Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1899-01-31

of the three 10 inaugurate street
paving. 1t So happened : that
the proposition 10 provide permanent
streets assumed tangible SHAPE Just
at the time when the capitalists which
had come into possession of the street
railways had begun to realize that
they had made Il big investment under
a misrepresentation: that they had
| bought here cat in the bag, so TO
speak. Confronted by the fact that
not only tracks were to be entirely
relaid. and horse cars superseded by
electricity. the company might well
have appealed to the courts to deliver
it from il. friends. But the company
| took the bit in its teeth. said to the
three cities, We are here to do bust
ness with you and share any prosper
ity you may enjoy Go ahead with
your mprovements- We are with
YOU" Had the street railways gone
into the hands of receiver-that was
more than once regarded as its only
alternative in those days of reorgani
cation, reconstruction, discourage
ment and uncertainty-it would not
only have put an end to paving i'm
prOVements. A. the courts would have
guarded the rights of the stockhOld-
ers in the maintenance of the system
on a paying basis. but such a fate
would have been 4 blow to the repu-
tation of these three cities that they
would not soon have recovered from.
But the street railway company
| staid with us, and from the date it
decided so to do progress in the cities
of Rock Island, Moline and Daven-
port takes its date. With the union
of the tri-city railway interests came
new birth to the locality. And from
that time of springing into new life
this cluster of municipalities has gone
steadily forward. 1t has done so
largely at the expense of the street
car people. Such representative
union labor men as j. W. Cavanaugh
and j. L. Sexton. both natives of the
city, who have witnessed the transfer
nation in the street railways here
and the transformation that has been
wrought in the community stimuli
taneously. were well qualified to adj
vocate before the Labor congress that
the company had done enough to
have the endorsement of all think
ing organizations and people in
securing the reasonable rights it
asks. Similar sentiment found ex-
preston in the position of j.
f. Larkin and others. And this
was the view the labor con-
gress as whole took, appar-
emily. 1t is perfectly right and
proper that the company should
make certain stipulated concessions
in consideration of the advantages it is
to acquire. 1t realizes this. and as
The ARGUS understands it. stands
ready to pledge itself TO comply with
reasonable requirements. PIE
ARGUS the other night published a
list of some of the improv ementS for
the general good that had been volun
tarily promised. TIE ARGUS was the
advocate of fairness to the street rail-
| WAYS when they We're seeking more
| than they are now. and when men
| who are now among the company's
staunchest friends were opposed to
giving the rights prayed for. But the
spirit of justice prevailed, and the
people have reaped the advantage of
being Just. The street railway has
| been the good friend of this commun-
| ity ut a loss to itself for 10 years. If
IL more years than the limit of its
present franchise Will insure to it
such a new lease of life as it deserves
and needs to build itself up, and Incl
| dentally to continue to build up the
community of which it is part, that
extension ought not to be begrudged.
1t cannot be if the spirit of fairness
i to continue to be maintained.