Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-02-18
SIDE TALK.
Aldermanic Discussion as Well as
Action.
soms OF the Matters that Received
Attention Last Night-.-The System
or Pavlng 20 he Pushed.

The most important matter before last
nights council meeting was the action on
the paving bids received ut the previous
meeting for the extensions on Twentieth
street and on Second avenue. The ex.
pected remonstrances did not fail to ma
terialiEe, and the councils action with
reference TO them will not disappoint
those who had pinned their faith to the
alderman doing their duty, and standing
by their determination to push the sys>
TEN Of street improvement adopted
nearly year ago. The council perhaps
adopted the wisest course possible; it re-
ceived the remnnstrances, and ordered
them fled, and ordered all the bids re
read, and rejected them all. but at once
ordered that new ones he advertised for
to he opened the second meeting in
March. The contract would have been
awarded last night had there been one
bid that complied strictly with the re,
qurenents of the advertisement. but not
one fully met the specifications. That Of
Atkinson & Oloff came the nearest, the
only error in it being that numerals were
used instead of letters as required. TAX.
ing the view that none of the bids were
specifically correct. the council threw
them all out and adopted course under
which all technicslities will be provided
for in he forthcoming bids. The senti-
meDt of the council was that the paving
was to continue and that the record it
has established thus far is not to be
characterized by backward tendency at
this time.
In the discussion that proceeded the
councils action. Aid. Schroeder, Lsrkin,
Howard, Hampton and Corken expressed
themse Ives solidlv for a continuation OF
the improvements and all alluded to the
mistaken idea that the eight hour law is
to enter in the slightest particular into
the contracts for the continuation of the
paving improvements.
City Attorney Haas stated that great
many property holders had called upon
him in much agitation over the estimates
they had received from the commissions
ers designated by the city council and
thought they were being robbed and
treated outrsgeOusly. etc. he thought
that al such alarm was entirely prems,
ture ard wholly unwarrsnted, based eith-
er on ignorance or faulty Interpretation
Of statutory provisions. The estimate by
the commissioners is high to be sure, but
1t is better to have II high in order to
cover everything. The commissioners
can do nothing but take that estimate as
basis. The estimate is intended to in
clude everything. and under that estimate
the total cost for each foot would have
been $500 for each street, but after the
contract is let, the actual cost can be
figured and then he would 90 into court
and have the estimate modified to meet
that actual cost. The city attorney di-
tCCttA ahC COuhah W thC sCCbiOu vi tue
statutes applicable in such cases--sec,
ton l49 of article of the general incor. |
porstlo1 act (Stsrr & Curtis) page 49s,
which reads:
The court before which any such |
proceed ings may be pending shall |
have authority at any time before |
final ed iournment, to modify, alter, |
snnuI or confirm any assess
ment return as aforesaid, or cause |
any assessment TO be recast by the |
same ommissiOners whenever il shall be |
necessary for the attainment of justice or |
mas ap point other commissioners in the /
place Of all or any of the commissioners
first appointed. for the purpose of maxi
ing such assessment or modifying, alter
ing, changing or recasting the same, and \
may take all such proceedings and make
all such orders as may be necessary to
make true and just assessment of the
cost of such improvement according TO /
the principles OF this act, and may from |
time to time, as may be necessary, con-
tinue the application for that purpose as |
to the whole or any part of the premises. |
Mr.. Haas desired to assure the prOp> |
srty holiers that as soon as the con racts |
were lei. he would appear in the county
court and enter a motion that the pro- |
portionate costs to each property holder
be so m odified and amended as to con- /,
form to the actual total cost which would
not, he was satisfied, exceed S40O on
each street.
WheI the remOnstrances against the
paving ON Moline avenue and the work
already contracted for on Eighteenth
street we're presented. they caused rips
pie of laughter among the aldermen. but
they were given the courtesy extended
the other petitions-simply filed. As to
the Moline avenue remonstrance, Aid.
Edwards asked if the man who had
walked forty miles In three hours getting
it up he'd not got 1t in little premature
after al With reference to Eighteenth
street. Aid. Schroeder said it was settled,
aud the contract let before the eight hour
ordinance was adopted.
Aid. Buncher's ordinance with refer
snce to peddlers reaches the end so long
aimed ct by the ARGUS. Under its pro-
visions peddlers must hereafter pay q
license Of 81 80 per day, SO per week and
$40 per month. except the peddlers of
venison. poultry, fish and wild game. and
with Aid. Cofkens additional section
that discretionary power be given the
MAYOR 10 grant permission to old soldiers