opinion it was a mistake to think
that property holders on Second avenue
were paying for the entire pavement:
that the city was standing the expense of
a good share. and he took the position
that it was not fair to expect property
holders everywhere to pay for the i'm
provements before the property when the
whole city is benefited
Mr.. Guyer believed that there had been
great deal of looseness in the way
puplic improvements had been carried on
by the city in the past; the mayor had
usurped the powers of the council, and
the council had usurped the functions of
the mayor.
Aid. Schnell thought the special assess
ment good plan for securing permanent
improve ments. He believed the council
acted deliberately and when it had adopt
ed wise plan should stick to it.
Mayor McConochie said there was aps
parently great deal of unnecessary
alarm about the enforcement of the spec,
ial asses sment ordinance He could say
that as far as the ciiy's executive was
concerned, it would be enforced to the
letter.
Elk Mayor Carse expressed his belief
that there need be no alarm about the
councils going into the general funds too
far. Tie line would have to be held &C
cordlng to the appropriations. II was
fact, though, that the city's present work
was Illegal, as it was working in advance
of the appropriations under which the
work was carried on. but he believed that
the council would carry out the special
assessment ordinance litererally and to
the line. He thought that the people
owning low lots, such as those near the
slough, should not be oppressed any
further than could not be avoided
They had contributed to the upbuild-
ing of that portion of the city and
and had spent as much money by the
time they had their property improved
and paid for as many of the holders of
more desirable and more valuable prop
erty. Those property owners ought to
be encouraged as far as possible.
President Hass then called Vice Presi>
dent Carse to the chair and took the floor
to remark that the object of calling the
meeting was not for the purpose of fault
finding or engendering ill feeling. 1t was
simply for the purpose of gaining infor-
nation and of learning the probable atti-
tude of the city toward matters of gem
eral and permanent improvement and the
ordinances pertaining thereto.
Alderman Schnell held that special
assessment and special taxation was the
only way of building town. Minneap-
oils had attained its present position of
commercial Importance and size in popu-
lation through system of special as.
sessment. So it was with Kansas City.
He was in favor of anything that tended
to the advancing of the interests of
the city and its material growth.
For his part, he was working for