The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-09-11
TIE MAYORS DEPARTMENT,

An interview with Mayor Sullivan.
published in the Sunday Journal. shows
that he has some queer ideas in regard
to the city charter and his duty under
it. The reporter first asked the Mayo
it he intended to take any steps toward
closing the gambling houses that infest
the city, to which his Honor replied.
"Yos Will find ont what l intend to do
after it is DONE" His Honor erred.
The public may, after he shall have
acted, find ont what he has done, but
not what no intends to do. just
now they want to know what
he intends to do. And if he
does nothing. as ne has been doing for
four years past, what can n find out
from that except that he is a do-nothing
Mayor. who farms out the government
oil the city to his subordinates and takes
no further interest in it, The reporter
pressed the point by saying, Then you
refuse to say whether you will close the
gambling rooms or not?" to which
his Honor replied that he did
not know that there are any
such places in the city. "Do you
mean 20 say" urged tho reporter.
"that you have not been told that
gambling rooms existed hereg" Tho
Mayor answered, fatty, az have not"
He then told the reporter hat if he had
any information on the subject he should
lay it before the prosecutor, adding,
that is the proper place for you to go,
anyhow, and not come to me-" When
asked if he knew how long il had been
since a gambler had been fined in the
Police Court. the Mayor replied, "No. /
do not. That is out of my department,
and l pay no attention to the court
docket"
In view of these surprising statements,
we think a great many people in Indian
apolis would like to know what Mayor
Sullivan does know as to what is going
on in the city, and what no regards as
the duty and the department" of the
Mayor. He says he does not know that
there is a gambling room in the city, and
that he has never over been told so.
Now, We are willing to believe that the
Mayor has never been inside of a gam
bling house, or been an eyewitness of
their operations, but that is not neces-
sary to personal knowledge. Courts take
judicial notice of many things, and We
do not think it would be too great a
strain upon the intelligence of the Mayor
If be were to take official notice of a
fact of which every member of his
Board of Public Safety. every police
man. every newspaper reporter and al
most every newspaper reader, every
newsboy and boOtblack and nearly
every citizen has knowledge. The
Mayor might say he does not know
there is q soldiers monument In town.
OF course he has seen what looks like a
monument, but it might be an optical
illusion, and as he has never struck it
with his fist or run his head against it
he cannot be absolutely sure that it Is "a
reality. The Mayors ideas of what
constitute knowledge and information
are unique. We begin to suspect he
does not know there are any saloons in
town. In fact, his dense ignorance On
thO saiiDlthS 4uCctAOh ~ w q ouopl~
cion that he knows of but one place
in town, the city TIRE asurer's office, and
that he can only find that on pay day.
The Mayor rebuked the reporter for
coming to him concerning matters that
belonged to the Police Court, and, when
THAT is out of my department., and l
pay no attention to the court docket
We must take leave to differ with his
Honor in his construction of the city
charter. His department is the city.
The charter says: cit shall be the duty
of the Mayor to cause the ordinances OF
the city and the laws of the State to DO
enforced, and he shall be r.
sponsible for the good order and effi-
cient government of the CITY," The po-
lice are his. being appointed by the
Board of Public Safety. which is APP
pointed by him. 1t is the duty of his
police to make arrests for violations of
law. 1t is his duty To SEQ what disposi-
ton is made Of violators of the law in
the Police Court. How can he, in the
language of the charter, cause the or
dinances of the city and the avs of the
State TO be enforced" unless he takes
cognizance of the acts of every depart
ment and every member of the city gov
ernmentq The Mayor seems to think
that under the city charter his duty is
lone when he has appointed his boards,
and that. having thus far,ned out his
executive responsibility, he may shut
his eyes and fold his hands except when
called upon To read q piece to some con-
vention. We beg leave to differ. His
department. is the city of Indianapolis,
and his duty is to be Mayor.