Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-11-23
TALKING OF TRACKS.
Councils All Important Duty Rel
alive TO the Additional
Switch.
LOOKING OUT FOR TIE LEvEE

The Granting OF the Ordinance Contin-
gency After all Views of Avoiding it Are
exhausted Then the Railroads
Ought TO Contribute to the General I'm
proVement.
The city council will investigate a
question of great Importance to the
city next Friday afternoon. when it
viii look into the proposed additional
switch track on the levee. The Ordi-
nance which the Burlington has
submitted in lieu of the rejected Ter
minal application, while less obiec-
tionable in many essential particulars
than the one attempted, provides for
a contingency which The ARGUS could
not consistently or conscientiouslv
view with favor if there is any posi-
BILE way to avoid it. Representative
of the railroad interests involved have
assured THE ARGUS that in this ordi-
nance resides the only solution of the
relation of the railroads to the levee
on Il basis of mutual satisfaction.
They offer the pledge that as far as in
them lies the proposed switch shall
not prove hindrance or detriment
the river, that it shall con, = strict
ly to the established grade of the
paved extension from one end to the
other. and at no time will ears be per
mitted to stand on the track across
the street nor TO block the levee.
Mayor Medill spoke golden words to
the council when at last Monday
nights session he advised the alder
men net to be guided by blue
prints. but to go over the
ground and look fully into the actual
significance of the rights solicited.
The aldermen may well heed the
mayors wise suggestions in this par
ticular, and they Will do well to as
certain to their own satisfaction that
there is no other way out of the exist
ing situation than the granting of the
switch before the responsibility is as
sumed.
The ARGUS would not stand rs iu-
objections or seeking to OBJ
struct necessary rights to any rail
road, but it does regret to see the
prospect of the new levee being cut
up before it is fairly completed, and
il feels that this should only be per-
mitted as a last resort, and that then |
in a manner that will bind the rail |
roads that gain the advantages to con- |
tribute toward the Improvement in |
general.
The Poor Terminal Company.
"A conference between the represen-
tatives of railroads having rights on
the Rock Island levee and the Bridge |
company seems likely to lead to an
agreement that will give the Terminal |
Il fair chance to get into the
town across the river. Davenport
Democrat.
This is twaddle. Never has corpor-
ltion enjoyed more privileges for the
asking than has the Terminal company
n Rock Island. 1t is already in this
own, has received everything reason
lble it has asked for, and there is no
'eason that it should not continue
%, where it is consistent with
general public interest. But re-
,ently when it sought the lions share
If the levee it was called down by the
council aud it came very near getting
ntO a position here il would get
nothing more. The other corpora
ions having interests on First avenue
rot together with the Terminal COM
,any and sought a solution of the
into which the Terminal
had gotten itself. The re-
ult was the presentation of the ordi-
lance by the Burlington now under