The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-08-19
WHEN THE TAX WAS SMALL
Public Money Procured on a Basis that
Would Delight Land Holders To-Day.
Indianapolis Was Growing Then with but Lit
Tie Indication Of the Present Prosperity
How the Town Was Organized.

by as accurate . tracing as possible. (mads by
Samuel Merrill. the State Treasurer. who
brought the capital here IN the fall of 1921, OF
the limits OK settlement at four periods, 1921.
1s22 1895 and 1850. In 1921 tie whole settle
ment. excspt the residence Of the Msxwells, lay
south OF the line of Washington street, on the
four blocks from the lie Of Missouri street to
the river. A very slight divergence to the south
20 include . cabin or tBo-less than that to the
norih-esvet the ground plan" of the little vii
lage the appearance Of Q funnel. In 1923 the
chiils and fever. as noted heretofore in these
skstches had forced the settlement further east.
and it lay In . narrow strip on both sides of
Washington street from the river--but mainly
from near the Inns Of West street-to Alabama,
with q little projection northward along Penn
syivania street 10 Ohio. and another southwark
along Meridian street to Georgia. At this stage
Of growth thsfuturs metropolis Of Indiana looked
. good deal like . long-bodied short-armed cross.
In 1885 came o Doom from the Frightening
prospect offered by internal improvements, not
begun but confidently expected, and the estab-
'lishment Of sever..~sinss Of manufacture that
have remained and grown and helped the gen.
eral growth. The town had been the actual
capital ten years. The State-house was nearly
ready for occupancy. The national road was
surveyed and coming, and had already greatly
helped the place by its bridges and other i'm
provsmentaL The first steamboat had come and
rope sad the hopes that came with it remained.
though 20, other eveS came TO strengthen them.
James L. Bradley began packing pork on the
site OF the Chamber Of Scudder d
Hannsmsn began manufacturing our home
grown tobacco near by. John L. Young, on
Maryland street, near West, began the brewing
Of what used TO- be called ''strone beer By way
Of distinction from the Presbyterian spruce
bser7 made by "Baksr" Brown Robert Under
hill began an iron foundry on the site of the SEQ
ono Presbyterian Church. Barnes & Maxwell
had begun making linseed oil some time before.
on the site Of the city school on Maryland street.
The town was hopeful, after q long depression,
and 1t spread ont In . sort Of balloon shape, with
. narrow neck from West street to the river,
swelling from West gradually over the northern
part OF the Ralston plat till il reached Michigan
etrest and covered the adjoining blocks of Hill
nois. meridisn, Pennsylvanis and Delaware, then
dropping almost directiy down TO Washington
~ New jersey, and filing . very gentle curve
below Washington, that at the lowest only
reachsd . little below Georgia TO near the pres
; emit line Of Louisiana street. This 10 merely an
outline or tracing Of the boundaries of the settled
part Of the city plat ffty-three years ago. 1t is
not entirely accurate. a. there were q very few
lxes1dences south 81 Louisiana street in 1888.
Ore on Illinois. occupied by the late Ovid But
Ter. when he first came here in 1886, and one on
South. west Of Tennessee. The year 1895 was
an era in the history of the city. It's first per-
hansnt manufacturers came then; its first fire
protection that amounted to anything came
then; Its benevolent society Was organized
then. Town lots improved greatly and rapidly
In value that year. Washington street property
had doubled since 1893 Lots that had sold at
less than SIS 20 $40 q foot at the first sale in 1921.
when everything Was high and hopeful, and had
fallen 70 half or less. climbed back to first fig
aaA ahova <bo~ Efftu ona oawso<yfua
Collars . foot were no unusual prices for good
~nrcSe-syn wnhe boom that lifted business sites
I'D somss r~esiczneos. OF course, and all
the signs 80 hobsfui.
