Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-07-24
PRIDE OF PUBLIC.
The Watch Tower and the In.
terest In 1t.
A SOURCE OF COMMON ENJOYMENT.

pie OF Sears, But For the Entire Conn
munity-The Obstruetionists and What
HAY BE the Oatcone.
C.. II. Dibbern. of Sears, has
furnished the Union the second COM
munication setting forth the contro-
versy between the Tri-City Railway
company and the town board there
relating to the Wa.ch Tower, from
the Sears standpoint. In this COM
municatiou Mr.. D.bbern complains
of the change of the grade for the
electric road to the Tower without
permission, of disorderly crowds and
of Objectionable and illegal attrac-
tions-and the appointment of a
special deputy sheriff without the
consent of the Sears town board. and
lastly accuses the Fri City Railway
company of inspiring the position of
the tfi-city press toward the Sears
people in the existing situation and
SAYS if the papers continue Ito cast
slurs, demanding and threatening"
he fears q settlement is long way
off, but that it could have been made
Immediately after the fire.
Facts as known.
There are certain Inconsistencies
in MIR. Dibbern's letter that it is not
necessary for the street railway
company to correct, as the facts are
known TO the general public. As to
the change in the tracks the town.
ship commissioners passed fully
upon and approved OF everything
done by the street railway people
long before the Incorporated village
of Sears was thought q, and the
street car company not only laid out
new roads for all encroached upon, but
| Dridged the tracks and otherwise
improved the highways of the town
ship fully in accordance with the
specifications and agreement. Re-
| garding disorderly crowds, the APP
pointment of the special deputy
sheriff. which is now complained
about, was with the view to prevent
ing such unhappy occurrences, the
street car com pany seeking to have
the advantage of an officer always on
duty and not depending upon town
authorities, who might be absent at
the very time when needed. AS to
aoy unlawful attractions. THE ARGUS
stated at the time that these were
regretted by the street car company
and were promptly suppressed by it
when it became acquainted with
their existence, that they were
permitted by the Tower man.
agement, but were. NEVERTHELESS,
lquickly put a stop to by the stree,
railway company, which has had a
single aim from the first to make
the Tower clean and respectable,
as well as attractive place. Indeed,
this is one reason why it protests
against the interference on the part
of the Sears board, Tor corporation
that can license one thing can Ii.
cense another, and who can say thai
a wear from now the Sears board
may not be so constituted that such
institutions as the Tower manage
ment is contending most against
may be licensed to exist immediate.
" outside OF the Tower grounds tC
work rs great in jury to the Towers
Reputation rs if they were locates
within the company's limits?
The Attitude OF the Press.
The attitude of the press, about
which Mr.. Dibbern complains, is no
unnatural, although the papers or
the Davenport side have been a littl,
more anxious and energetic to show
fight than they would have been hat
the scene Of the controversy beer
within Scott county. Nevertheless.
, the people of Sears should bear in
midland THE ARGUS believes tina
r most of them know-that the Towe
is an attraction in which the cntir,
D community takes interest and pride
Davenport depends upon it, as i
does on the government island
which is also in Illinois, as park
and having indeed the same feeling
toward both tina. Rock Island an,
Moline have. In the same spiri
! comes the resentment of everythin,
that would tend to obstruct the per
. lection of one of these ideal spots
Would not the people of Sears con
denim policy on the part OF Daven
port that would Cypress, if it could
any move to restore any OF the mui
tiplicity ofattractions of Rock ISLAM
arsenal? In the three cities the con
duet of the Sears town bosrd towar
the Tower is looked upon as purel
combative of the public good. an
when obstructionists appear, let
he said to Mr.. Dibberp, no other in
centive is necessary to bring out tn
condemnation of the press.
As to how readily the. stree
Z car company could have settled wit
D the town board of Sears the day afte
the fire, The ARGUS cannot speal
For the other papers it cannot sa
as to the street car company inst
eating any attacks on the Sears b ard
but for itself. The ARGUS declare
most emphatically, in repetition {
what has been said before, that Nj
Lsrdner not only discouraged an
reference to the Sears situation, bu
asked as favor that nothing !
said whatever about it, and Til
ARGUS respected that wish until III
first letter appeared from the tow