Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1900-03-31
HOLD C|TY'S CONTROL
Rock Island Not Likely to Aban.
don a Principle on the
LeVee.
NOW MASTER OF THE SITUATION

To Surrender This Advantage Would BE
An Outrage On the Taxpayers whose
Investment In the Improvement Should
He scrupuIously Gurded-Justicet to All
Steamboat Interests.
The subject of municipal owsership
as applied to public utilities and the
most advantageous facilities for doing
business of a quasi-public nature,
has for some time Occasioned much
discussion and agitation. And while
the time may not yet be ripe to eX-
tend operation of such principles to
all public franchises, the tendency to
such a course has met with gener-
ally accepted favor the country
over. So pronounced has the inclin-
ton toward public control become
that the surrendering by municipal
tiles of such rights as they possess in
the regulation and control OF local
commercial facilities would not for an
instant be thought of. As an illus
tration of the change of popular sentl-
ment on the theory of municipal con-
troll of those institutions with which the
public has most to do, the Rock Island
waterworks affords case in point.
A few years ago the people of Rock
Island voted to dispose of the
waterwerks system. Yet. despite
the fact that the proposition carried
by majority of votes, the sale was
never effected. But it was neverthe-
less the spirit and inclination of the
people then to sell. Does any one
have any idea that such a suggestion
would be Endorsed now? So that
while the extension of the principle of
municipal owner. hip to public util-
tiles Omay not in a practical sense
apply at ;his time TO those institutions
that the city does not possess, it GER
tainly does to those that the city does
possess.
Municipal Ownership of the Levee.
The ARGUS believes in municipal
ownership and absolute control of the
river front. The city not only owns
the levee as it is today, but the money
of the taxpayers invested there has
been as an evidence of appreciation of
the value of such possession by the
city. To reiinquish the proprietary
riy hts on the levee, or any part thereof,
to any private corporation would be a
move contrary to public policy; it
=
ture that those involved in the commits
sion of it would never cease to see the
evidence of it, and never would fail to
regret it.
Let the city deal Justly with the
steamboat interests. Let it treat all
alike, regardless of the extent to which
any may have Disseminated against
the city because of the course that has
been pursued in the interest and for
the benefit of all. But the city can
not maintain itself in the position it
has so far taken by favoring particu-
larly the corporation that has acted in
an unfriendly spirit toward the city,
and placing at its mercy the other boat
interests that have been true to Rock
Island under all circumstances. In
deed were it possible to reconcile the
idea of any private warehouse rights
on the new levee with the maintenance
of the principle of municipal control,
a proposition from the two compan-
les that stood by us all last season,
while the larger one was keeping its
boats from touching here, would be
much more worthy of consideration.
The city, if so foolish as to be inclined
to abandon, by lease or otherwise,
any part of the levee to private con-
troll, would in the natural order of
things be great deal safer in repos
ing those rights in the hands of
friends, and permitting the other in
terests to make terms with them, than
in giving the unfriendly interests the
control of the situation, and compel
ling those that have been friendly to
seek the favor.