The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-12-21
MADISON'S FINANCES.
1t Was Democratic, Not Republican
Rule That Plunged the City in Debt.

To the Editor of the Indianapolis Journal:
y few days ago the Indianapolis Sentinel
devoted three four columns of its space
to abuse of the City Council of Madison
and the Republicans of jefferson county,
of which Madison is the county seat. The
attempt of the writer was clearly to dis
credit the Republican leaders party OF
Jefferson county, because ii has been the
one border county on the south which has
never wavered in its allegiance to the Re
publican party, and which the Democrats
would wipe out from the map of Indiana if
they had the power.
The Sentinel writer talked about the mis-
management of city affairs by the Council,
which is Republican. The City Council has
nearly always been Democratic up TO with
in the past few years. and under Demo-
cratic rule the debt went up to nearly
100000. The Republicans have reduced 1t
to less than 100000, and at the same time
the rate of taxation has been reduced from
S1.47 to Sl15 Again. in the building of the
city water works the Democrats issued
100000 worth of water works bonds at
per cent. interest. These bonds the present
Republican Council has refunded at AZ per
cent, and received also premium OF
$780, said TO be the lowest rate of municipal
interest in the State, and MesSrs. Johnson
and Thomas, the two councilmen most bit
terly attacked in the Sentinel article, were
the leaders in saving this large amount for
the city, though when they commenced they
were discouraged, AMI many antici-
pated they could not float bonds
cent. on account of heavy Indebtedness
made by previous city councils This Re-
publican Council has reduced taxes, is re-
ducing the city debt, and yet is expending
$1,000 a year to keep the city clear OF garb-
age having passed ordinance preventing
hogs and cows from running at large In the
city, and since that has been done our
streets are cleaner many high fences have
been removed, and the city generally beau
titled, and we have better streets than ever
before.
Under a Democratic city treasurer, a num-
Der of years ago, there was a large defalca-
ton; books were destroyed and lost, ar the
city was swindled out of thousands OF dol
lars. jefferson county is Republican. Its
affairs have been so well managed that II
has surplus of $4,000 in the treasury and
no debt; and j. w. Thomas, one of the
Councimen abused by the Sentinel, Is one
OF Jefferson cOunty's Commissioners. on the
other hand, the city's assets are s56SOOO;
liabilities, $2590O0 One thing that has run
the city behind financially is its water
works, which, in three years, under q
Democratic Board Of Trustees, have cost
the city $4,000 more than they have pro-
duced in revenue. This is due largely TO
the law passed by the Legislature OF 1879.
vesting the control of water works in three
trustees, who allow themselves large sala-
ries, have full management of the works,
and are proflgate in their administration OF
affairs. whereas 1t Is believed that private
individual could manage the water system
at a profit. The Republicans have twice
made an attempt to change this law in or
der to economic for the city. Hon. John
Legislature of 1889, introduced a bill in the
House to have the water works board aboi-
The bill passed the House, but was killed
in the Senate. Joseph c. Abbott, at the
time chairman of the Democratic county
central committee proceeded to Indianapo-
lis and had the bill killed. Abbott is now
sick with rheumatism, ami. Being a very
nice gentleman ha long since repe1 me- r OF
quest of our taxpayers, irrespective or pou-
ties, Hon. Marcus Il. Sulzer introduced
bill in the House, and Senator VAIL or FIX
hart introduced bill in the Senate, aboi-
fishing the board of water works trustees
Both bills were defeated. NUMBER or
Democratic politicians from this place went
before the committee of the House or Rep
resentativeS and claimed the bill was
partisan measure and caused Its defcat
and yet if the matter had been or were nov.
submitted to a vote of the taxpayers or
Madison it would carry overwhelmingly.
The Sentinel heaped abuse upon the mead
of John r. Bartron, the leader of the Der
ocrats in the city Council. and their ab'est
member in that body, gentleman VINO was
last administration by the best Office gwen
to any man in this town. This gentleman
was abused because he voted for the Game
we'll fire alarm but they failed to creclt
him with having introduced a resolution
favoring the Sulzer bill for the adjustment
measure which, if it had passed. would have
saved the city more in one year than the
entire cost of the new fire-alarm system.
The Sentinel aludes to the present lead
ers i'm the Council as having fixed up their
schemes at Councilman Johnson's saloon,
whereas as a matter of fact, johnson does
not now and never has owned A saloon,
and both are reputable citizens. Captain
Thomas is one of our largest manufact-
urers He is engaged in more enterprises
and employs more manual labor than any
other man here, he and Richard Johnson
being the two heaviest manufacturers in
the city, while Charles r. Johnson oper-
ates large foundry. and has been for
twenty-four years an active engineer of
our volunteer fire department. The belief
here Is that the article in the Sentinel was
Inspired by the attorney for those who have
enjoined the city from paying for the new
Gamewell fire alarm system, which they
recently purchased for 5000. Because. as
far the suit had gone in the Circuit
Court. tine cOuncilmen had been victorious,
it was attempted. through the article in
the Sentinel to prejudice the City Council
at the bar of public opinion, and thus Gre
ate a sentiment beneficial TO his case in the
Supreme Court. &c
Madison, Ind, Dec 20.