Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1900-04-10
Adopted the Best Course.

Inc hOck 1Sldnu CITY COUNCIL laSi
evening adopted the only business.
like and practical course for the dis
position of the leyee warehouse prob
lem. There is no doubt that to many
the new river front free from incum-
brances of any kind has appealed
since the permanent Improvement
was made there. The ARGUS, as it
has heretofore stated, was one of
those originally entertaining this
hope. But there came a new phase
of the situation when the business in
terests of Rock Island, first through
various of the merchants, and finally
through concerted action voiced
through the Merchants association,
gave evidence of the fact that a ware
house was needed. The question
then naturally arose as to how best to
meet these new conditions with fair
ness to the merchants, to whom the
council ought to listen, and respond
to the best of it's ability, and still
guard the rights of the taxpayers
whose investment is represented in
the best levee on the Mississippi.
Certainly the petition of the mer-
chants could not be given favorable
consideration with justice to the tax
payers, generally, if it meant the
giving away TO private uses, by lease
or otherwise, of any part of the i'm
proved levee. 1t became readily
apparent to all who gave the matter
serious thought that the solution of
the problem could only be reached in
this wise: To ascertain first, if the
business interests of the city were
suffering because ofinadequ ate steam
boat facilities, and if so the city must
provide and assert control over such
accommodations as were to come re-
sponsive to the merchants prayer.
The more the situation was inquired
into, the more evident it became that
the business of the city was affected
and was affected entirely by reason of
insufficient warehouse privileges on
the levee for the short packet trade.
And yet the only proposition before
the city was from the Diamond 10
Packet company, that had kept away
from Rock Island for year without
hurting the city in any way, and
which now sought a lease of the
most valuable strip of the new levee
for period of % years for the annual
rental of 81. The granting of such
cally to the abandonment of public
property, to private interests
and the exclusive control OF
the best part of the new river
front. And on the other hand.
the short packets, in which the
merchants were solely interested.
would be left no better off than they
were before, except as they might be
accommodated through the grace of
the larger corporation that for a sea-
son sought studiously to do Rock ISL
aud as little good as possible.
These were the circum stances. The
question that confronted the city was
one of responsibility; theories gave
place to conditions, and preferences
and tastes to principle and duty The
situation was still in the keeping of
the city. Was it to turn over the key
to private interests and still leave the
perplexing question unsettled? The
alderman could take but one
view of TIE case, ana that was for the
city to be broad enough to grasp an d
handle the situation, and dispose of it,
not only as it concerned the present,
but with look into the future.
And that was what was done last
night. Every alderman who voted in
behalf of the municipal ownership
voted in behalf of the merchants and
in behalf of the city at large. Every
alderman so doing is praised today
for his course. and that praise will be
redoubled as future developments
the wisdom of the act.