Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1899-03-23
THREE TIMES MORE.
Amount of Paving Under Medill
and That Done by Nc.
Conochie.
MORNING PAPER BADLY MIXED

4
Work of Permanent Street Improve
| ment One of the Best Evidences
of the Present Mayors Progressive
sririt-CIty Clerk Huesing and the Mu-
| nIcIpaI Records.
| In a discussion of municipal affairs.
under the heading, "Accounta bilitv,n
the Union of this morning exhausts
much effort and consumes consider
able space. but considering the OBJ
iect, the contribution which is de
signed to be timely one TO the liter
allure of the pending municipal cam
paign. it falls ridiculously short. As
an argument in favor of McConochie,
it enumerates the paving improve
mentS made under his administration
of four years, ard then with disre-
gard for the facts that is almost as
amusing as it is surprising. it COM
ments on the succession of Mayor
Medill to the effect that paving went
on in diminishing degree, and then
when Mayor Knox came into the
mayoral chair sidewalk improve
ments became prominent feature,
and Mayor Medill. rejected in 1897,
found this to be good work and con-
! tinued it his first year, and in the
| second wear turned his attention to
the construction of a reservoir, -
and which latter it would like
| just at this particular moment to
show is not all that it was promised
to be were il not for the popularity of
the enterprise with all classes of peo-
pie who regard it as one of the great
est achievements that has distin-
guished a city the size of Rock Island,
and one that has brought the city
10 the attention of the scientific
world. But as to the comparison
in the matter of paving Improvements
For all that MaVor McConochie accom-
plished during his time in Office in
the way of public improvements none
would detract one ounce of credit,
but even though the morning paper
would make this campaign on the
strength of public improvements, it
should continc itself to the facts. In
the four years that Mayor McConochie
served paving was put in as follows:
Second avenue Gall short iobs): Four
teenth to Twentieth: East and West
| Seventeenth streets; Fifteenth and Six
1 /.
Twentieth, First: Ninth; Moline ave-
nue., Twentieth to Moline line; Third
avenue, Ninth to Twentv-fourth;
mercial alley, and commenced Fourth
avenue.
| What MediII Did.
In the two wears of Mayor Medill's
| first administration. Immediately fol-
i In hn Of INN
ments shows the following: Finished
Fourth avenue from First to Twenty
Fourth; Twenty-fourth, Third to Fifth
Eighteenth street, Thir'kto seventh
Twentieth street, Ninth to Eigh-
teenth: Sixth avenue, Nineteenth to
ITwentieth: Seventeenth and Nine
enteenth street. Fourth to Ninth:
Nineteenth street, Fourth to Seventh
lTwenty-third street Third to south
of Ninth two blocks on Sixth avenue;
lSiXteenth street, Third to Fifth-and-a-
half: Fifth avenue, Seventeenth to
Eighteenth; also laid out Improvement
of Thirtieth street, Fifth to Seventh
ISeventh avenue, Seventeenth to Tween
lty-third; Twelfth street, Fourth to
Eighteenth. and alleys between Fiji
| leGDIn anu lNcnIleiu anu / llSI ana
| Fourth avenues.
In addition to this, the system of
sidewalks which the Union SAYS was
the main characteristic of the subse-
quent administration was inaugurated
| bv Mayor Medill. and was well under
way when he retired from office. Then
came the two years of the Knox ad-
ministration, and when Mayor Medill
reentered upon the duties of mayor in
| 1897 he started again the system of
public improvements, not only carry
inc on the work of sidewalk building
which had been started by him. but
taking up the question of permanent
streets where he had left it. The
work has gone steadily forward since.
Seventh avenue to Elm, the latter
thoroughfare from Seventh avenue TO
the city limits, bringing the total paw
ing successfully carried through under
the terms of his service, up to II
miles, as against less than a third
of that done under McCOnoche in the
same period of time in office.
A. tn THE CITY ACCOUSTs