The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1891-07-09
BETWEEN wv BEERS.
Sullivan Begs Off from the Syndicate-His 0p-
ponents Place q Big Price on Their Support.

That beer-license ghost has arisen again
to worry the life out of Mayor Sullivan.
Being o question Of one beer faction against
another been faction, it Is q sort of Demo-
cratic family row. The English beer syn
dictate. which controls the Indianapolis
breweries. wants q 81. 600 license ordinance
to shut out all OUTSIDE beer, and all the
dealers in outside beer naturally want no
snch thing. 1t will be remembered that
the license ordinance was introduced into
the Council some weeks ago by Mr.. Marley
at the request OF the Liebers. 1t now de-
velops that Mayor Sullivan had promised
Albert LIeber to support the ordinance and
sign it. When it was called up In the Coun-
the best of it and succeeded in Durying it
in a committee. Lieber called the Mayor
to account for this partial failure, and his
Honor tried to beg off and get out of having
anything further to do with the matter.
However. Lieber threatened thai the syn
dicate's usual contribution of $1,000 to the
Democratic campaign fund would not be
forthcoming, and the Mayor came around.
1t was finally agreed that the matter
should remain where it is in committee IN
til after election. when the ordinance
would be taken up and passed.
Now the anti-syndicate people, who
thought they had killed the ordinance
at the first blow. have heard of
making life a burden to Mayor Sullivan by
trying TO extract from him a promise that
the ordinance shall be permitted to sleep
forever. His Honor is between two fires.
or rather between two beers, and does not
know which to cling to.
Mayor Sullivan is in q nut-brown study
upon another question of policy just now.
The dissatisfied Democrats have offered
him q compromise, and he does not know
just what to do about it. They would like
first rate to put up another candidate and
beat the Mayor in convention, but as tbis
would look too much like q frank con-
fession that the first Democratic ad-
ministration III q dozen years has
been a dead failure. they are willing to con-
support him if he will pledge himself to Sc
leot q new Board of Public Works. Now
this action would look very much like q
frank confession lpon the Mayors part that
the big end of his administration under the
new charter had been o failure. and he
doesn't like to do it. Furthermore, it
would be an injustice, for the board has
simply carried out q policy dictated by
him. 1t is an awkward position to be
placed in, and his Honor does not enjoy it
even q little bit.
Not a little commotion was caused in the
city offices yesterday afternoon by the pub
lished statement that the administration,
through its political machine. the Board OF
Public Safety, was trying to secure the
nomination for city clerk for Randall
Abrams and down" Swift. the incumbent.
Evidently there was some truth in the re-
port. for the clerks deputy. the Mayor and
the clerk of the Board of Public Safety
were all hustling about trying to trace il
to its source. They finally settled upon a
Democratic ex-policeman. recently dis
missed from the force. but as he is now
beyond their reach all they could
do was to swear at him. The
measure of truth in the report
is this, that Swift is making his canvass
without reference to Mayor Sullivan, and
is likely to pursue the same plan after the
convention. As he controls a Democratic
element not overly friendly to Sullivan. the
Mayor fears. and not without reason. that
Swift and his friends may sacrifice the
head of the ticket for their own benefit.