The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-03-12
WANT AN ENDORSEMENT.

A printed invitation. signed Dy Albert
Gall, John c. McCutcheOn and DIR. Henry
Jameson, stated that the Board of Public
Works and Affairs invited property-hold-
ers to attend a meeting at Superior Court
room No. l, last night, for the purpose OF
receiving full expression concerning the
merits of the system proposed by the law
creating the board and to talk about such
methods as will secure to the city the best
results There was slim attendance at
the hour mentioned, but people DESTROYS of
contributing to full expression
concerning the merits of the system
proposed came afterward, and before
the meeting ended the room was we'll filed.
large majority of those present were Dem-
Ocrats, but there were enough Republicans
present to interfere with its prospects as
Democratic ratification meeting. Among
the citizens present were DR.. p: II. Jane
son. John Frenzel, Captain Iarklngton,
John w. Murphy, Col. Eli Lilly, Henry
Span, John H. Holiday, Leon Bailey.
John r. Wilson, DR.. Henry Jameson, Capt.
Curtis, John L. Brush, DR.. +. s. Newcomer.
Charles Martindale and others. The meet
ing was called to order by DR.. Henry jane
son, who said its purpose was to find out
DONE assuming the cOnstitutionallty OF the
Curtis bill. On motion. DR.; Newcomer
was selected as chairman and George G.
Tanner as secretary. The latter read the
text of the Curtis bill from a certified copy
furnished him. He offered to read the Ger,
tifcates of the members of the board elected
by the Legislature. which were attached to
the certified copy, but that was not deemed
necessary.
Captain Curtis being called upon dis
cussed the bill in a stately and ornate man
ner. He said he had not expected to speak
again OIL the bill, but now that he was up
he did not mind saying that his sole object
in introducing it was the good OF the city.
The streets here, he said, did not compare
with those of other cities he had visited,
and which were under the control of boards
of public works. Nashville was
completely under the direction of
such board, and was a very. promising
community. All the cities of Ohio Were di-
vided into classes Government that was
applicable to small towns was not appli-
cable to large cities. There were five classes
of cities in Ohio. Cincinnati was the only
city of the first class there. Cleveland of
the second, Toledo and Columbus of the
third, and so on. In all these cities the
boards of control were appointed by the
Governor, and they. were all pleased with
the arrangement, Cincinnati being special
ly delighted with it. The Curtis bill was
not 81 political measure. and the men named
to carry out its purposes were fair men,
who will do the hest they can.
Col. Eli Lilly. who was called ont, said
he only came to assure the Commissioners
OF his sympathy and support in an honest
administration of their trust. RESPONSE
bility was preferable to responsibility,
and there had been no proper responsibility
attaching to- the city government hereto
fore. He thought there were some defects
| Ill the new law. ii 1t Wasa law. The pro-
| visions it contained for the invitation of
bids thrOugh advertisement he considered
| inadequate, and the arrangement for Civ
ing notice to owners where improvements
LOTT -,cr fi..ia
| These objections, however, might be OBJ
Waited by rules adopted for the govern
| ment of the new board. Any change would
| be al Improvement and matters could not
| he made worse than they are now.
John w. Murphy offered his sympathy to
| the comm SsiOners. They had an extend
| ed and prOtracted engagement. The most
| Important point they would have to con-
slider would he the engagement of a good
| engineer, and for this indispensable adj
| junct he advised them to turn To the regu-
lar army.
DR.. +. ii. jameson said the faults of
| councils were like the quarrels of doctors,
| they belonged to the business. A council
| mans inef1icency was usually due to his
| envi ronment. He had to load himself UP
with pledges to secure his election. These
| pledges when they came to be redeemed
| disarranged business. He had known q lady
| who, when rescued from watery grave
bad objected because she had not been
| pnlled ont as suited her best. As for him
| self ne did not care how he was pulled out
| as long us he got out. The streets of In
earth. we must make better ones' III
said. and make them so they will stay
| made. There need be no politics in the
bill" The Doctor remarked that he had
vaccinated Republicans with Democrat,
scabs and they had taken first rate. COun
Gil was mainly legislative body, and could
| not attend to executive business. III,
vouchcd for the members appointed as gOOt
men. Notwithstanding the fact that he hat
| u nephew OH the board. Under their man
| agement things must get better, becaus,
| they could not get worse.
| John L. Brush SAID it was the first time
he had heard the bill read. but thought i
was move i'll the right direction. HI
hoped 1T was constitutional, and believed
it would be hard to find better men thar
those named as members of the board
John III. Holiday thought the law wa
directly in the line of improvement. Il
was easy to criticise, but the bill furnished
good starter, and he hoped to see it g
ahead. John r. Wilson suggested that til,
success of the plan depended on the way
the law was carried out, and the success o
the board depended largely on the mora
support it had from the community
1t was certain to be a failure tx the assist
ance needed was not given. and he proposed
that resolutions of support be adopted
Similar speeches were made by DIR. New
conner. Z. {: Foster. Geo. w. Stout and /.
ing of Colonel Lilly. j. w. Murphy and /
5. Gordon were appointed to draft resolu
| tiOns expressive of the sense of the meeting
| While the committee was out preparing
the resolutions, August NJ. Kuhn reminded
those present that the South Side had no
been heard from. He hoped the law woul,
work well, and that the oppressed SOutl
Side would have a chance under it. Thing.
on his side of the Mason and Dixon lin
We're very muddy, and yet they were a
loyal over there as the people on the Nortl
Side. He hoped that the board would no
be so sentimental but that it would max
the Consumers Trust fill up the chuck
holes it made in the streets. Chas. Martin
dale made vigorous speech indOrsin,
POpe's statement that what is best admin
lstered is best, and congratulating tn
meeting on the prospect of the law furnish
ing ready relief, and the personnel of tn
board that was to administer it,
Councilman David Swain, who was Gale,
out, said that while the principle of com
hitting business to people who gave it thei
time and were paid for their labor was al
right, there were good many things abou
the law that he could not indOrse. If j
have been different. A good deal had bee
said about the bad condition of the streets
Last years experience would account flo
| part of them, but he wanted the people {
remember that good streets cost money
Council could make good streets
it had the means furnished t
make them with. Washington stree
however. to blame the Council for no
spending enough money to make goo
streets at a time when the city warrant
| would not have been paid. had the Councj
not strained its authority
Chairman Newcomer followed Council