Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-05-07

1 as men or good Judgment put as a rule they
are the most persistent in advocating the ap-
pointment OF disreputable men, who arc abso-
| lutely unqualified to I'LL any position, aud the
| very first TO condemn you when they fail tn
meet public approval. will say. however 1
| never took their advice TO any great extent
for l saw they either lacked judgment, were
dishonest or ignorant, and perhaps little OF
| both. in these matters.
1 IL Is an old saying and true one, no mat
| ter in what Language you clothe that all re-
| forms should commence at home. This fits
our case exactly only J would put IL in this
| way all reforms should originate in the
| homes and in the churches, and reformers
| themselves ought 10 set the example by re-
1 fusing to rent their property to disreputable
| characters for houses of prostitution simply
because tenants OF this character are always
| willing to pay good prices for desirable loca-
4 lions and always pay their rent They do not
1 want us 20 interfere with their tenants but
at the same time they are advocating the
policy of suppressing the social evil, convert
ing them with policeman billy.
The churches and the Christian people have
a duty to perform towards these people which
| they ignore. To get rid of them. do they
| want US to drown or hang them? II so. who
| Is 20 tell us where to draw the line and
whether II should not include the male as well
| as the female?
Now as to gambling. IT is bad must ad-
nit; it is human nature and the spirit OF the
| age to get something for nothing and one form
| is Just aswrong as another whether 1t is theboy
playing marbles for keeps or the stock broker
making his millions a corn wheat deal
on the Stock Exchange.
IL has a tendency to corrupt and demoralize
not only the youth but mankind generally in
all stations ana walks of life. 1t is a voice
that ought to be suppressed. whether prac-
ticed in the home. the social church circle the
club, the gaming room or saloon. even in
the vain endeavor of weak humanity to eN-
tract wealth from the delusive slot machine.
but what is considered genteei and Fashionable
in one case is called an abominable crime in
the other. and the strangest feature OF It all
is that the former class are the loudest in their
denuncation OF the latter the fact is. Il is all
gambling. no matter where it is practiced.
Fire Alarm
An independent fire alarm system ras- been
q sci SEED and talked about b. the public and
advocated by the press until il docs seem We
cannot Go without any longer. although
we have done nicely heretofore and at a
time when the city could better afford ii than
now. To me IL has always seemed to cost too
mrcl for all there is to 1t, few tink..uG
bells and gongs. a few apparatuses aId L. N' =.
some wire and few jars OF virtriol. costing
sl0.OO0n0. I may not be scientific enough TO
comprehend IL but Il looks as IL we would be
compelled TO pay 80 per cent for apparatus
and 80 per cent for patents. commissions and
rake offs II we must have II, why rot get
some honest man in that business TO set it
for us and pay him reasonable price 10: his
trouble. We know nothing about it.
PAID Fire Department.
Our Paid Fire Department is all right so
far IL goes bue does not go far enough.
IL ought to be taken entirely out of politics.
IL is supposed to be partially so now but it is
far from IL. Our system of appointing fire
men is bad. it has a tendency to destroy dlsci-
pline aud demoralize the department No
changes should be made. not even the chief
and his assistant. except for cause.
Our system is this: Outside of the chief
and his assistant. the Committee selects the
have aided them politically in the past
have a pull to aid their benefactors in the fu
turc regardless of their habits qualifications
or physical ability to perform the duties re-
quired of them in all emergencies. All these
appointments should be made by the chief,
who should also have the power to remove
them for cause when the best interests Of tho
department demand il. The chief should nc a
good experienced fireman. man OF good
moral character and habits. Of frmncss and
good executive ability lie should give bona
and ~ responsible to the Council for the
faithful performance of his official duties.
This rule might be applied to the police
force and in fac. to every department of the
City Government. II would be better for the
Mayor. Council and the people generally ~
the Mayor never had an appointment to make
except for cause or to hll vacancy.
Milan Bridges.
The proposition to make the Milan bridges
free deXtend the electric cars to Milan are
both Questions that commendable and
worthy of serious consideration but the pros
pect of their fulfillment Is apparently a long
way of in our present financial condition. 1t
requires remarkable financial skill to reduce
revenues and increase expenses at one and
the same time successfully. One of the
bridges has been condemned and must be
newed so says the Bridge Inspector. Mr..
-hn hy ha I
went over all of them in detail with him: he
pronounced them all weak, Notwithstanding
our extensive repairs last year. In his opin-
ion IL would not be long until they would all
have TO be renewed
The question OF free bridges would seem TO
be impossible under such conditions. but I
think our policy should be to apply every
dollar collected from farmers and the patrons
of these bridges on the Milan road and
bridges, not cent of IL should go into
the municipal treasury. All the surplus
should be put into sinking fund to renew
bridges when worn out. Also the Milan road
from Ninth street to Milan is worn out and
will have to be rebuilt. no extensive repairs
have been made there since 1856. 1t will take
every dollar received from tolls during tho
next ten years to make the needed repairs.
street improvements.
The question of street improvement is one
OF the most pcrplexing problems the NUM-
cipality has to solve Under our present sys-
tenn all permanent improvements must be
done by special taxation. The cost thereof Is
levied against the abutting property in pro-
portion &c the frontage and the intersections
are paid from the general fund. taxpayers
from All sections OF the city contributing
their share in proportion to the amount of
property they own
The annual appropriations made for streets,
alloys and grounds are not enough to keep
the streets and alleys clean to say nothing of
the miles and miles of dirt streets that must
be kept in a passabIe condition.
We no longer have any macadamized
streets TO speak of. and what We have ere
worn out and full of holes and ruts. The re-
pairs made with our limited means furnish
only TEMPORARY relief and arc of perma-
nent benefit. During a large portion OF the
year especially in the spring and fall these
streets are impossible and there is DO remedy
but to improve them permanently by special
assoas,nent mr. taxatfon and the CITY I'm its