Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-12-04

| You can't get booze on Sunday.
No booze today.
| No booze today.
| You'n have to come around on Monday
Rock Island was closed up tight yes
-erday. so far as the saloons are con-
| cerned, this in accordance with one
| more act in Mayor McCaSkrins an
| nounced program of putting the town
| 70 Sleep-in order To spite The Argus
| for criticising his gambling house cpl
sOde
The mandate was given by word of
| mouth from the mayor-chief-of-p police
| and the officers of the department Sat
| urday afternoon that all saloons must
| close at midnight Saturday and remain
so until O'Clock Monday morning
And there were no infractions of the
order. The saloons were nailed up
tighter than a drum. front. door. side
door. rear door. and all.
To Make Ii "a Quiet Old Town.
In sending the announcement as to
what would be expected. which follow
| ed the ordering the closing of houses
| of ill-repute. whose existence was
shown in the police court revelations
of Saturday, the mayor made il
a point 10 state to some of the
Puritanical Sunday in Rock Island had
just begun; that next Sunday the order
would be made broad enough in its
scope to include delivery wagons, bill
| lard and pool halls, and all
places of amusement, while two
weeks hence the public need
not be surprised if all modes
of public transit were stopped and the
lights turned ont in the streets. With
these rapid strides toward the grass
harvest the mayor promises to have
growing in the streets before he gets
| through with his task. there was but
one recourse for the thirsty yesterday.
and that to cross over the borders to
Moline and Davenport
Consequently the street cars and the
ferry did regular circus day bust
ness to the Iowa side. And there were
many who were not content with bring
ing their loads back under cover Recep-
tacles of various descriptions were en-
ployed. and toward the end of the day
can across the big river. and when
night came on there was a fairly good
sized portion of the Davenport stock
on hand in Rock Island for consump-
ton, if not for sale.
Acts without Authority.
BY what authority the mayor
acted i'll this radical procedure is of
course matter of quandary That he
did not act in his official capacity is
not to be denied, as the ordinance pro-
yiding for Sunday closing of saloons
in Rock Island was rescinded during
the Knox administration some years
ago. The mayor is vested with no
power To enforce state laws, except as
informant in accordance with the priv
ilege that belongs to any citizen.
An attorney, in figuring out the |
question of mayoral prerogative in the |
the premises. yesterday said: Il can
not see where the mayor can get his |
ground for acting. except as mayor he
is ex-ofticio chief of police. and that
police officer has eX-Officio conStabu-
larry powers which the mayor may have
construed as repOsing in him the rights
of state officers. But that is a pref
~ long way around"
Last night the mayor said in an in
terview that he was just starting in to
do what he had in mind since his en-
try into offlce-the enforcement of ev-
cry form OF law SO far as it was in his
power-a statement that would have
come with better grace but for the
utterances on his part last week that
he was prompted by the spirit of ven
geance in the face of newspaper crit
cism. For, as a matter of fact
i was not until public COM
nent had been made of his farcicaI
attitude in dealing with one of the
worst of evils that he evinced the first
disposition to morally regulate the
own in any respect. Thus in now at
empting to attribute TO conscientious
motive what he formally declared was
he qualification OF spleen, the present
mayor has but added TO the spectacle
he has already made of himself. And,
beyond all this. the mayor. instead of
acting long ago. as his duty demanded.
n wedding out disreputable Joints
which harbOr women. he has failed TO .
stir until personally aggrieved. and
hen, instead of responding to sane in
'tincts and seeking to regulate and !,
control. his aim has been 10 destroy.
aud the business man who has conduct
ID his saloon legitimately must be /
made 10 suffer with the remorseless :
iive-keeper who has gone unchecked. :
simply that the mayOral wrath may be 8
lppeased. Thus. needless of the worst 8
conditions possible in the past. in :
which he had the right TO act, the may ,
N has taken upon himself the power 10 :
'ring hardship upon a class OF men on i
phase OF their business on which 7
here has been no agitation. =
To be Before Council q
Mayor McCaskTin stated last night I
hat he was preparing a message on I