The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1891-09-08
FRANCHISES FROM THE CITY
They Come Easy Enough for Boss Fren-
eel, bat Hard for Rival Applicants.
How He and His Corporations Are Working
ThiDgs-Little Hope for the Cincinnati
Street-Car Syndicate-0lsens Breaks.

The general impression among the coun-
cilmen is that the Cincinnati street-rail-
road syndicate will never get franchise
of any kind from the Sullivan administra-
tion. Its former petitions have lain before
the Board of Public Works for several
months now without being considered at
ALL and the additional petitions it filed the
other day urging some action are not likely
to receive any greater consideration. Moth
ing will be done either way before the
election, and after election any other COM
pany than Mr.. Frenzels may whistle for
all it gets. You have no idea" said a
Democratic member last night, "how much
Frenzel and the two big CORPORATE Ons of
which he is the head have at
stake in this election or how
hard he is working to pull
ested In the gas ordinance and the street.
car company, to which q new franchise IS q
matter of life and death. With Frenzel at
the head of both and using all the power
OF both to make things come his way. he
named on the executive committee Mike
Burns. assistant superintendent of the
street-car company, for the Fifth ward.
George Harpeck civil engineer OF the same
company. for the Fourth ward. and w. A.
Armstrong, an emplOye of the Trust, Tor
with making up the Test of the COM
inlttee / don't know, but he certainly
named those three. Burns and Harpeck
Will handle the money the Citizens com
pany dumps into the campaign. and they
will also handle the thousand men In its
employ. The Trust has several hundred
more which Frenzel can probably handle.
and Sullivan will get them ALL"
But suppose Sullivan is defeatedp
"Frenzel will get his franchise just the
The Sullivan administration will remain In
office until Jan. i. There is nearly three
months after election, and that is ample
time to get a franchise through"
Features of Oisen's Councilmanic Career.
The Republicans of the Thirteenth ward
are making a valiant fight to elect Sinks
Ferguson to the Council and retire the
awful Olaf Olsen, and they are receiving a
good deal of Democratic support. 1t has
begun to dawn upon the residents of the
old Twentieth-now the larger half Of the
Thirteenth-that Olsen is in the Council
very largely for the purpose of repre-
senting Olaf Olsen. His two most con-
spicuous exploits this year have been
when he rushed ont of the chamber and
threatened to stop the city government by
resigning, and hen he ''nipped" the Deere
switch ordinance and succeeded in making
it a case OF mysterious disappearance. The
tion TO the presidency. Olsen grabbed his
hat and dashed out of the meeting He
announced that it Was 'yoOst de same old
tam gang" and he would resign right away.
Ho cooled Oft in few hours. however.
There was no such good luok as getting his
rpc ia q IT ha nm N
Gil yet. His second distinguished feat of
craftsmanship was what his Democratic
colleague. Mr.. Markey, pronounced "a
mighty small trick of mighty small man."
The Deere company wanted switch across
Kentucky avenue so that it could build a
big warehouse. Olsen holly opposed the
scheme before the Board of Public Works,
and came near killing it there. He has a
switch across the avenue Just above this
point. and wanted to keep every body else
had worked hard to bring the
Deere enterprise here. came down OH
the Board of Public Works and 1T
agreed to allow the switch to be put In. An
ordinance confirming the contract was in
trOduced in the Council and referred to the
committee on railroads just before the
next meeting. when the committee went to
look the matter up. the ordinance was no
where to be found. Much search and in
qniry developed the fact that Olsen had
the meeting before. He did not
appear at the Council meeting. and
when messenger was sent to
his house after the ordinance,
he sent back word that he had mailed 1t to
Mr.. Marley. An effort was made to dupli-
cate the ordinance that night. but it could
not be done. and the matter was delayed n
couple of weeks more. The ordinance
which Olsen claimed to have mailed to
Markey never appeared at the postoffice,
although dlligent search was made for 1t.