Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-07-19
BY DR.. c 7. FOSTER.

Rock Island, IL, July 19.-Editor
The Argus: The recent issues of your
paper contain articles that appear TO
through your own columns seems i'm
perative.
DO not innumerable instances war
rant il? The charging Of the fire de-
partment through the crowd, the
shooting for the CUTS" which the may
or. according 10 his sworn testimony
before the coroner, stated, that ne or
dered with the resultant killing of two
persons and the wounding OF many
more-was il necessary 10 shoot TO de
fend the station when not a man was
killed or wounded within a block of
that station and the crowd had already
begun TO dispense?
The purchase of the dirt by the city
on Twenty street when the fran
chise Of the Tri-City Railway company
is worth millions Of dollars. In fact
II has a property value Of about Sc
100000 and is capitalized at about SOL
900. 900 and paying dividends upon that
sum and is paying taxes in this county
upon less than 100000. The Tri-
City Railway company should have
been compelled TO level the grade for
its own track
The virtual Acknowledgement Of in
competency or worse in the conduct of
the waterworks Cthe most paying and
important department of the city, by
the mayor. when on July !. 1912. at a
regular meeting OF the city council he
! introduced an ordinance placing the
control Of the waterwOrks in the hands
OF private parties and said At that time
tha: he world bring it up for passage
/ az the next regular meeting on July s,
and doubtless would have done so had
/ II not been for the publicity given il by
che Of the commissioners Is il not
plainly the intention Of the mayor and
. two Of the commissioners TO wait until
. the recall has been filed so as not 10
further arouse public sentiment
against themselves and then pass this
uerniCious ordinance? The methods o,
the Recall League seem 10 be eminent
" fair and honorable so far as may be
though a few unauthorized exceptions
may be noted
But how about the official method.
10 hamper the recall How about The
activity Of the newspapers, the endorse
ment papers that were in certain bank.
and business houses shortly after III,
riot, the action OF certain foremen il
demanding that employees remove thei
names from recall petitions or be DIS
charged. the city employees who are a
present told plainly that their aCtivit,
in circulating counter petitions mean
their job, and the intimidating of pee
pie who hold licenses or privileges Il
the city of Rock Island9
The apparent influence OF the brio
trust over the commission in specify
ing and STIMULATING brick in every orc
nance for public Improvement as III
favored material before the propert
holders are even consulted. thus con
hitting the commission 10 non-unio1
made material at the very start. is /
itself sufficient to condemn the con
| mission.
| The statements Of The Argus an
the Union relative TO the trouble b
tween would-be mayors and that III
saloon interests would put in a ba
| mayor, etc. are misleading and untru
In the first place. should the mayo
and commissioner OF public health an
safety resign (Which most men woul
do when they find that about so pt
cent OF the voters are opposed TO then
the remaining commissioners may a