Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1900-06-05
OFF AGA|N-ON AGAIN.
Levee Warehouse Site Changed
and Then ReestabIished at
Nineteenth.
COMMITTEE PLAN Is DIsAPPR0VED.
Andrews Disputes Mayors Au.
thority..Council Side
Lights.

the levee. the city council at O'Clock
this afternoon reestablished the loca-
ton of the proposed steamboat ware
| street.
| Mayor William McConochie and
Aid. Frank Andrews, chairman of the
license and markets committee, came
within an ace of locking horns at last
nights council meeting over the loca-
ton of the levee warehouse. One in
teresting oratorical round was
spared. His honor won in a walk.
The result was the council was down on
the river front this afternoon endeav-
posed steamboat warehouse.
Following is the communication,
delivered by the mayor, that struck
Brother Andrews in the solar plexus:
In the first place. upon the pas
sage of this ordinance, it was gener-
ally understood, or at least it was by
me, it was for the accommodation of
all the steamboat companies landing
at our wharf; now, upon the other
hand, if l was mistIk en-, and it, was
the intention of the city council to
grant the Acme Packet company the
exclusive right to erect warehouse
anywhere upon the improved levee,
which they might select, regardless
of the width and depth of the chan
mel, or as to the rights and views of
other steam boat interests, or the peo-
pie generally, l think the ordinance
should specify. If there is any dis
position on our part, acting as city.
to kill off the Diamond 10 company
and drive it from our shores. let US
do it openly and above board, and
tell the company why we are doing it,
and that we do not want it's boats to
land here at all. While we are not
responsible for the views of individ-
uals, the city as a whole is friendly
to all of them. We want them all
to come, and we must treat them de-
cent and right and all alike. And if
they will not agree under one roof.
and never thought they would, we
must do the next best thing-give
each of them the right to erect a su t.
able building on the levee wherever
they may select. or tell them no,
you cannot build unless you build
just where we say l ain of the
opinion, and always was, no matter
whether the city or some of the
steamboat companies built the ware
house, any company that did not like
the location, rules or terms, would not
patronize it, no matter how many
arbitrators were selected. This ordi-
nance says right in the first section
that the city council shall locate the
warehouse. Now if the city council
wishes the Acme company to build
it's warehouse on the west line of
Nineteenth street, include it in the
ordinance, then the location will be
final. do not believe this ordinance
will accomplish what the council in
tended it should, to accommodate all
lines. For these reasons l return the
ordinance to your honorable body
without my approval"
Andrews quotes the Law.
Aid. Andrews inquired of the mayor
if his communication was to be con-
sideIed as a veto of the ordinance.
He was informed it meant that very
same thing. Aid. Andrews said, if he
interpreted the statutes correctly, the
time in which the mayor had power to
veto had expired, and proceeded forth
with to produce the law in support of
his contention. The statutes do say
the mayors veto must be applied with
in five days following the date on
which the ordinance is adopted. The
mayor replied it was the first time he
had opportunity to communicate off,
ciallv to the council. He had followed
the custom that had always been OBJ
served by the Rock Island council.
His honor further reminded the Third
ward alderman it was for the council
and not the license and mar
kets committee to locate the |
warehouse. Mr.. Andrews answered |
the committee was Empowered by res
olution to locate the warehouse. The |
mayor said the ordinance provi ded |
that the house should be located by |
the council. Aids. Kennedy and Rob- |
bins stated that they understood the |
spirit of the ordinance was to accom- !
modate all steamboat interests. 1t |
looked to them as if the location was |
made to accommodate selfish interests. |
Mr.. Andrews said he knew of no sell |
fishness in the matter. Before the
Nineteenth street site was decided on
by the committee all the steam boat
interests expressed themselves as sat-
isfed. Capt. Streckfus would not 1
build at Seventeenth street because
the landing was coarse and injured
his boats.
The majority of the alder
men favored Seventeenth street as
the location of the warehouse The
mayors veto was unanimously sus-
tanned by a vote of the council. The
ordinance was reconsidered upon mo-
ton of Aid Anderson 1t was then
decided that a special meeting of the |
council be held al 2 o'clock this after
noon to locate the steam boat ware
house in accordance with the provis- J
ions of the ordinance
As far as the view taken by the
L. k:a rrassara L. cnnnarnaA