Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-04-14
Present Council Has Done Things.

Present Council Has Done Things.
1t cannot be said that the present
council has failed to do things. On the
contrary, it has made a creditable rec
ord. Many problems of great inter
est and Importance to the people of
Rock Island, some of them long de
| layed, have been put up to it to han
| die, and it has responded in every in
stance in a manner single to the com
mon welfare.
| In every case it has moved deliber-
ately, conservatively, cautiously and
thoroughly. There has been no pre-
cipitate haste, no railroading, and in the
end it has COPIED with the proposition
under consideration, has handled 1t
and in the end disposed of it. Truly
it has done things.
1t disposed of the long agitated fl
ter proposition. 1t took its time, but
pushed the project along stage by
stage, employing every precaution to
safeguard the city by employing the
counsel of the best expert engineer it
could secure, being guided by his ad-
vice, and in the end bought a filter
which there is every reason to believe
will meet every requirement. In other
words, the council is credited with
having driven a good bargain.
1t disposed of the Central Union Tel
ephone proposition, which had been
hanging fire for years, involving the
city in the meantime in expensive but
under the circumstances, unavoidable
litigation. 1t secured a satisfactory
ordinance, and the Central Union is
already making good under the re-
quirements imposed, so far as i'm
provements in its equipment are con-
cerned, and it is conceded that when its
work is completed the service will be
brought up to the standard that the peo-
pie have long desired.
1t has succeeded now in securing ex-
tensions of the street car service in
directions long desired, and in return
for granting to the Tri-City Railway
company lease of six additional years
on the franchise under which it has
been operating. giving it in all privi-
leges running 90 years from the date
of the adoption of the ordinance, it
has gained many valuable concessions,
which are enumerated in the draft of
the ordinance appearing on another
page. In view of the fact that the Tri-
City Railway company has always
done the right thing by the three cit
les, and that President Porter and SUI
perintendent Huntoon have announced
it to be the policy to continue that rec
ord, it is fair to presume that future
events will amply substantiate these
assurances
While these are the three main prop
handled to good advantage, there have
been numerous other ordinances of i'm
portance from time to time that the
council has acted upon with the same
deliberation and wisdom.
There are still two pending propo-
sitiOns before the council, or at least,
may be pending before the municipal
body is reorganized. One of these is
the Rock Island Pillow company ordi-
nance, with which the council is thor.
oughly familiar, and which, it
is reasonable to suppose, it
stands ready to pass the mo-
AhC44l IL 10 A6SuDIuiCleu IL is not nee
essary to comment here on the import
of this ordinance. not only as it bears
on the needs of both big and deserv-
ing local industry, but as it affects the
material and industrial welfare of the
city. In a word, it is up to the city
council to enable the pillow company to
grow. That the city council will ac-
quiesce in every particular requirement
of the situation it goes without say
ing.
Another proposition promises a re-
liable automatic fire alarm system.
This has been a crying need in Rock
Island for 20 years. With one of the
best fire departments in the state, the
city has nevertheless been imperiled
and the efficiency of the f1remen hand
icapped by the absence of this neces. |
sary advantage. If the closing act of |
the outgoing council, after passing the
pillow company ordinance, could be to
clinch the fire alarm, too, its record
would indeed be fittingly crowned.
As 1t is, the council which closes its |
labors this month has made a record |
to be proud Of