One notieeabls effect OF this change in the
}prospects Of the town WAS q backwar surge
tupon the line Of the former movement east
ward. Property Ia the west began to look up.
fLsts ~ the vicinity Of the State-house had not
benefited much by that association, but when
The canal survey came along Missouri street.
the business advantages Of the situation put up
prices At once. And not only that. but drew
sresiosness 20 this previously ,abooed region.
attest . better condition that had passed away.
The internal improvement system failed. the
State failed, business Of all kinds failed or
weakened. the canal bad no more attractions for
speculation. and the few good residences erected
near IL were soon abandoned to cheap tenants
and became az diiapjdated as the tenement hives
Of . big city. The depression following the
great national panic OF 1887 was not SO bad in
Its effect on the town a. the earlier one. That
was wholly local and the effect of inanition. The
town aas . sickly child for the first ten years of
TIA HE. For the next ten, the States embar-
EASEMENTS were adjusted and a healthy tone Of
business began to revive all over the State. the
town was more . fairly grown lad suffering
from q crippled limb Some improvement was
jeoinc on ali the time. and the town growing
out OF the ways and fashionE Of country villages
and fsttIipg into something like city conditions.
< Mr.. Daniel Yandes, tax collector IN 1923, re-
ported the certified amount of county revenue
Asssesed for 16227-the first year of the county's
Sexisssncs-at s726. 70, of which, on the 18th of
November, 1922, Harris Tyner, the first coll
Hector. had collected s236. leaving due s490.84k
From the other sources OF revenue, ''store
1icsnsestr stavern licenses and taxes on GER
l~tidcstss Of sales aud writs.s he bad collected
tf169. 93s. The whole county revsnue, it will be
seen. was less than 5000 for the first fiscal year,
and from this had to be deducted 49, 81 for de-
~EzSusncisA The tax-payers of pioneer times came
~suptorSe <:5kDs little more promptly than
those Of our day to keep down dslinqueneies to
ices than 5 per cent of the duplicate. 1t is more
likely than not Co be three or four times that
suowadays. The collector, or treasurer-he seems
to have served both purposes-eot s2l-5 per
ceut-on $421 paid out for county expenses.
These Be very humbls beginnings. and worth
Remembering in contrast with the changes that
have occurred within the memory of more than
one man still living.
be intsressing 20 q good many readers. In 1888
Asa B Strong, afterwards one OF the associate
Judges Of the Circuit Court. Was county treas
uror ard collector. One Of his receipts to James
I. B-rxdley-pioneer pork -pscker-shows that
lot 6, in square "A. was assessed at % cents. paid
Oct 3, 1883. On lot II, in square 60. Maryland
street. opposite the school-houss, the tax for
county purposes was 10 cents. The whole State
and county tax for 1888. on these two lots and
eighty acres Of "frst-rate land 60 designated.
and four lots in square 70, was S258. The
hty-scro tract formed part of what is now
fPsrk. Think or that, you groaning
ere who must pay go on ons little lot
little cottaEe-but 81 So on six lots and
acres or sfrstrrate land.' On September
5, Col. Alexander A. Russell. collector, got
Mr.. Bradley SIG for State and county tax
10 ssme property. Il may be noted here,
that Mr.. Bradley still holds this property,
BIT the eighty acre tract and the Chamber Of
hmerce lot IL 10 just possible that these are
only lots in Indianapolis that have remained
the same hands since 1s26 or earlier.
Tue year 1882 was made memorable In local
tory By the first organization OF Q town govern
knt, ~ the year of the preceding decade was
the organization OF the county government.
or ten years the State capital had no other
|ivil administration shan belonged to every
township and neiehborbood In the county. In
The latter part Of the summer Q movement for
yfhe erection of . market<house was started.
Aud this seams to have gathered force enough
TO push on towards . regular municipal organi-
xAsson At . public meeting held at the court
house on the I'd or Septsmber, 1882, q resolution
Was adopted 20 incorporate the town nndsr the
general law Five trustees were elected q short
time afterwards. Of whom Samuel Henderson,
first postmaster. was maze president Israel P.