Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-10-04
COUNCIL WANTS
Chief OF POLICE
Mayor McCaskrin Instructed to
Present Name for Confir-
nation.
MESSAGE ON THE RAIDS
Head of Administration Directs Per-
sonal Attack at Leaders in Law
and Order Movement.

1t is expected Mayor G. w. McCask-
rim will present at the meeting of the
city council next Monday evening the
name of some competent citizen to fill
the position of chief of police. an office
that has been vacant since the present
administration assumed direction of
municipal affairs a year ago. Mayor
McCaskrin has been acting as chief of
police. The council at its meeting last
evening adopted a resolution, offered
by Alderman Charles Borst, carrying
the request that the vacancy be filed.
81 have felt, as believe other mem
bers of the council have, that the may
or is too busy man to try to fill the
offices of mayor and chief of police at
the same time," Alderman Borst said
Looking after the duties of the Office
OF mayor is enough for any ordinary
man, and our city should not be left
without an active head to its police de-
partment. I would like TO see the
mayor present the name of some good
citizen whom the council could con-
firm
Mayor Defends His Actions.
Mayor McCaskrin submitted q lengthy
message in defense of his action in pre-
venting by means of the fire depart
ment the destruction of the gambling
paraphernalia on the levee 10 days ago.
At the outset of the document he says:
"Wednesday morning, Sept 1, mat
fn-- To oh
be brought 10 your official attention.
About o'clock in the morning I no
ticed large and excited crowd gath
ering on Second avenue in the vicin-
ity of Eighteenth street A short time
after several business men complain
ed to me about lot of furniture de-
posted in the street near there and
the crowd of people obstructing traf
fic. I saw that Constable Schmid had
charge of the furniture, and 1 refused
to interfere until riot call was turn
ed in and the fire department had re-
Ceived notice that two strangers were
about to set fire to valuable furniture
On the levee. I fastened to the scene
and found a lot of furniture, among
which was a loll top desk, a leather
covered divan. several hundred dol
lars worth of linoleum, lot of fine
paintings and pictures, dozens of good
chairs, and many other articles of fur
niture piled up, broken in pieces and
used as kindling with which to start
the fire to burn the rest.
Riot Tap, He Says.
"I found a man by the name of Sam
Taylor in CHI arge. He had two stran-
gers assisting him. 1 afterwards
learned these two men were detec-
tives. They had poured oil over the
furniture and had large oil can there
TO add to the fire. They were just
ready to start the blaze. The owners
of the furniture were much excited
the crowd was demonstrating with
Taylor and the detectives, and a riot
was about to start when I arrived.
There is no law which warrants the
burning of good furniture. Our ordi-
nances prohibit such acts of lawless-
ness, and it was my plain duty to Pre-
serve the peace and prevent destruc
ton of property. l arrested Sam Tay-
Tor, and the two detectives escaped
They were afterward arrested. Sam
Taylor had loaded revolver concealed