Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-10-14
THOSE TWO NuIsANcEs.

Stubbornness, pure, unadulterated
stubbornness, lies at the root of the
two nuisances in Rock Island that are
becoming notorious. One Is the I'M
precedented spectacle of a house for
four weeks standing in the middle of
a public thoroughfare and blocking
traffic to the inconvenience and dam
age of residents and property holders
in the immediate neighborhood, and
the other is a tumble-down shack on
Twentieth street, right on the border
Of the business district, existing for
months as an eyesore and a menace to
public safety.
That these two evils are permitted
to exist in city the size Of Rock Is
land is due to a lack Of capacity on
the part of public authorities to do
things at the time they ought to have
been done. Procrastination is the fault
In both cases.
In view of the fact that public feel
ing has reached the point where there
has been talk of an indignation meet
ing, it is but fair to say that the en-
| tire municipal commission is not TO
4 blame for conditions as they are in
these specific instances. The disgrace
! on Twentieth street comes properly
under the head OF the department of
public safety. Had that department
! acted promptly. the crumbling house
would have been condemned and RACED
the day IL began TO cave in. AS It is,
the owners of the dwelling which is
still standing, are said TO be resisting
| the removal of the party wall to which
the two houses are attached, while the
crumbling shell remains a sorry sight
to the eyes of people possessed of
pride in the city. The people who own
the tumbling half are willing to have
it dismantled or to buy the other half,
but the owners of the main portion
are reported obdurate in the face of
all propositions.
The city's duty in the premises is
plain. 1t should look into the sound
ness of the entire building, and if that
which is still standing is safe, which is
very doubtful, proceed to remove the
demoralized portion, rebuild the wall
and charge the cost against the two
owners-let them like it or not. The
public welfare is paramount to all
other considerations.
The moving house. or rather the
house that was moving up to the time
its passage through the public streets
was interrupted by DR.. Bradford, who
righteously objected to having hii
trees destroyed, is where It is and
has been for a month, in direct viola
ton of the ordinances, which provides
that no building over % feet in heigh
and "a feet in width shall be moved
without the consent of the council
, This house exceeds both these dimen
slons, and the council gave no consen
In this particular case. Hence II is VI
TO the mayor to get the city out of thu
pending predicament. He can do
with "a hours notice, and II shoult
be done without damage to the right
Of any property holder. The hous
should be cut to At the measure an
passed on, or sent by some othe
l route.
The public is becoming weary c
] the stubbornness in both these Il
stances. It 10 up to the head of tn
public safety department to get rid {
! the Twentieth street shack, and th
= mayor to remove the obstruction frol
+ Sixth avenue, and both department
+ will act II they do not want TO hea
I from the people in tones incapable c
4 misinterpretation.