Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-12-19
Council Has to Take Advantage
Of the Emergency
Aci,
CLERK PRECIPITATES STORM
Refuses to Advertise for Bids for
Truck and Alarm Until Shown
the Money to Pay With.

be considerably more frenzy than fin
ance. and that was the whole trouble.
Not the least frenzied was the mayor,
who did much of the talking Smart
| ing under the several lashes that were
/ given him. from the flow of the cham
Der, the mayor showed anger He
would spit fire first at this alderman
/ and then at that one, throwing cOur-
tesy to the winds and interrupting
them in the middle of sentences Il
was frenzied occasion. indeed
| Start With Truck.
| The council started out riding on the
hook and ladder truck This in its
crippled condition was chung 10 as it
went swinging up the street between
street car and wagon. but long before
the point was reached the truck broke
down and the aldermen left the wreck
and began an investigation as to the
purchase of n bunch of meters at an
advanced price. that nobody except the
chairman of the water works commit
| tee seemed TO know anything about.
Not Enough Finance.
The whole trouble seemed to be that
4
| the finance gauge was going down.
The storm was precipitated by City
Clerk Schaffer The clerk calmly an
nOunced that while he had been in
structad TO advertise for bids for
hook and ladder truck and fire alarm
system, he should refuse 10 do so until
he could see the money. He would not
anticipate next years revenues in a
manner not in accordance with the
law. The matter was finally adjusted
| by instructing the ordinance commit
tee TO bring in an emergency resolu-
ton and an emergency ordinance,
which would protect the clerk in pro-
ceeding with the order of the council.
Less Revenue Next Year.
Some of the aldermen took the part
of the clerk in this matter and said
| that when the vote was taken on the
matter it was generally believed that
the city's income from all sources
| would be as great or greater next year
| than il was this year. but that just
now there seemed TO be a danger of it
being considerably less. -
Everybody seemed to understand
| this except Aid. Sexton. who thought il
ought 10 be explained why the reven-
ues would not come up TO the past ex-
pectations Ii was not there explained
but the fact was that the aldermen
| feared a considerable loss in the sum
coming from saloon licenses next year.
Fears an appointment.
After the question had been gone
over 10 some extent. the mayor be-
gan To get angry. He was jabbed here
| and Jabbed there until he could stand
II no longer, so he thought he must
| nave rev minutes to relieve himself
OF his own opinions. For this purpose
he called Aid. Sexton to the chair. The
fact was Aid. Sexton is the only one
for if anybody else got into il for
few minutes he would be liable to ap-
point chief of police and that would
| be calamity
Inc mayor got a long distance away
from the question at issue and before
| he got through he was talking about
meters and lawyers and things like
those. After his ranting about long
enough, Aid. Robbins called his atten-
| ton to the fact that he was shooting
far and wide of the mark The mayor
became more angry and began telling
what he was going to do on his own
account.
We were willing to take action. but
you will kill it if you keep on" inter
posed Aid Robbins.
The mayor seemed to be greatly of
Tended at the action of the clerk.
Such action has never before been
known" he shouted.
Il beg your pardon" said the CLERK.
but I've done if before"
Continuing. the mayor said that any
body could advertise for bids: that ne
could do il himself if the clerk re
fused.
In Tangle.
The mayors reference 10 certain me
tiers almost got his chief lieutenant in
to a web. Upon the conclusion of his
disconnected oratoTy Aid Eckhart call
ed his attention TO his mentioning that
the meters had been purchased by the
waterworks committee.
Il will say that the waterworks COM
mittee did not purchase tie meters"
said Aid Eckhart.
You was not there when the meters
were purchased" said Aid. Sexton
chairman of the waterworks commit
tee. AID. Wilson and / tried to get
you and could not, and We purchased
the meters"
Aid. Wilson was then questioned and
he said that he did not know anything
about the purchase of the meters; that
he had said that the city needed some
and that some ought to be purchased.
but he did not know anything about
those that were purchased.
The aldermen apparently are not
ayerse TO buying all of the meters the
city can afford but what they objected |
to was the price paid for the ones pHr
chased.
Finally getting back 20 the truck !