Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-06-03
NOT FREE FOOTED.
City Officials Identified With
Corporations.
AS TO ATTORNEY AND EgGINEER

Both In the Employ of the Terminal Com.
pany IL IL Dimcait to Undersand Where
Rock Island Would Come In In q Dispute
Such as May he Likely.
If by the city making provision
for salaried engineer, as is now
contemplated, it can secure the in.
dependent. untrammeled services of
such an official at all times and un-
der all conditions and circumstances,
no matter who is being dealt with. the
plan will not only prove an econom-
ical one, bat an advantageous one.
But for neglect on the part OF CITY
Engineer Darling the levee improve
ment ordinance might have passed
the council at its last meeting. At
the meeting before that City Attor-
ney Haas stated emphatically that he
would have no time the week follow
ing to prepare the city's ordinance
for the improvement of First avenue
and the river front for presentation
at the council session Monday night.
Both Mr.. Haas and MIR. Darling
are in the employ in their respec-
tive professional capacities, Of
the Davenport & Rock Island
Bridge & Terminal company, and
while neither found an opportunity
last week to respond to the councils
wishes as to the river front, both
were more or less engaged in their
devotion to the interests of the Ter
minal company.
Because Messrs. Haas and Darling
have engaged their professional SER
vices to the corporation named it
does rot follow that they should be
reasonably charged, either with be-
traying the city or of neglecting
completely the city's welfare, nor 5
it the intention to imply that by rea-
son of their association with the mu-
nicipality they should under no cir
cumstances permit themselves to be
retained by anyone else. This much
is certain, however-the city ought
to come first, and where q corpora
ton is doing business with the city,
the officials supposed to represent
the city should either cease to repre-
sen the corporation or cease to repre-
sent the city.
| Unnecessary Delay.
There has been great deal of I'M
necessary delay in connection with
the river front improvement. Much
OF this has been due to the city en-
gineer. The city attorney has al
ways in the past made cheerful
i .poDSo m oyory ool;o;to,;oo m H.
part of the council to push public i'm
provements. and be it said to his
credit, much of the progress that
Rock Island has made in this direc-
tion-often in the face of discourage
ing obstacle --is due to his painstak-
ing work, his ability aud energy.
While there are many COM
| plications to be overcome to
insure the absolute success of the
river from: Improvement, none Of
them are of graver nature than
some of those which have ben sue
cessfully passed in the furthering of
permanent streets in other direc-
tons. But dilatory tactics and such
as have 50 far been employed in
some departments of the municipal
| ity will not win the new river
front. The apathy of the city
attorney and city engineer, the two
officials in which the city entrusted
most OF the preliminaries is not cal
culated to aid Rock Island in forging
ahead. What is needed to put the
levee Improvement ahead is enthus-
| iasm and determination. There are
countless excuses which can be pre-
scented why the city should not 60
ahead Just at this time, but there Is
one gres, contingency at stake which
sets them all aside-it is now, or
perhap, never. In this view of the case
any great sacrifice on the part of the
city to secure the protection of the
river front would be small in COM
parison with the great benefits to
the commerce and general welfare OF
the city for all time to come. Those
in the council. from the mayor down,
who have stubbornly fought this i'm
provement may be excusable on the
ground that they have not the f.cul-
ties for comprehension of what the
river is to Rock Island. and of the
Importance of putting it in desirable
shape for the approach of steamers
beiore-through the steady encroach-
ment Of corporations-there will be
| nothing left on which to build. The
ARGUS believes the water commerce
o! Rock Island will in the future be
one Of the greatest factors OF iss adj
vancement in industrial pursuits and
as jobbing center. and with the
completion of the Hennepin canal
and with the provision by the gov
eminent for new harbor Rock ISL
aud ought not to hesitate an instant
TO discharge its duty while it may.
Yet there are officials so short-sighted
as TO regard the river front as OF no
particular consequence now. and
others so Indifferent that action is
being delayed week by week and
month BY month.
shippers Realize IL.
One OF Rock Islands foremost
shippers stopped an Argus repre-
sentative this morning and said: al