Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1899-08-24

II
| Understands the Significance of Its sun
/ day Move.
As was presumed would be the con-
sequence of the check mating of the
Sunday caper of Promoter Blair in
his attempt to seize rights upon the
Rock Island river front, the Daven-
port press is now devoting its energies
TO berating the city of Rock Island
and the people here. Whenever
the Terminal company falls down in
any design in Rock Island or Moline
it's officers run to the Davenport pa
pers and indulge in a little squeal
about how very mean and inconsider-
ate this side of the river is. Now
here comes one of the Davenport pa
pers of last evening with this trash:
Next Sunday the Terminal company
will put in it's crossing over the tracks
of the Rock Island IL Peoria at Seven
teenth street in Rock Island. 1t was
to have been done last Sunday, but
Mayor McConochie, thinking to make
a grand stand play, got out the police
and stopped it. He thought that as
the work was being done on Sunday
it surely must be some sort of put up
q anne, and in the hopes of curryiug ia
VJr with n few that have been lighting
him and his administration he rushed
out and stopped it. But the fact of
the matter was that an ordinance had
been passed two years ago or there
abouts, granting the Terminal COM
pany the right to cross, and Sunday
was chosen as the day for the work
so as not to interfere with the Peoria
trains, under an agreement with that
company. Mayor McConOchie has
crawled into his shell, but the funny
part of it is that his political enemies
fell into the little play, not, however,
because they loved the mayor moe,
but they loved the Terminal company
and it's interstate improvements less.
Some people will get gay"
Rubbish though this may be, it is a
mild coincidence that it bears out the
boast made by Mr.. Blair in Rock ISL
and that he knew fully what he was
doing when he cut into the First ave-
nue. tracks last Sunday morning, and
that he proposes to carry out his de-
sign there, maintaining that in so
doing he is fully sustained by ordi-
nance. There is no disposition in
Rock Island to interfere with Mr..
Blair in the enjoyment of any rights
accorded him, Notwithstanding that
he has failed to keep faith with the
CITY, but from experience the council
has learned that there is apt to be a
serious disparagement in the rights
sought in ordinance form and those
outlined in the blue print. From the
best that can be learned the present
blue print exhibits of the rights Mr..
lafy n fol hot har- orr, n
under the representation that they
are already his by ordinance, are
pretty much on the order of those
sought by the rejected ordinance of
some months ago, when the council
took it's firm stand against invasion
OF the levee, only that they are in a
more modified form, but providing
for strip in the new levee at the foot
of Seventeenth street, ust the same.
1t is not so much how the object of
the Terminal company's purpose is at
tanned so that it is accomplished. Let
the company once get a track into the
strip in question, and the city can
whistle until it is removed. The talk as
to ordinance rights already conceded,
such as would authorize the invasion
of the new levee in particular, is pure
bluff. But none should be permitted
to defy the city to the point of gain
ing rights and bring on a fight to
hold them afterward. In a word, if
there is going to be a fight the city
may as well begin it by defending
herself.
Right VIII Always be Sustained.
The disparaging comments the Dav-
export paper INDUCES in with refer
ence to Mayor McConochie is mere
balderdash. As The ARGUS has main
tanned on former occasions, political
to do not weigh where the
performance of public duty is in
volved, and Mayor McConOchie will
be just as earnestly sustained in hold
ing grasping corporation with an
iron hand as he would be condemned
were he to surrender to the city's
rights to that corporation. Mayor
McConochie's predecessor in office
stood firmly for the city when this
question was up before, and the
council sustained him. The Terminal
company then subsidized. until it re-
newed its purpose last Sunday in the
shape of straight bluff. The mayor
interfered, as was his duty. The |
council should and will uphold him in
guarding the city's interests and well
fare, and an alderman who would fail
to do so would be Just as unworthy
of his office as would be one who |
would back the executive in abandon |
ing himself to the unj ust claims of
the Terminal or any other corpora
ton.
Once more. this is a case where il
is the city first.
To Consumpttyes.