Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-02-13
Council Meeting Again Attended
by Animated Pro-
ceedings.
SALOON LOCATION QUESTION
Fire Department Needs-A Tilt Over
PatroIman-The Telephone
Controversy.

opening of saloons within a limit of
800 feet of any church or school
house from the ordinance committee
and consider it Immediately. A dele
cation of the city ministers was in at
tendance, and addressed the council in
regard TO the proposed ordinance and its
immediate consideration. John Looney.
speaking as the attorney who drafted
the ordinance, urged the immediate
consideration. He attacked Chairman
Eckhart of the ordinance committee,
and accused him of holding up the ordi-
nance. HIS remarks were taken exception
to by Aid Eckhart, who defended strongly
his position in regard to the Ordin-
ance, and the position of the ordin-
ance committee The following min
| listers addressed the council on the
amendment of the ordinance: Father A.
Geyer, of st. Mary's church; Father j. j.
Quinn. of st. Joseph's church, Father
]. b. CuClemans, of st. PaulS; Rev. ].
| b. Rutter, of the Spencer Memorial
| NJ e. church Rev. Marion Humphreys,
| of the Central Presbyterian church;
Rev. w. S. Marquis, of Broadway Pres
| byterian church; Rev. ID. L. McNary.
of the United Presbyterian; Rev. w. p.
| Schultze, of the German Methodist
church, and Rev. o. w. Lawrence, of
the Memorial Christian church. All
urged the regulation as mertorious
one. and expressed that their inten-
ton had not been to interfere with any
existing saloons within the limit of
| 800 feet.
The motion to consider Immediately.
after various amendments had been
| suggested. was lost and the ordinance,
with the suggested amendments, was
then referred to the ordinance com
mittee, to report, no specified time
being named
Some Urgent Needs.
The entire session was spectacular,
and provided unusual attraction for the
large number present. Mayor Nc
Caskrin. opened the session by pre-
sentirg a message. recommending the
leasing Of i fire alarm system, and a
fire engine, and urging the need of i'm
mediate action on this matter. A com
munication from the superintendent of
tho waterwOrks. the city engineer, and
he plumbing inspector, was read by
the mayor, recommending the prepare
ton of a plat book to show the con-
nections of water. gas. electricity, sew
CT, and telephones.
When Mayor McCaskrin offered the |
name of Thomas Gordon for confirma
ton as patrolman, he precipitated a
storm Aid. Trenkenschuh. as a sub
stitute to motion TO confirm, by Aid. |
Oberg moved that the confirmation be
laid over another meeting. and this |
carried by a vote of Z to 6. lengthy |
discussion preceding the vote.
Mayor Precipitates u Scene.
'I'll appoint him anyway" said May |
or McCaskrin. and Aid Robbins imme |
dately offered a resolution that the |
council will not be responsible for |
Gordon's pay if he is not confirmed. |
This was seconded by several, but |
Mayor McCaskrin refused to recognize |
the second this being the third time
he has indicated that he would not al
low business to proceed if it did not
go his way, and heated discussion
followed. Aid Robbins assured the
mayor that no more business would be
transacted until the executive either
openly refused to recognize the second
or did recognize it, Mayor McCaskrin
instructed the clerk to continue the
reading of the business before the
meeting, but City Clerk Schaffer de
clned to continue until the bus
mess of the moment was dis
posed of by the council. Finally
Mayor McCaskrin explained his posi-
ton in not recognizing the second to
the resolution, by stating that he de-
sired to show that there was COM
bination of the aldermen to bring
about the rejection of Mr.. Gordon.
This statement was taken exception to
by several, and in the end the mayor
the resolution, which car
ried by a vote of 10 to 3.
The bids on the addition to the wa
terworkS building were opened and
read. and when a motion to refer the {
bids to the waterworks committee and
special committee was offered, protests =
arose on all sides, Chairman Sexton,
Of the waterworkS committee threaten
ing to resign if his committee was fore
ed to be tied to a special committee.
He said that the special committee had S
been running matters, and he objected. T
Aid Eckhart and Aid. Robbins held /
hat as long as the special committee q
had gone as far as it has, it should be r
allowed to continue to act with the Y
committee. The bids were r
inally referred to the waterworks com
nittee alone. II
The Telephone Controversy. "
w. C. Maucker. secretary of the Re-
all Merchants association was pres :
mt. and petitioned the council to al
ow the two telephone companies to
their wires in the secretary's 4
lew Office in the Rock Island house. "a
After a lengthy discussion, the coun-
IL informally decided to allow the 7
of the petition to be laid
,ver another meeting. fearing that ac- I
ion in this case might prejudice the