Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-04-02
The Peoples Eyes Opened.

The Peoples Eyes Opened.
The latest McCaskrin outbreak in the
destruction of railroad property on the
river front last Friday afternoon with
out authority on the part of the city
or warrant of law, following as it did
numerous acts of freakism, which mad
heretofore been regarded in a light
nature, has opened the eyes of the
people.
The consequence is that the conyic-
ton is gaining that something ought to
be done to hold in check the erratic
boy mayor before he commits some
further act of riotous and anarchistic
nature. With an individual in author
ity so given 10 sudden impulse. no one
is immune from depreciation, and some
course should be adopted to avert fur
Their outbreak. The first duty devolves
upon the council which for the pro-
lection of the city against damages,
so far as is possible by such means.
TO say nothing of preventing other per
formances, to give the young man an
effectual calling down. and at the same
time to repudiate his course of last
Friday.
No one. so far as known, has as yet
gained an intelligent explanation OF
the reason for the Friday escapade-
beyond the mayors personal interpre-
tation of an ordinance, over which no
dispute or contention exists. The no
LITIGATION which he thrust into the
door of the Davenport. Rock Island &
Northwestern passenger station just
as he was entering upon his work of
destruction, does not explain it. Rath-
er is it a conglomeration of words that
might most reasonably be attributed to
a mind working at cross purposes. In
fact, the document was of such nature,
so incoherent. so glaring in violation
of every rule of diction, that The Argus
felt too much pride in the city to con-
tribute to its circulation. A mere syn
opsis of what appeared to be the may
oral endeavor to state was deemed all
sufficient.
In connection with The Argus ac-
count of Fridays attack upon the rail
roads, it was stated that the mayor
might have been actuated in his sud
den onslaught, either by mOmentary
impulse, or by a desire to wreak ven
geance upon something or somebody
because of numerous incidents tend
ing to show up the weakness of his po-
lice supervision, or by a desire TO
boost himself for congress. Any one
of these motives would justify severe
Reproduction. In the first place, the in
cumbent of any administrative or ex-
ecutive station. should above all things,
be calm and self-composed II is his
duty, not to interpret law, but to en-
force it. He has no power to declare
war on any corporation without the
knowledge and consent of the council
He should be an upholder of the law
rather than a breaker of it as he ap-
peared last Friday. His act, instead CT
maintaining the rights and dignity of
the citizens, the merchants and the tax
payers was inimical to the highest wei
fare of every man in town. for it was
anarchistic, it was riotOuS and destruct-
i've. 1t was enough to drive people out
of town. 1t might, if permitted to go
unnoticed by the city and the people,
be accepted as a warning to outside en-
terpriseS, to railroads that may come
as well as those that are already here
that their property is not safe, that il
is subject to attack at any time by an
irrational boy mayor with a shotgun
justice of the peace as a body guard
1t is on this account, for the sake of
the city's fair name and priced reputa-
ton that it is incumbent upon the body
representative of the government of
Rock Island to take steps at the earli-
est possible moment to repudiate Fri
days proceedings.
If the mayor was moved by charac-
teristic grandstand politics. if he
sought to use his office of mayor to
boom himself down the district as the
fearless and relentless foe of the rail
roads, right or wrong, so much greater
the occasion for condemnation for i'm
periling the city with the guardianship
of whose interests he has been unfor-
entrusted.