Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-10-18
Cash OFFERED?
SUCKER DENIES
President of Union Electric De-
clares Promoters Haven't
Shown Real Money.
QUESTION BEFORE COUNCIL
aldermen in Committee of Whole
Wrestle With Problem and
Refer 1t Back.

L. W. Stanton, claiming to represent
eastern capital, is again in the city to
renew his campaign for the acquire
ment of the local plant of the Union
Electric Telephone company. The city
council, at a committee of the whole
meeting last evening, heard further
discussion of the situation from the
telephone people, but no flnality was
reached. s. ]. Ransom, as spokesman
for Mr. Stanton. told newspaper men
at the city hall that a cash offer had
been made the owners of the Union
Electric. G. E. Sucker, president &C
the Union Electric, when asked If this
was the case, laughed. He said if
there was any offer of real money he
must have been asleep. At any rate.
he did not see it nor did he hear it
rattle.
"This hot air game has been going
On here for three months" Mr.. Stuck
er added. az have spent a great deal
Of time IN the city, making frequent
trips from my home in Harrisburg,
Pa, to listen to these promoters.
Each time they have promised they
would be ready to do business, but
they appear to be as far away from
getting down to the changing of cash
as they were when they first came
upon the scene with a flare of trum-
pets telling what they were going to
do here. We don't care to whom we
sell.
On Counter Two Years.
I'VE have tried to make this point
clear in a thousand different ways.
Our plants have been on the bargain
counter two years, and these promo
tiers have been aware of the fact. 1t
looks to me as though they are now
trying to get present of our property
under the guise that they are trying to
preserve to the public telephone COM
petition. 1 have made the position of
our company as plain as l can speak
the English language. l have told
these promoters that If they will give
me look at some real money I will
talk business with them Talk is
cheap, and besides it uses up lot of
valuable time l have something else
to do besides windjamming; 1 don't
know about these promoters. l hope
sincerely that they will buy our plants
and give the people here a good tele-
phone exchange. Furthermore, hope
they prosper, but I wish they would
get their money together and lay It
down in front of me and my associates
so that we can warm up to them"
The committee of the whole re-
TERED the entire question back to
od Cd
meeting will be held this evening
to further consider the question. At
this evenings meeting the council
also will inspect the plans and speci-
f1cations for the rebuilding and re-
pairing of the Rock river bridges as
prepared by City Engineer Wallace
Treichler. 1t is hoped to be able to
complete the bridge improvements
before winter. A donation of $685.
900 from the Tri-City Railway com
pany is available to help pay the ex-
pense.
Advises Against Haste.
J. L. Haas was at the council SEES
sion representing the owners Of prop
erty that it is claimed, according to
the city engineers stakes, is encroach-
ing upon Second street between Thir-
teenth and Fourteenth avenues a
block that has never been opened to
traffic since the ground was plated
% years ago. Mr.. Haas stated that
he wanted fair deal only, but he ad-
vised the city not to tear down fences
until # was sure of its rights in the
premises. He believed that the entire
addition ought to be Tesuryeyed to de-
terlnine where the mistake had been
made. Then remedy it, no matter at
whose expense. The council decided
that no action in the matter be taken
until the first meeting in November
Thirteenth Avenue Paving.
An ordinance was read providing for
the paving with brick of Thirteenth
avenue. Twenty-fourth to Twenty-ffth
streets, at an estimated cost Of S.,
5000. There are a number of OBJ
jectors to the Improvement, and they
will be given an opportunity to be
heard at the next regular meeting of
the council. when the ordinance will
come up for final passage.
Fifty employees of the Tri-City Rail
way company petitioned the council to
close an open water course under the
barn of the company on Fifth avenue
from which offensive odors issued.