Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-02-14
URBAN LINE FIRST
Rock Island Merchants Want New
Company to Prove Its
Sincerity.
ENCOURAGEMENT If WORTHY
Oppose Arsenal Permit Until Road
SFrom South is Brought in
? & Promoters at Meeting.


adopted at the meeting of the Rock
Island Retail Merchants association
| last evening:
Whereas, Information has come >
many of the citizens of Rock Island
that corporation known as the Dav-
enpOT1 Suburban railway company
has applied to the secretary of war
tor.4 lease or privilege of crossing the
goyernment bridges between the city
of Davenport and Rock Island arsenal
and the city of Rock Island and Rock
Island arsenal and the approaches
thereto. and the right to cross the
grounds of the Rock Island arsenal,
for the purpose of operating railway
between the cities of Davenport, Rock
Island and Moline. the said system to
De operated by electricity, and
Whereas. Being informed that said
proposed railway will be known as an
interurban railway or to Immediately
connect with a proposed interurban
railway to- extend TO East Moline and
the5 eastern limits of the county, also
a Line. projected from the cities Of
Gafasliufgs Monmouth. Aledo and the
| territory south OF Rock Island and
InterceptInE Belt Line.
Whereas, Being informed that the
proposed line from the south will enter
| Rock Island on Twelfth street, running
| thence north to Fifth avenue, east on
Fifth avenue to Twenty-fourth street
and north on Twenty-fOurth street 10
the government bridge and Davenport,
and
| Whereas, In our opinion the project
as presented to us is in the nature of
belt line intended for the purpose
of intercepting all Sinterurban lines
that may enter the cities of Rock Isl
and and Moline at dheir- extreme linn
I4S and-to transpoFt--the- ira ffie--direet-
| to Davenport, and
1 Whereas, Believing that the citizens
of the city of Rock Island desire and
the property interest will be best sub
served by the admission of any and
all interurban lines desiring entrance
to our city with a view of establish
ling terminals at this point.
Resolved. That 1t he the sense of the
Rock island Retail Merchants nssOcIn-
ton that we are opposed to the grant
ing of "A permit to the Davenport - Sub
urban Railway company to cross the
Rock Island arsenal and the Rock ISL
and bridges until fl has constructed the
proposed interurbnn railroad into our
city.
First Statement by the Company.
The business men collectively got
their first statement direct last even
ing from the officials of the sO-called
suburban companies that hope
eventually to be operating a
street railway line from Monmouth
TO Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and while it
did not differ materially from what
they had heard before through var
lious sources, still some addition light
was had on the plans Of the promoters.
lalthOugh the promoters did not commit
themselves as specifically as was ex-
Ipected. The men who were at
the meeting were apparently not
satisfied that there is any
serious intention behind the announc-
ed purpose to connect up Rock Island,
making this city the terminal of the
interurban road talked Of as having
been started at Monmouth headed in
1.-The direction of GaleSburg c. G. Hip
WELL of Davenport, and NJ. A Walsh.
of Clinton, both OF whom are finan-
cially interested in the project, were
at the meeting. accompanied by J. l..
Haas, who has been retained as legal
adviser on this side OF the river Mr..
HipweI said that he was not as ia
miliar with the situation on this side
as he should like to be and as he
hoped TO be in future. He had wired
Mr.. Post. at Galesburg. and Mr.. Me
Cullough. at Monmouth, both of whom
were heavy hackers of the Monmouth
Galesburg interurban. to be in the city
last evening and tell to Rock Island
business people what they. were doing
and proposed doing.
Plans Are Not Matared.
Mr.. Hipwell offered kilograms from
both gentlemen in which they plead
ed imperative engagements. But Mr
Hipwell could say for these men that
they had the means and the purpose
They were not men who built roads
on paper Mr.. Hipwell said there had
been a survey made between Rock
Island and Galesburg Some OF the
rail had already been laid between
Gaiesburg and Monmouth Mr. Hip
well. in answer to the questions put
at him by the business men present
said that while there was no matured
plans. and probably his company
would never ask a franchise from the
Rock Island city council. still he had
no hesitancy in telling what the meT
Interested with him hoped to accom-
plish. He said permit had been ask
ed of the secretary OF war 10 cross
the Rock Island bridge. Fort Arm
strong avenue and the viaduct, and he
believed that il would be granted. tho
conditions agreed TO by his company
being TO pay half the expense that tbs
Tri-City Railway company had beer
put TO in the laying of its rails across
(Continued on Page sIx)