Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-08-29
Poor Country Connections Tend
to Prevent Rock Islands
Development.
ROADS ARE NEEDED
People Should be Led to Realize
Import of Milan Bridge
Question.


railway connecting it with surround
ing territory in operation, i'll course
of construction, or at least sur
veyed and backed by respon-
sible men with capital to
carry-their plans into execution. Some
of the other cities have several roads
either built or with some tangible
prospects of their being built.
1t may also be said without fear of
successful contradiction that not an
other city of any consequence in the
state needs interurban service as bad
ly as Rock Island does. Most of the
other cities in the same class with
Rock Island have steam railway con
nection on all sides that furnishes
reasonably convenient means of ac-
cess to adjoining territory. AS ia
miliar illustration may be cited the
case of Galesburg. This place is the
center of number of steam lines all
with schedules arranged for the con-
venience of transportation to and
from the adjoining towns and villages.
Yet Galesburg has for some time had
interurban service in one direction
and prospects are the best that there
Will be lines connecting in one or two
other directions in a short time.
Rock Island, as has been repeatedly
pointed out. is shut off on three sides
by Davenport and Moline and has
that it is dependent upon and that in
turn is dependent upon il for mutual
interchange of supplies and produce.
Small Range of Territory.
The dependent district is much less
than a quarter of circumference,
not much more, in fact, than 80 or
60 degrees, as anyone can see by look
ing at a map of the county. As a
result of the distance that produce
has to be carried in order To reach
the city, with the difficulties that are
met with, the prices of country pro-
duce in Rock Island rule higher than
they do probably in any other city of
equal or less size in the state. This
means that the cost of living, other
things equal, is a trifle higher in Rock
Island than in other cities. 1t means
that family with n given income
would prefer. just a trifle, perhaps, to
live somewhere else. 1t means that
wages must be just little higher
than in other towns and that the cost Of
here must he. a very
little. perhaps. but some. higher than
in other places and the profits of the
manufactures must be slightly re-
duced.
These are conditions that undcni-
ably exist to some degree. though the
citizens. through long contemplation
of their surroundings, do not realize
it, perhaps. They furnish the prime
reason, and it may be said, the only
one, why the growth Of some other
cities has been more rapid than that
of Rock Island and why their indus
trial Development has outstripped
ours in certain eases. Moline has the
of three good roads reach
ing the country. And Moline has an
interurban also.
Disadvantage to Merchants.
All this aside from the standpoint
of trade. and every merchant under
stands the handicap that Rock ISL
and suffers on account of the lack of
a large country trade. Widening the
field of the tradesmcn of the city has
in the past been urged as the chief
reason why means of communication
with the country should be improved.
1t will occur, however, to anyone who
seriously studies the situation, that
the merchants are not more vitality
than those engaged in 9th
err occupations. Owners of property,
in particular. are concerned.
Rock Islands handicap is not an
one. There is a
remedy and as soon as the people
generally realize that there is handi-
cap and the real nature of it. the
remedy will be sought out and APP
piled. We must have a quicker and
more economical way to reach the
country, and the country must have
a quicker and more economical way
to reach us. The interurban will solve
it.
As before minated, the prospects
of interurban service to Rock Island
are not particularly brilliant. y mum
Der of companies have incorporated
with the object of building to this
point mentioned i'm their charters, and
but one has been surveyed. The route
out for this one does not in
cIude Rock Island. for good and suf-
ficient reasons. 1t goes to Moline.
The only service Rock Island has that
might be compared to the interurban
is that of the passenger line to Milan,
and this is greatly impeded by the
same factor that has prevented the
line from including Rock ISL
and as a terminal point.
nInonItv In
The stumbling block is the Milan
bridges. the disposition of which has
been bothering the statesmen of the
city, the county and the viii
lage in the limits of which
they are located. The mat
ter is now before the city council
and much depends upon the DISPOSE
ton that is made Of it. Under the cir
cumstances it would seem that the
bull may as well be taken by the
horns first as last. The bridges ought
to be made safe for interurban rail-