Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-09-27
.SPARRING GOES ON
No Headway Made in Investigation
of Warerworks Depart
ment.
OFFICIALS NOT ON HAND
To Answer Questions of Committee
Another Adjournment
Taken.

present at the city councils commit
tee of the whole meeting last evening
TO tell by what authority if any was
issued an order TO Supt. p. T. Bancroft
TO dispose of junk that had accumu-
lated at the waterworks plant.
Neither Mayor McConochie nor Mr..
Bancroft was in attendance either
Aid. A G. Anderson said that If they
had been officially invited they might
have responded. but until they had
been the committee should not look
for them to appear.
Therefore the committee took an
adjournment till this evening at 100
o'clock. passing a resolution instruc-
ing Aid. l.. V. Eckhart, chairman. to
request the mayor. clerk and water
works superintendent TO appear before
the committee.
No New Developments.
The meeting last evening developed
nothing new or sensational. The gal
lery was packed and citizens anxious
to get within hearing distance lined
up in the hallway four deep. G. Wash
ington McCaskrin had a seat in the
front row of the gallery. When the
committee had arrived at a point
where it had exhausted all the am
munition that it hal in its possession
and had no one TO turn to for enlight
eminent on the mooted questions Nc
Caskrin came forward reiterating his
statements made at the preceding
meeting, when he presented in writ
ing the charge that the city clerk was
not authorized legally to issue an or
der for the sale of junk by the water
works superintendent. and that further
in the three years that Mr.. Bancroft
had been superintendent the records
of the city clerk showed that but $40
worth of junk had been disposed of
McCaskrin had also discovered that the
city had been paying for more grain
than il was receiving. He charged
that there had been short weights. He
said he was ready 10 tell what he had
to say under oath. but there was no
one to swear him.
Smaller Committee Favored.
On the assembling of the committee
Aid. O'Connor offered a motion for the
appointment of a committee of seven
to investigate the waterworks depart
ment and report to the committee of
the whole Aid. Anderson said that
such a motion was unparIiamentary.
and he drew forth Roberts rules of
order to substantiate his claim that
one committee cannot refer to anOth-
er committee. The committee of the
whole must discuss and act upon the
matter before it and report its recon-
mendations or findings TO the council.
Aid. Sexton said the committee had
been trying TO consider the department
following out a motion of Aid. Ander-
sons at the first meeting that the af
fair was preached. The committee
had failed to make Roadway in con
sideration, and now the only alterna-
tive was to take a whirl at inveStiga-
ton. \ committee could do the work
better than the whole council. Aid.
Sexton took pleasure in secOnding the
motion of Aid O'ConnOr.
Aid O'COnnOr wanted TO wind up
the investigation. He was tired of it
all. Fourteen men had failel to Sc
cure the information that the commit
tee was seeking and he wanted to see
Aid. Anderson Finds Nothing.
Aid Anderson had given consider
able study to the waterwOrks depart
ment since the raising of this storm.
He had not found anything tangible on
which to bring a charge. If there
were such serious conditions as in
timated he asked why Witnesses were
not present to give their testimony.
1t was the fourth meeting of the com
mittee. and there had been but one
communication. But it did not amount
TO a row of pins. The committee had
given ample time to citizens to bring
in charges if they had any. 1t was
useless to continue.
Aid. O'COnnor reminded the Sew
enth ward alderman that il was agreed
that the consideration of the depart
ment was 10 have been brought 10
conclusion at the second meeting. Mr..
Bancroft had agreed 10 be on hand.
But he failed Who was to blame?
Aid. Robbins had not heard any di-
rect charges. There had been only
an insinuatiOn as TO the hauling away
of some junk from the waterwOrks plant
Aid. O'Connor replied that the junk
question was the one that the commit
tee was seeking an answer to. II had
not been answered yet.
Aid Robbins desired that there be
an investigation and a report. but the
proper course was for the committee
10 rise and report to the council. and
recommend the appointment by that
body of a committee TO pursue the in
quiry Under the present plan of pro
cedure there could be no progress. as
the committee was without power to
administer an oath to witnesses.
No Snap Judgment.
Aid Oberg had taken Aid Sexton
10 task for voting for a postponement
at the first meeting at which the reso-
luton was introduced asking for an
inquiry into the department: that if
he had voted the other way the Incl
dent would have been closed now. Aid