Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-04-03
JAIL LOCATION IS
NOT VOTING ISSUE.
Member of County Board Points to Eli
fort to Mislead the Public and
States Some Facts.

Rock Island, Ill, April editor
The Argus: An effort is being made
at the last minute to cloud the is
sues of the present township campaign
by publishing a lot Of misleading in
formation regarding the new county
Jail All the trouble which the Jail
building committee has brought upon
the county is blamed upon the demo-
Gratis, and the impression is given out
that if the democratic candidates in
Rock Island are elected an effort will
be made to have the Jail removed from
the court house square. AS matter
of fact, as the records at the court
house will show, the Jail proposition
has never been made a party issue, re-
publicans and democrats voting ac-
cording to their individual opinions
when the Jail was under considera-
ton.
The desire to elect hand-picked men
on the republican ticket was started
several weeks ago, and the manner in
which the republicans received their
nominations at the republican con-
vention shows conClusively that they
had pledged themselves on certain
questions before their names were
presented to the convention. In fact,
the delegates to the convention from
the various wards had to be right"
before they were given chance to act
as such delegates.
While the Jail question has been
used as a subterfuge to cloud the
issues and elect the hand-picked re-
publican candidates, it is a we'll known
fact to those who have been following
| the trend of affairs in Rock Island for
| the past few months that an effort has
, been on foot for several weeks to elect
| men who will be right on the question
of compensation. in the Jail litigation.
Some of the present members of the
county board have not been favorable
! to the employment of so much legal
talent 10 look after the countys inter-
ests, and it is feared that with men,
bers on the new board who could not
be handled" there would be some
danger of certain fees being turned
down. AS a matter of fact the jail
building committee was not legally
empowered to employ counsel. as the
resolution under which it acted did d
carry by a two-thirds vote, and as q
result it might be difficult to pass bill
for such attorney hire unless the new
members of the board are right
So far as the location of the Jail is
concerned that matter has been set.
tied for good and all inasmuch as The
eral months ago to build the Jail on the
court house square, and this ended thu
tmatter so far as the board was con
cerned Legal objections were raised
as 10 the building of the Jail on tht
court house square and litigation re
! suited in which the right of the COUNTY
TO use the square for Jail purpose!
was raised. Then the IgOe bill wa.
passed and was effective before a shov
elful of dirt was thrown for the new
Jail The Union leaves the impression
in an article Sunday morning that thu
contract was awarded by the Jail com
Imittee on June 8, before it was know
that the Igoe bill was before the legis
lature. AS a matter of fact the con
tract was awarded at a special meeting
of the board Of supervisors the las
lweek in June, after the Igoe bill ha,