Rock Island Argus., 1899-06-06


He Can Operate the Municipal Govern
ment Himself.
Majority members of the city coup
Gil concluded last night that, mas
much as Mayor McConOchie is deter
mined to run matters with high
hand, their participation in the meet
ings of the municipal assembly is
useless. The mayor has not only dis
regarded every act of the council,
seeking on all possible occasions to
insult the aldermen, but resolutions
that should have received executive
attention, have been turned over in
discriminatory to republican coun-
cilmen to execute, regardless of
the expense entailed. Neverthe-
less the democratic aldermen have
withstood a great deal of indignity in
hopes that a compromise might be
effected. But any hope that may
have been entertained in that direc-
ton was dispelled recently, when a
committee representing the council,
composed of Aids. G. w. As
ter and III. l.. Wheelan. called
upon Mayor McConochie at his home
and submitted that, for the best in
terests of the city. a compromise
ought to- he reached. The mayor,
however, treated the aldermen in
differently. lie told them in the
most arbitrary and dictatorial
manner possible that none of his
appointments would he changed un-
der any circumstances. Therefore
he could see nothing to be gained by
attempting to bring about an under
standing between himself and the
majority of the council, unless the
alderalcn were disposed to add some
men to the police department, in
which event his honor would allow
the aldermen to fill the new positions.
Expensive Proposition.
The committee, however, could not
see that it was serving the interests
of taxpayers to increase the police
department expenses in order that the
council might get n small percent
age of the appointments-and so
withdrew. After this Interview
the majority aldermen decided that
further sessions of the council
were useless, at least until such
time rs the mayor showed some in
dication of a disposition to be fair and
to accord TO the council the rights and
powers that constitutionally belong
TO il.
The ARGUS does not apI rove OF the
idea of blocking legislation under any
circumstances. Yet the aldermen
feel that there is nothing to he gained
bv attending the meetings of a coun-
ell whose acts are ignored by the
mayor, and who seems to be disposed
to continue to usurp all the authority
that is vested in every branch of the
municipal government.
A rumor that has been current
for n few days is that arrange
ments have been made with n citizen
To cash ut n discount the orders on the
city from the McConochie illegal APP
pointees. The payroll compiled for
submission at last nights meeting of
the council did not contain a single
one of the names of the officers Sc
lected by the mayor in defiance of the
ma lority of the municipal assembly.
This in itself is proof that the mayor
knows deep down in his own heart
that these men are not legally con-
stituted officers and not entitled to
pay.
in vain for three days last week for
Mayor McConochie, their purpose
being to, if possible, adjust difreren-
ces before the regular meeting night
(Monday), but the executive could
not be found. He was either out OF
town or attending to private business.
When Mayor McConochie raped
for order at $50 last night those
answering the roll call were Aids.
johnson, Willis, Soderstrom, Gall,
Freed and COncannOn. a recess was
thereupon taken until $50. There
had not been any new arrivals. so the
meeting was adjourned for want of Il
quorum until tomorrow night.
Aid. Aster's Explanation.
Aid. George w. Aster was seen by
an ARGUS representative and asked
why the democratic members of the
city council did not attend the meet
ing of the city council last night.
MIR. Aster replied that the democratic
mem bers have felt ever since the in
auguration of Mayor McConochie that
by reason of their being in a majority
| in the city council he was under obliga-
tions to recognize their rights, but
that he persistently ignored them.
That when they failed to confirm his
appointments he arbitrarily, without
right of law or precedent, removed
the entire police force and other dem
ocratic cappointees. nd when asked WHY
he did so he refused TO give any good