Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-09-24
Who Has Right to Delegate Author.
iiy for Sale of Junk Before
the Council.
wATERWORKS INVESTIGATION
Mayor ard Superintendent Fail to At
tend Last Evenings Meeting and
Little is Done.

If so. when was it issued and what
particular lot of junk did it refer to?
Who has the authority TO sell junk
belonging TO the city. anyway?
| The investigation or consideration
undertaken by the city council of the
waterworks department at the present
! time has narrowed down so that it
hinges upon the answers 10 the above
questions.
That an order has been issued by
the city clerk at some time since the
present incumbent took charge of the
waterworks department : stOutly con-
tended
/ That the council some time or an
other did pass a resolution giving au-
thority to someone to sell junk or
something or other is the hazy notion
held by some of those who are in
position to be best informed.
I That there has been in tn" last
three years $40 worth of junk sold
by Mr. Bancroft G. Washington Nc
Caskrin SAYS the records show, and
only that amount.
| Ii ought to be stated here that no
one for a moment questioned the mo-
| tive of the city clerk in signing an
order. if he did so. whether he had
the authority or not.
AbOu. All That Was Done.
This is a COnsiSe statement of about
all the city council in committee of
the whole last evening in an hour and
y quarter of CndCavOr succeeded in
unCovcring In the end adjournment
was taken till next Monday evening,
at which time new vistas may open
to the public view-and they may not.
In the first place. the mayor was not
present In the resolution adopted at
the previous meeting providing for the
meeting of last night. it had been
specified that any charges to be
brought before the committee must be
! filed in writing with the mayor The
mayor was not there to say whether
any charges had been placed in his
hands and no one seemed authorized
to say for him whether any had been
received Mr.. Bancroft was not there
Neither was the city clerk.
| When the session was called to or
der by Aid. Eckhart, chairman of the
committee of the whole, who annOunc-
ed that he had no charges against the
water department or any member con-
Inected with it and asked the pleasure
of the members. there was an awkward
pause. The committee seemed dis
posed to take much the attitude of a
dog tackling a hedgehog.
| Aid. sexton Heard From.
The first to take wool at it was
Aid. Sexton, and he and Aids. Eek
hart Oberg and Wilson did about all
that was done in the line of progress.
Aid. Benson wanted to be sure and
proceed in the legal way, Aid Robbins
wanted it put back in the councils
hands or the mayors to appoint spe-
cial committee. and Aid. Anderson
didn't see what it was ali about, this
laundering along without some defined
line of procedure.
In the course of his remarks Aid
Eckhart stepped down from the chair
to say that the statement he made at
a former meeting when he said that if
! the business up to the council was
put off there would be no investiga-
ton, was in a fair way to- be realized.
Since the last meeting many wires had
! been pulled with the result that much
| of the evidence that could have been
secured easily in the first place would
now be very hard to get at. In fact
he had been informed that one of the
parties who stated he had charges to
make had left the city. who is
| that" interrupted Aid. Robbins.
"Walters." replied Aid. Ec!;hart. Lat
er he opposed placing the matter in
the hands of the mayor saying that the
council might as we'll give it up out
right as to follow that course.
/ And carly G. Washington McCask-
rim came on the scene If he hadn' I
the committee would not have had the
occasion that it now has for another
meeting and the whole thing might
have fallen as fat as a pancake. Nc
CasErin had charges. and they werc
in writing. He had heard Mr.. Ban
croft say in the council chamber that
If he sold any junk il was always upon
order of the city clerk and the money
was turned over to the proper persons
| He had examined the records and
found that but $40 had been turned
over in three years. The city clerk
had no authority to give such an order
So Mr.. Bancroft must have been wrong
|
| Subject of Debate.
| II was over the receiving Of Theses
charges that most of the debating took
place Aid. Oberg moved that they be
| received. After long wait Aid. Sex
| ton seconded the motion. Then came
the argument with Aids. Robbins and
Anderson not opposing the motion hut
| trying to show that it would be irregu
lar TO receive it because it was not
| filed with the mayor who was absent.
and striving TO lay the matter over and
| place il in the hands of the council or
the mayor 10 appoint a special COM
mittee TO continue the investigation.
| Aids. Sexton. Eckhart and Oberg con-
| tended that it would be proper to pro-
coed. All agreed that matters had
| r. ~ q or hino n11uhr