Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-03-31
PROOF rs OFFERED.
The IIIegality ofthe Court House
Furniture Contract.
J0HNsoNs "UNrIRING EFFORT

Acknowledgment Of What He Did In His
Official Capacity for the Company He Is
Interested In-An Election Which Was
Taken as q vindication.
That Frank A. johnson has served
his city well in the board of SUPER
visors canno. be better attested than
by his untiring effort in securing the
contract for the court house furniture
for the Moline factory. Here in an
official capacity. as well as in his
business dealings. he again demon
strated that when Moline interests
are at stake his pride in his city
gives him an enduring zeal in its be-
half.-Moline Dispatch.
II any further proof were needed
Of the absolute illegality of the act
of the board of supervisors in award
ing the contract for the new court
house furniture as it did. here it is.
II has been held that the fact that
the contract was awarded in order 20
excuse Supervisors Johnson and
Ford. who have holdings of stock in
the Moline Furniture company. the
successful bidder, from voting, does
not give legal sanction to the trans
action. The statutes quoted from in
yesterdays ARGUS clearly demon
strates that the very fact of these
supervisors being interested in the
company raises the question of the
admissibility of proposition from
that company for consideration by
the board. But now comes the No
line paper quoted from commenting
Supervisor johnson for his untiring
effort in saving the contract for the
Moline factory, demonstrating, as the
paper says, in an official capacity as
in his business dealings his zeal in
behalf OF Moline.
| That Moline papers should rejoice
in that city having received the con-
tract for the furniture is natural and
if that contract had the sanction of
legality and evidence of fair dealings
there would be no question raised
whatever concerning it. The fittest
should survive, without regard to
locality or personal preference. AS
for The ARGUS, it would just as
promp ly condemn discriminating
and illegal transaction that had for
its object a purpose to favor Rock
Island, as it does one that gives any
other city the preference. The loca-
ton of factory cuts no figure. The
contract was let as it was to serve an
end. In order to accomplish that
aim the lowest responsible bid-no
matter where it came from. but sub
mitted in good faith-was trampled
under foot and the contract let &C
cording to the decree of those in
charge Of such transactions, without
regard to the constitutionality of the
act. Both Supervisors johnson and
company. and the Moline paper re-
ferred to boasts of the former having
done all that he could for that COM
pauy. The law is plain on this SUBJ
jcct. and requires no repetition. The
act is, therefore, discriminating, no
matter who may suffer unjustly, or
who may be favored unjustly-and
it is unlawful.
| EmbOidened by Last Years Vote.
| That the board of supervisors has
been more bold in its court house
transactions the past year than be-
fore is known 10 all who have
watched the proceedings. Prior to
the last election for supervisors THE
ARGUS contended that in view Of the
tran sactions with reference to the
court house, the star chamber ses-
sions the happenings during which
only few favored architects and
| stone mon wore pormittoJ RI lnnu
and the extreme partially shown in
the carrying out of cut and dried
plans in all that pertained to the
court house. there ought to be
break made in the board and new
members elected. The retiring
members we're renominated through
the same zeal on the part of Super
intendent 5. j. Collins that was ex-
erted for the denomination of the out
going supervisors this year, despite
the will of their respective wards.
year ago the old member we're
reelected. and not only they, but the
other members of the board hailed
the result as vindication, and they
have gone ahead with the methods
so much to their own liking and so
Indifferent as far as the public is
concerned, until they have wound up
with the illegal contract awarded
last Saturday.
| The time is now to call halt. and
1t is for the public to do it-with a
few new members elected it will be
possible to find out what is really
going on there.