The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-09-14
THE CITY ELECTION,

points of pure business and excellent city
government to one Of politics. as that term is
generally understood. It is not enough that
the city of Indianapolis is no more lawless
than cities of like size, or even that it is less
lawless. It is important that its good reputa-
ton be maintained, and this cannot be done
if the Liquor League be allowed to run the city
administration. This it has essayed to do,
and it is now making desperate effort to
get things into its own hands, succeeding in
which, the result will be known in
please, regardless of laws and rd1nances, just
as they now do, in view of the fact that the
arm of the law is paralyzed by officials intent
on the success of the saloon nominee There
isn't self-respecting Democrat in Indianapo
lis but knows that the Democratic convention
was captured by the Liquor League, and that
the nominee of the party was chosen by
the League as its champion and exponent. A
| fight was made by the decent Democrats,
be beaten, and Mr.. Cottrell was made
the nominee. The impudence of this organ
ization is astonishing; for what would be
thought of any other branch of business or
ganizing to run conventions and to dictate
policies? How long would the people stand
the same thing from grocers, butchers or
preachers? What would be the inevitable
effect Of either of these lines of business, or
any profession. trying to run things to suit
them? What but to compel citizens, without
regard to politics, to combine to administer
such rebuke as would not soon be forgotten7
The question for the people of this city to
determine is, whether they can afford to allow
any trade, and especially the liquor trade, to
''run" the city of Indianapolis. The League
has already won half victory in capturing
one of the principal political organizations
| It has compelled it to name its man and adopt
| it's principles, and it is now making desper-
ate and unprincipled effort to force these
principles upon the city, and to make it bow
I to their demands. The question at
shall control affairs and dictate
| what laws shall and what shall not
be respected 1t is dangerous thing to tenn
| porize with these men. Their purpose is so
| destructive of good government, of law and
order, that it cannot be encouraged without
great harm to the city Already their infu-
ence is felt, and since the success attendant
upon the nomination of Mr.. Cottrell, the
| Saloons in defiance of the law have kept open
after legal hours, and may be found any night
| open until II O'Clock, not side doors only
| but all doors, to the scandal of good govern
ment and the defiance of law.
| But the election involves matter of bust
ness expressed in dollars and cents. The
| proposition upon which the Republican NOM
| inees are making their canvass is that the
| saloons be compelled to pay more reasonable
portion of the taxation levied to carry on the
city government. 1t has been demonstrated
| that the saloons entail an annual extraord-
nary expense of thousands more than they
| have been required to pay. 1t is to partly
close this unreasonable gap that the Repub-
lican platform declares in favor of
raising the tax from $50 to 800 a year
Saloons in other cities of the State, where the
business certainly is no more profitable than
it is here, pay 800, and apparently make no
complaint 1t is the fault of the taxpayers of
Indianapolis if they longer consent to pay this
tax for the saloons. The intolerance of the
indianapolis Liquor League is made all the
more apparent, that in neighboring States each
saloon is taxed $500 and even 1000 year
To make it an issue that they will not consent
to the payment of moderate sum like 800,
is simply to serve notice on the tax-p payers of
this city that they must continue to make
good the deficiency between the cost the sa-
looms put upon the city and the small amount
they so grudgingly pay. Every laboring man
question involved in the city election this
year. Every man who owns home or who
is trying to get one, every man trying to save
little against "a rainy day." every man try
ing to live well in modest way, and to give
his children some advantages in the way
of education, is interested in no
longer paying hard-earned dollars for taxes
that rightly should fall upon saloon-keepers.
And this is the issue presented. A vote for
Mr. Denny means the equal enforcement of
the law-the same upon grocers as upon
saloon keepers, and the same upon both as
upon men engaged in any other line of trade.
1t means, too, that the saloons shall pay