The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-02-13
THEY HEDGE AGAIN
County Commissioners Now Have
Another Song for Unemployed.
Want to Furnish the City Broken Stone
at Too High a Rate-TO-Night's
Cabinet Meeting.

The Mayor, Board Of Works, County
Commissioners and a committee from the
unemployed met in the Mayors office at
4 o'clock yesterday afternoon to discuss the
proposition for the county to establish
stoneyards, at which stone shall be broken
by the unemployed at the c~ounty's expense,
the city agreeing to take the stone off the
county's hands when needed for public
works. Nothing was accomplished and
nothing viii likely be accomplished if the
county insists upon the price which the
commissioners now say they will be COM
PEELED to ask for the broken stone.
AT the meeting of the unemployed last
week in the Criminal Court room, at which
the County Commissioners were present,
they sought to make political capital by a
pretended offer which they claimed to have
made to the city. They announced at the
meeting that the city authorities were en-
tirely to blame for employment not having
been furnished through these stoneyards,
because the commissioners had offered TO
the city broken stone at the cost of the
stone and freight charges. They had made
the offer to Mayor Denny just prior to his
departure for the East. When it began to
appear that the city woul accept the Of
fer the commissioners began to hedge rap
idly. They are still very anxious TO afford
the unemployed all the work they can
perform If the commissioners may have the
glory and the city bear the expense.
In the meeting yesterday afternoon, when
the proposition was stated that the com
missioners were offering the stone to the
city at the actual cost Of the stone and
the freight thereon, Commissioner Reinecke
quickly corrected the statement and hedSed
completely for the commissioners. He said
the commissioners had been misunderstood
The commissioners could not, he said, do
what they had promised to do, and denied
that they had promised to furnish the
stone as stated. He said the commission
ers' offer was that the county would fur
nish the stone to the city at the entire
cost, the sum total of the proposition be-
ing that the county did not intend to be-
come engaged in the stone-breaking bust
ness as a business enterprise. They would
let the city nave the stone If the city would
pay them what it cost at the quarry, pay
the freight, pay the expense of breaking
It by hand and pay any other expense that
might be incurred. The commissioners very
considerably offered to wait one, two or
three months for payment from the city,
however. There seems to be little likeli-
hood that the proposition can be accepted.
however, as the commissioners say they
cannot furnish the broken stone at less
than about & a cubic yard, while the city
mas an offer from a contractor TO furnish
ii at $1.15 a yard.
When the new construction was placed on
the oounty's offer by Commissioner Rel
necke, Nh. Nelson, of the committee from
the unemployed, said that that was not
the way in which he understood the prop
osition made at the meeting of the unem-
ployed last week. At this time the COM
missioners had full sway and were shifting
the responsibility upon the shoulders of the
pitU administration Mr. Nelson said the
men wanted work and were willing to work
for small wages. All they wanted was
enough to live upon.
A committee consisting of attorney
Brown and COMMISSIONS Reinecke for the
county and Messrs. Kramer and Fischer for
the city was appointed to investigate the
probable cost TO the city a yard for stone
broken in the way proposed. If it is found
that the plan is practicable and not too
expensive TO the city. the commissioners
will try to secure several yards near the
outskirts of the city, north and south, in
order to accommodate the men in going
to and from their work and to conn
date the city in hauling the stone upon the
streets.