Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-03-03
DANGER IN DELAY.
a Crisis in Our Public Improve.
ment Progress.
As 10 sEvsIrEEsrH STREET,

| &AsNAA Cx166I
eGr.vs Responsibility SRepos:ne In n.
Asderoes IN View Of the Precedent IN \.
E-tasas-hsd = The 0aestioa or PAVING
esa sss importance to sks city Of Con.
t'"usrs sAe Coed Works Well Es,.s.
Iislssa.
The question Of the paving Of Sew.
enteenth street is not the only one
before the people Just now. The mt.
titude OF the council on the issue To
bc presented does not affect the
property holders directly interested
in this particular proposition alone.
II is oil the utmost concern To every
taxpayer in the city and to every
citizen who desires TO see RocL Isi
and continue in its onward march.
People who look deep into the mat.
ter see underlying it al! something
oil vastly more Importance than the
paving OF a single street. They real.
ize that in the course of the events
which have marked the recent PROG.
ress Of Rock Island, a crisis has
come. The consequence is that there
is probably more interest in this sin
Gle proposition than has ever attended
aPnbiic Improvement in Rock Isiaed
before. The course OF the aldermen
was never more closely scrutinized
than mt the present time. and bv
their votes next Monday night they
Will record themselves on the matter
ofPublic improvements in Rock ISL
and. and so they will be rightly
Judged. The main issue is SO broad
IN its scope and Significance. so far
reaching in the effect of its fate, that
no objection, especially il it be the
mere interposition of selfish inter.
ests who would have public welfare
subservient to that which concerns n
few individuals, should be taken into
consideration.
Up to the present time The ARGrs
believes the first negative vote is to
be east in the Rock Island council on
an ordinance to pave. At the same
time the instance is the first wherein
any attempt has been made to effect
any thing like pronounced opposi-
ton to proposition to pave. And
as ii has been said heretofore. n
shirt of fairness to those VINO have
in the past borne The burden of nav
ing in other portions of the city
without a murmer. spirit of uni
versal consistency. as well as a spirit
OF public pride and local pride. surely
points to each alderman the course
of duty. In is self-evident, there
fore. that il would not only be pub
lie misfortune to defeat this further
extension of our paving system, but
1t would be gross injustice to tax
payers everywhere. for the oppres-
sion that comes to She landowner on
seventeenth street, no matter how
great because of extensive possess
sions that may not now he improved,
Is no greater than has been the load
that has already fallen on small prop
erty-holders in other parts of the
city. whose only possession was an
humble home. which. like the more
fortunate landowner. happened to
be on thoroughfare that the city
desired to pave.
Other Dcns fits tn Come.
But there are other benefits 10
come from the permanent i'm
provement of Seventeenth street.
aside from the advantage to be
gained in the establishment of pre-
cedent. The paving of Seventeenth
street will in the first place open up
a new main street 10 the suburbs.
1t will give the farmer a better thor
oughfare into Rock Island. 1t will
bring suburban property such as has
for 30 many years been an eyesore to
the community. nearer the city. and
encourage its improvement, leading
20 the building of new homes. and the
laying out o: president ncighborhoods.
where mp to now has spread bar
rem waste. 1t will give employment
TO labor. not only in the
putting in of this particular
Job Of pavement. but in other
similar undertakings to come in flu
iure years. and which will be just as
blocked if the obstruc-
Zionist is permitted to triumph in
this instance. 1t will result in the
building Of new houses by the hun
dreds to the south of us. and the con-
-equent employment of labor in all
these operations.
In view of all these facts SO appar-
ent to one who gives the matter the
it is worthy of, it is
hardly to be doubted that the coun-
ellis attitude will not be at variance
with that which has unerringlt
its course with reference to
public Improvements.