The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-02-07
STATUS OF THE FUND
Col. Lilly's Statement Regarding
the G. A. r. Encampment Fund.
The Commercial Clubs EndeavOr to Sc
cure the Methodist General Confer
ence for Indianapolis in 1896.

The directors of the Commercial Club held
their regular monthly meeting yesterday
afternoon. The committee on assemblages
decided to select one of their number to at
tend the meeting Of the committee of the
Methodist General Conference, to be held
in Cincinnati on the 18th of this month.
The club committee will endeavor TO secure
the next convention Of the Methodist Cen
eral Conference. which is to be held in 1896,
for Indianapolis. The leading competitors
for this convention are Cleveland and In
dianapolis, with the latter slightly in the
lead. This city has never had a general
convention of this body, although it has at
previous times worked hard to get it.
The matter of determining qualifications
for voting at the annual election next Mon
day was referred to a special committee of
three, whose decision will in all cases be
final. President Lilly appointed T. Z. Crit
fifth. Judge r.. ". Lamb and Hon. Smiley
N. Chambers to serve on the committee. An
auditing committee to examine the accounts
Of the club for the past year. a report to be
made to the annual meeting next Monday,
was appointed. The committee are Frank
D.. Stalnaker, Horace T. Bennett and Hiram
Brown.
After appointing this committee, Presi-
dent Lilly called Mr.. c. C. Foster to the
chair and addressed the meeting as fol-
lows:
Il desire, before the close of our club
year, to place before you the facts leading
up TO the present status OF the balance to
the credit OF the ~aSsemblage committee,
which the city officials have been instigated
to endeavor to secure for the city. i have
awaited action on their part. The city at
torney last night, placed before the Com
mon Council his legal opinion on the sub
ject, which is In accordance with the posi-
ton L have maintained, so far as the claims
on behalf OF the city are concerned. My
relation to the aSsemblage committee fund
was, as president OF the club, to conserve
its best interests in e~xpending no more
than was necessary to accomplish the OBJ
jectS in hand and as chairman of the execu-
tive committee of the twenty-seventh Ma
tional Encampment, CT. a. r., to see that IL
was honestly and economically expended.
and that in common with all other avail
able funds it SHOULD bear its fair proportion
OF the burden.
FORMS OF SUBSCRIPTION.
'The assemblage committee fund consist
ed of two separate subscriptions, the first
Of which, amounting to so, 1862, was in
terms as follows:
"T hereby subscribe the sum of - dol
lars TO the fund of the Commercial Clubs
which / agree to- pay to the secretary of
the Commercial Club at any time after Jan.
Is, 1892, on the call of said committee on
asSemblagsS. / agree to pay the remainder
of said sum in 10 per cent. instailments to
said secretary on the call of said commit
tee, provided it is decided TO hold either the
Democratic national convention of 1892 or
the G.. A. r. National Encampment of 1893
In indianapolis
"My construction Of this agreement is that
II a larger sum was raised on II than was
finally found necessary to carry out the
objects of the committee In hand, that any
surplus would be held for further work of a
similar character.
presumably it was necessary to expend
II. 50 far as required, for either the Demo-
cratic national convention or the National
~Encampment, as was done, but actually 1t
was subscribed conditioned only on either
Of the meetings stated being held in Indi-
annapolis, leaving the committee to use its
own judgment as TO the expenditure. As a
matter OF fact the committee considered 1t
a general fund, and used 1t for other pur-
poses than the encampment expenses, as
It's records will show. There is nothing to
show that any part of this subscription was
ever to be returned to the subscribers or
scription was as follows:
~ hereby subscribe the sum of -
dollars to the fund of the Commercial Club
committee on assemblages. to be applied
to the expenses of the twenty-Seventh Ma
tional "Encampment, q. A. r., TO be held
in Indianapolis in September, 1898. / agree
to pay Is per cent. of said sum to the sec
rotary Of the Commercial Club on or before
May 1. 1893, and the remainder in monthly
lHSUdllT1eDlS Oh % per CtIl-, DelWetH Tie ISL
and 10th OF each succeeding month there
after until the entire sum is paid. This sub
scription is made without relief from valu-
alton and appraiSement laws, and with at
torney'S fees
"This subscription, amounting to $40, $3.50.
was subscribed absolutely to be applied to
al Encampment, G. A. r., and so could rot
be used for any other purpose. The total
expenditure of club funds for the encamp-
ment expenses Was S33, 1918, or $l3, 1883 in
excess OF the second subscription. which 1
hold was expended in full as required, and
the remainder came out of the first sub
scTiption. and that the balance OF the first
subscription remains to the credit of the
assemblage committee for further work. L
hold that no SUBSCRIBE has any claim upon
any part of the aSSemblage committee fund
as 1t now exists.
"As to the city's part in the matter, the
ordinance and acts of the city committee
fix that. The gift by the city of $4,000 was
absolute, bounded only by the legitimate eX-
pense of the encampment. In every voucher
in the hands of Albert Gall, treasurer Of the
encampment organization, at the close of
the work. should be turned over to the city.
This was done to the last cent, and was in
accordance with my understanding at a con-
ference between the finance Of
the Council, the members of the city COM
mittee and myself, at which time / plainly
also told the finance committee if the ordi-
nance did not contain all the requirements
desired by the city 10 make such additions
as they might think proper. The assem-
bIage Committee also passed resolutions to
honor my requisitions so far as necessary
for encampment expenses. These two funds
then were the foundation of the work, and
I was the arbiter of the expenditure under
the restrictions imposed.
THE CITY'S CLAIMS.
1.-TWO weeks before the encampment the
lowest estimate I could make on the total
expense was $4,000. and it was expected
that at least $4,000 OF the city appropria-
ton would be required in payment of bills
and an additional issue Of bonds for $1,000
was about TO be made when we found that
it would not be necessary, and the city
committee was so advised When the end
came $4,000 had been expended, we had
drawn but $685. BOO of the city funds, and
there was about $500 in the hands Of AL
bert Gall, treasurer. This was paid over
at once to the city. Eight thousand dol
lars was held by my order i'm the assem-
blage ommitte fund TO protect William
Fortune and myself against personal liza
bility on bonds given the United States
and others. Besides, there was some $4,000
accumulated there. The expenses of the
encampment had been fully met, and by no
method of reasoning can / understand
how L could have assumed to turn the as
Semblage committee tund over to Treas
urer Gall, simply that 1t might be turned
over as a gift to the city. The $50, 600 re-
ceived from the city appropriation of $4,000
had been expended and $500 had been re-
turned to the city. 1t had levied the tax
of Az cents on the Sl00, from which IL will
realize about 81, 600. or $4,000 more than
necessary to meet the bonds. and this sur
plus of more than $4,000 is available for
the general fund this year. All this, to
say nothing of the $4,000 saved for the
city on bonds not required TO be issued.
TIL city has no ground for complaint, nor
has the taxpayer. Every interest, in my
judgment, has been e%quitably and fairly
treated.