Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-07-08
MILAN BOARD ACTS
Makes Demands of Rock Island
and Tri-City Railway
Company.
BOTH OF A RADICAL NATURE
WOuId Stop Collection of Bridge
Tolls and Running of
Horse Cars.

The Milan town council last even
ing passed two resolutions that may
result i'm stirring things up a bit.
One demands that the city of Rock
Island shall cease the collection of
bridge tolls within the village linn
its. and the other that the Tri-City
Railway company shall stop running
its horse cars over its line in the cor
poration.
The first is based on the presump-
ton that the village has jurisdiction
over the toll gate as at present To-
Gated. the boundary of the corpora
ton extending TO the main channel
of Rock river. 1t is believed by the
villagers that they can at least force
Rock Island the inconvenience of
collecting at some point north of the
bridges.
The Street Car Controversy.
The demand made of the railway
company follows the controversy
that has been on for some time. by
means of which the village has been,
seeking To obtain certain changes i'm
rates, and above all. electric service.
which the condition of the city
bridges will not at the present time
admit of. Manager j. F. Lardner. of
the company. today declined to say
precisely what action would be taken
till the formal demand. which was
mailed to him, has been received and
considered.
The stand taken by Milan will un-
doubtedly lead to establishing the
exact relation the city bears to the
Ninth street road and the Milan
bridges. and under what authority.
if any, they are held and operated.
That there is an open question in
volyed all who have looked into the
matter from the legal aspect agree.
and if the right of Rock Island is
contested there will probably be
some difficulty in proving title.
History of the Grant.
The construction of the bridges and
the maintaining of the approa ches
was first granted by act of the legis-
lature approved Feb. -. 1850. when
William Dickson and his associates
of the Camden Bridge company OBJ
tanned a franchise for a period of 30
years. This, of course. would expire
Feb. Il. 1881. In 1852 the property
was sold to the Rock Island 4, Cam
den Plank Road company. and in 1859
it was again sold to the city of Rock
Island. special acts of the legisla-
ture legalizing both transfers. In
neither case. however. was the time
limit of the franchise extended.
Even the original charter of the
Camden Bridge company appears to
be lost and it was never recorded. 1t
is true, an act was passed July l. |
1881. giving cities or villages the |
right to own roads and bridges with
i'm five miles of the corporate limits |
and To collect tolls for the same. No |
special reference was made to any |
particular road or bridge and this |
can scarcely he construed to extend |
the franchise.
Thus it appears that if the people
of Milan are disposed to take the |
matter into the courts in either of |
the several ways that are open to |
them. the outcome will be exceeding
Iy doubtful, even if Rock Island takes
Il defensive attitude. which is not /
certain.
States Attorney Weld is looking up |
the city's title for the purpose of |
giving an opinion to the bridge com |
mittee of the county board.