The Indianapolis journal., 1883-03-06
THE CITY LEGISLATURE.
The City Hall Scheme Resurrected-
The Stem Claim Allowed.
A Resolution Adopted to Refuse to Honor
the Mandate of the Metropolitan
Police Board.

iasb Dlgnb was devoted cnle1Y TO the cOnsluera-
ticn Of the city hall and market-house question,
the allowance of the Stem claim for architect
ural plans and specifications, and the metropoli-
tan police question.
The board of public improvements reported
expenditures of the street department during
February follows: Street repairs $110.75;
street cleaning, $65.47; bridges, $150.40; sew
ers, 1905, and total expenditures, So, ,456 80.
The board of public improvements, in submit
ting an ordinance appropriating money for the
expenses of the street department, stated that
"the appropriation made for street repairs had
been exhausted, and the department is without
means to do even such work we believe to be
absolutely necessary" In speaking of the fail
ure of the Board of Aldermen to pass the ordi-
nance appropriating $1,000 for street repairs,
the Board, in their communication TO the coun-
Gil, said: "There seems to exist some difference
of opinion between the Council and Board of Al
dermen as to where and how said appropriation
should be expended. We would recommend
the appointment of joint committee from both
bodies, together with the city attorney, that
they may come to some understanding relative
TO the expenditure of said appropriation" The
mayor appointed Messrs. Thaman, Cole and
Fultz as the Council committee.
THE STEM AND HoDGsoN CLAIMS ALLo WE'D.
ted by the city hall commissioners and the judi
ciary committee upon the claims of Messrs
Stem, the city hall architects. Tne majority
report, which signed by Messrs. Grubbs,
Layman, Mussmann, Tucker, Hoer and Dean,
recommended the allowance of the claim Of ST.
800, beside the $400 already paid, to the Messrs.
Stem, together with $500 to Edgar ]. Hodgson
for expert examination of the architectural
plans The minority report was signed by Messrs.
Pritchard, Fultz and Yoke and recommended
the payment now of mot more than per cent.
of the total cost of the building, thereby retain
ing per cent. of the arohltects rees,
to be paid the work progresses"
They favored the payment of S1,100,
making the total amount with the $4O0 already
received, 1880 to the Stems; and they further
reported adversely upon Mr.. HodgsOn's claim of
$500, recommending that it be not allowed. Mr..
Yoke, in signing the minority report, explained
that he eoncurred in all It's recommendations
except the part relating to the Stem claim,
which he favored the allowance of in accordance
with the recommendations or the ajOrity re-
port. The vote upon the Stem claims resulted
in their allowance, in accordance with the ma
iority committees report, as follows: Yeas
Messrs, Bedford, Brundage, Byrne, Cole, Coy,
Dean, Downing, Fultz, Harold, Hartmann, KOl-
Ter, Mauer, Pearson, Reichwein, Stout, Thalman,
Morrison, Pritchard and Ward-5. The Hodg,
son claim of 5000 was also allowed by vote of
Is to g.
THE CITY HALL QUESTION.
4u0 CITY ndll cOmiDlSHlOu6fs submitted "a re-
port giving it as their opinion that the Tomln-
son estate fund could not be used for the cree
tion of a market-house, and they submitted an
ordinance repeating sections and 10 of the
dinance adopted July 10, 1882, providing for the
erection of city buildings. The commissioners
recommended the prompt sale of the residue of
the TOmlinson estate, appraised at $25, 900, and
that NJ. K. FatOut be awarded contract for the
erection of city hall and assembly hall on the
MppIr rnf han rAr nlfn5 70
fund and the additional city hall fund shall ag
gregate 100000. Supplemental to the report
of the commissioners, Mr.. Thalman submitted
the following memorial, the slgners of which, he
stated, represented over $7,000,000 worth of
taxable property:
THE MEMORIAL.
"TNDIANAPoLIs, March 5. 1888.
ITO the Common Council and Board of Aldermen Of
City of Indianapolis:
"Gentlemen-The undersigned resident tax
payers would hereby respectfully and urgently
request your honorable bodies to speedily COM
mence the erection of the city office building
and public assembly hall in the west end of the
East Market space. in accordance with the plan
by you heretofore adopted, at cost not ex-
ceeding S135, 600. Your memorlallsts under
stand the following schedule shows the present
condition of the erection fund:
Tomlinson estate fund. $56,999 81
Additional city-hall fund. 1904 IT
Total cash now in treasury .. $75, ,604.O4
Add city dispensary property sold
Unsold Tomlinson estate property. $4,000 90
IOpdl ,4U4O4
1--WE are informed that it will require about two
and one half years to complete the building
The income from liquor and other licenses which
are TO be applied 10 the erection of this building
end of two and half years will swell the build
ing fund to, say $14S,000. We believe it
to the interest Of the city city to commence the
"William Mansur, A. & j. C. s. Harrison, Her.
yey , Bates, j. b Haien, Ha N; McCGarty, John g
B. Yandes, A. NJ. Fletcher II. CoburD, W. II.
Jones, Henry Schnull, August Schnull, Wiles,
Coffin & Co, A. L. Wright, Hildebrand & Fugate,
persons), Charles E. Coffin, J. c. Robertson,
Franklin Landers, E. B. Martindale. Favor the
Kitchen. William vii s. Hubbard. s. YanSes " Fl
Talbot and j. F. Pratt V. I. Malott indorsed
the memorial upon condition that the building
shall not cost more than the amount named, and
that no special tax shall be levied"
Mr.. Morrison moved the reference OF the whole
matter to the city attorney, with instructions
for him to report at the Eext meeting of the
Council whether or not the contract for the erec-
tion of the proposed city buildings would he
awarded under the laws of the State and the
city ordinance. In commenting upon the report,
Mr.. Morrison said that the friends of the city
hall had resorted to questionable measures for
the success OF their scheme. What the people
really wanted and needed, he said, was a market
house, but there was no demand for a city hall.
The following motion, introduced by Mr.. Thai
man, as an amendment to the resolution of Mr..
Morrison, was adopted by vote of II to g:
"Moyed that the report be concurred in and thai
the matter be fully considered by the city attor-
ney before any contract is signed, and should
there he any doubt TO the legality of any point
in the matter, that the same shall be reported
back to this Council for consideration"
THE METROPOLITAN POLICE BILL
The first stumbling block in the way of the op-
GRAFTON of the metropolitan police bill was the
introduction of the following resolution by Mr.
Pritchard:
"Whereas, We are of the opinion that the So
called metropolitan police bill passed by the
General Assembly at the session just closed, is
not only unjust and vicious, but is also uncon-
stitutional in its provisions: therefore,
Resolved That it is the sense OF the members
of this Council that no money shall be appropri-
ated to pay any member of the Board OF Metro
pOlitan Police CommissiOners officers, or per