Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-03-12
WASWISELY SPENT
The County's $4,000 Appro-
priated for Hospital Site.
Law FULLY AUTHORIZED THE ACT.

Law FULLY AUTHORIZED THE ACT.
Chairman Carey Of the Beard Of Super
visors Explains 1t Length the Proprissy
Of the Course In Making This Investment
to Secure the State Institution.
The ARGUS received last evening
from Chairman W. &. Carey, of the
board Of supervisors, the appended
communication. accompanied by a
note requesting its publication, in
view OF the fact that its object was to
explain to q number of inauiring
citizens of the county as to the au-
thority under which the board of SUI
pervisors appropriated $4,000 for
the Western Insane hospital site:
CARBON CLIFF, March lO.-The
years 1895 and 1896 will be memora
be in the future history of Rock Is
land county. years that will mark
the date OF the beginning and in
some instances the ful6llment and
completion Of transactions and i'm
provements which are and will be OF
vast and perpetual importance and
benefit to her citizens. In the cate
cory Of improvements embodied in
these transactions will refer to four
that are of most importance and
which lie nearest to the interest of
the people Of the county at large
FIRST. the building Of the new Court
House; second. the building Of the
new government postoffice building
at kock Island. Both these build
ings will be completed ready for oc-
cuPaucy before the close of the pres
ent year. Third. the laying out and
plating of the new town of East Mo.
line. with two large factories already
completed, one running to its full
now and other factories
ready to build as soon as spring
opens, and the future OF the town an
assured success beyond any doubt;
fourth. the location at Watertown of
the Illinois Western Hospital for the
Insane This last is q matter OF great
to the citizens of our
county for it means the expenditure
OF $4,000 in our midst within the
next year or two at farihest, and the
e employment Of great number Of
men. We have reason to believe
that the work will be pushed along
as rapidly IS possible, as Trustee
Medtil is gentleman who is wide
awake to the interest of Rock Island
county and has the energy to make
things move when the proper time
comes. Gov. Altgeld is also greatly
in having the work move
along as fast as possible and is deter.
mined that in all particulars this
hospital shall be second to none in
the United States.
What tho Bill Provided.
The bill passed by the Legislature
Tor the location and erection OF the
new hospital among other things pro.
vided that gifts of money, freight
lands, or other property might DO
offered as the consideration for the
location OF site. In the contest by
The several counties for the location
Of the site, Rock Island county proved
to be the winner. The County Board
Of this county, as well as did the
county boards of several other coun.
ties, offered q money consideration
Tor the location Of the site in accord.
,nce with the provisions of the bill.
This act Of our County Board was
by ali the public spirited
men Of the county and backed and
aided by the press aud the business
mems associations. all realizing the
benefits which would accrue to the
county at large by reason of the
location of the hospital in our coun-
~. And yet with this fact in view
aud one which cannot successfully
be contracicted we find some of our
citizens assa,ling the County Boa-d
and charging them with doing an
illegal act in making the appropria.
ton OF $4,000 toward securing a site
for the hospital. And As the political
pot b gins to boil for our spring elec-
tions this $50 termed ~ some) great
illegal transaction is used to try to
defeat tie return of the Supervisors
whose term expires this spring.
Before going in to the legal phase
OF this question, it will be necessary
TO go back over the records OF
our county and learn the conditions
existing twelve years ago. We find
at the September meeting, 1881. OF
'hs County Board that the fioance
committee reported an Indebtedness
against the county of $65 coo aud
recommended that the question OF
levying . special tax for the payment
Of this Indebtedness be submitted to
the people 1t the Novcmb Der election
following. as the limit by law,
OF IS cents on each $l00 worth Of
property, was not sufficient to pay
the current expenses of the county
and the Indebtedness. The question
was voted upon and carried aud since
1888 TO the present time excepting
the year 1889 the tax payers OF this
county have paid . special mill tax.
And on the 4th of November 1895,
when the County Board voted to ap.
ProPriate 100000 toward the pur-
chase OF . hospital site there was .
surplus in the general fund Of the
county Of sss .O79. 20. In referring to
the legal right Of the Board to make