Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-11-04
TOO MUCH THIS TIME
That Was What the Bridge and
Terminal Company
Asked For.
COUNCIL Is FORCED TO DECLINE.

An Extraordinary Request Which the City
Did Right to Refuse-Levee Must BE
Preserved for the General Commercial
Interests of Rock Island For All Time
to Come.
The extraordinary rights sought by
the Davenport, Rock Island & North
western-otherwise the Bridge &
Terminal company-on the levee by
way of resolution at yesterday after
Moons council meeting, and which
would have amounted to the practi-
cal deciding away of what is left of the
levee east of Seventeenth street, were
declined by the council before its adj
iournment. Mayor Medill and the
majority Of the aldermen were of one
accord on the refusal of the PROPOSE
ton. F. p. Blair. the energetic and
good -natured promoter of the termin-
al project, was much surprised, and
with the councils atti-
tude, but upon reflection he will not,
it is believed, harbor the thought that
he has been unfairly treated in Rock
Island. On the contrary, he has
been givea freely all the rights that
he has asked here-every essential ia
ducement to his enterprise being Of
fered by the city. and franchises worth
of dollars have been laid at
his feet. He has had but to ask to
receive. and for one who has had but
his own word to offer as to the beae
tit to come to the city from the con-
granted him, he should feel
that Rock Island has laid herself out
to bid him welcome and good cheer.
Ii Is not to be said that this should
not BE- so. Rock Island has made .
for opening her doors to
the world and bidding them welcome.
She has opened her highways and by |
ways to contiguous territory and bid |
all to enter. She has tied no strings |
to those who are within. She is Ca
Dable of holding her own, and rival |
rites possess no terrors to her. She has |
N spirit proven herself greater than |
any of her neighbors every time the /
est has been applied.
Mr.. Blair adopted peculiar methods
when he came to Rock Island seeking
priceless franchises. lie took no one
INTO his confidence and gave no sub
stantial guarantee as to how the city
vas to profit. Yet none stood in his
vav. The city took her chances. and
hose who failed to enthuse should not
De blamed because they neither aided
Tor discouraged that which they knew
lot of.
Opposition to the Leyee.
The undercurrent of opposition to
he levee improvement which char
.cterized Mr.. Blair from the time he
caiped n foothold in Rock Island wa
source of great disappointment 10
hose who were prepared to believe in
lin, and who We're yearning for sub
tantial evidence that the highest
md best public interests had been Sc
cured by the city's kindly disposition
oward him. But Mr.. Blair was from |
he first opposed to the levee improve
nent. Nobody knew why, but such
vas the case Just the same. In any
went he desired it put off, and it is
lot giving him too much credit to say
hat he succeeded in having it put OFF
It time when it had reached its
most critical stage. But the
was too great TO
~ side-tracked, too important to be
mt down. and it came on. At last it
cached n point where Mr.. Blair was
obliged to show what he wanted-and
what he did want was the entire levee.
because the city refused this. it does
lot follow that she is not ready to fur
her encourage Mr.. Blair in reason
bic concessions. BY his works he
Ias shown that there is something
more than talk in his enterprise. He
as spent thousands of dollars here
nd has demonstrated that he has
ubstantial backing. How far Rock
stand will be aided by what is back