Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-04-10
PROGRESS.
Last Nights Meeting of the I'M
prOvement Association.
IMPORTANT MATTERS DIS tUssED.
The Reanepin Canal Route-yiaduet
Funds-DeIegates to the H ausas
City Convention. Etr.

the Rock Island Citizens Improvement
association was well attended. Presi-
dent Jackson presided and Secretary
Searle was in his place. After the regu>
lar order of routine business, the COM
mitsees were called and under the head of
the committee on Hennepin and Lateral
canals, Capt. T. j. Robinson reported that
he had letter from Capt. Marshall that
the southern route had been adopted at
Milan. Hehad talked with Mr.. Sears and
they had come to the conclusion that the
| Big Island route would be better than
some other route they might adopt. Capt
Marshall had said that on the Big Island
route he could find enough gravel to
build his locks, and thereby he would be
enabled to complete the work as far as
Penny slough at a cost of 100000. He
refuted the idea that the water power
owners had been asking exorbitant prices
for their property and suggested it might
be we'll to treat with these water power
owners and see if we can't do something
and have the route reestsblished, all
though Capt. Marshall had stated that he
had been instructed to locate the mouth
of the canal at the mouth of Rock river
| and there it must 60.
President jackson informed the asso-
| citation of conversation with Capt. Mar.
shall wherein the latter had said that the
only certain thing about the bill was that
it was to be begun at the mouth of Rock
river and that there it would 60, and that
no change would be made He further
said that the water power owners had
been misunderstood. These people had
never been taken into the confidence of
the engineers in the matter; that the gov.
eminent would not recognize any other
water power than the Sears, and that they
expected to build dam that would be a
dam, and no openings would be allowed
except for the Sears power. Mr.. jackson
therefore asked Capt. Robinson if he
could offer any light on ex>Congressman
Gest's mission to Washington as reported
in The ARGUS of last night
Capt Robinson explained that Mr.,
Gest had originally visited Col. Wheeler
to learn if some compromise could not be
adopted with reference to the canal route,
and he could accomplish nothing. He
next went to Chicago to see Capt. Mar.
shall with whom his efforts were likewise
futile. Then he proceeded to Washington
to use his exertions there in securing
change in the route. The captain sug-
gested that dispatch be sent Mr.. Gest,
asking him concerning the situation.
The chair replied that such action
might be discretionary with the commits
tee on canals, of which the captain was
chairman.
Messrs. D. H Louderback, of the
Chicago street railway syndicate, and A.
j. Blethen, late of the Minneapolis Tri-
bune, were introduced 10 the meeting
and were heartily received. Mr.. Ble,hen
made few remarks, stating that his
coming to Rock Island permanently had
been anticipated by some of our people,
and while he had not yet definitely COM
pleied his plans. he likes the city. its
people and might locate here. He lik>
ened the cities of Rock Island and Mo-
line to Minneapolis and St. Paul and
stated that while it was probable that
the cities at the head of the Mississippi
navigation would unite in this generation,
the prospect for Rock Island and Moline
joining hands he believed to be better as
the cities were only three miles apart,
with borders touching, while Minneapo.
lis and ST. Paul were 10 miles apart. He
believed that the future of the locality
was bright and that consolidation would
hasten the day of great com
mercial centre being established here.
D. b. Louderback spoke of his having
become more closely identified with Rock
Islands advancement through the pur-
chase by himself and others of the Rock
Island & Milan road. He was not pre-.
pared to give any positive information
with regard to future plans. Mr.. Loud,
erback spoke of the investmen is made by
the Chicago street railway syndicate as
very disastrous financially. That the
stockholders in the syndicate had been
deceived in their investment, and instead
of yielding eight per cent as was repre-
sented to them that they would and as
the public had been led to believe, the
lines the in three cities had lost $24, 900 in
the past year. He thought Rock
Island had already evinced
q liberal spirit toward the
syndicate, but he combined the policy
pursued in Moline and in Davenport. In
the former city he believed the exorbi-
| 90 81,