The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-02-09
HAD A POOR DEFENSE
The County Commissioners Give
the Unemployed a Reply.
They Will Not Cut Down the Courthouse
Terrace-Spirited Meeting of
the Workingmen.

~ iiAScliIl6 VI AK AA~hiRAOSC IA hcAt III
the Criminal Court room last night as
sumed a vastly different phase than the
meetings heretofore held. The meeting was
given up to politics. pure and simple. The
meeting was presided over by Z. B. Cum
mings. who has undertaken to guide the
unemployed out of their wilderness. c. A.
Johnson acted as secretary. BY invitation
all Of the County commissioners were pres
ent. County Attorney Arthur V. Brown
was with them, and acted as spokesman
for the commissioners, reading a carefully
prepared statement from them covering
over three pages Of typewriter legal-cap
paper. In this statement the commissioners
disavowed any intention Of rejecting upon
the sincerity OF the city officials in their
avowed willingness to do all in their power
for the unemployed, but declared that the
commissioners were doing all they could.
The statement had especial reference to
the proposition to cut down the court
house yard, and upon this point the COM
missioners said they had consulted an arch
itect when the question was first preached,
and, relying upon his opinion, had decided
that 1t was impracticable to do the work.
They also urged as an objection TO the
work that IL would mar the beauty OF the
building to remove the terrace. They said
they were caring for more than three times
the number of poor persons this year than
they had last, and that there were from
three hundred to four hundred miles of
gravel road to be cared for, and the work
upon them was being done by persons in
the vicinity of the roads. They Denied nat
they wanted to shirk any responsibility that
rested upon them, but, acting under the
advice of the architect consulted, were OF
the opinion that the courthouse ydru
should not be cut down.
When the statement from the commits
sioners was read Judge Stubbs arose ana
said he regretted that the condition or the
weather was such as TO prevent many men
from. attending the meeting; Many OF mem oni
hadn't shoes mt to permit mem 10 GoSisgieepoorr S
| would nave found the room filled with men
anxious for work. He said the commas
sioners would see that there was a deep
sentiment that the work should be done.
In part he spoke as follows:
because a great mistake was committed
ten or fifteen years ago, when the court
| house was built, do we have to stand the
effects of that mistake wnen there is a
remedy at hand? II is now admitted mat
earth about the courthouse. Perhaps you
don't realize the necessity of its removal:
your office was in the basement you would
quickly realize that Ii is very essential that
the yard be cut down. If it is permitted
to remain in the present condition 1t will
be but a few years till the basement will
have to be abandoned to the rats and
vermin. A few months ago l was elected
police Judge of the city and since that
time 1 have been presiding in the Police
Court. There is hardly a month that
of the court on account of my health, and
before L went into the courthouse base
~ ever compelled 10 be absent from my
work on account of illness. l also believe
that the removal of the dirt, instead OF
marring, would greatly enhance the beauty
of the building.
VOTERS WILL REMEMBER.
II have taken it upon myself to investi-
gate, in a way, the proposition to cut down
the yard, and j believe the estimate re-
ported by the architect to whom the plan
was submitted is much higher than it
would actually cost to do the work. 1 be-
lieve the work can be done for one-third
/ the amount OF the published estimate. 1t
IS q change that is bound to come sooner
or later, and the only question to be de-
cided is, shall ii. be done when the work
is so badly needed by these worthy men out
of employment? You will find that there is
almost a universal sentiment among the
citizens that the work should be done, and
the majority Of the taxpayers reside in the
city. ! don't n say It 5,i In a threat don but 1 do Dc
probably prove disastrous at the polls. If
we have not commissioners who will listen
to the demands of the people, the people
will elect commissioners who will"
| ID. +. Kennedy spoke in favor of cutting
Gown the YARD. he said ne thought me
they thought best, and the difference was
one Of opinion as to the advisability of
Judgment. They made the mistake, how
ever, that too often Is made by public Off
GERS, of trying, to find what the taxpayers
wanted, as II the taxpayers were the whole
of a community. AS taxpayers they only
considered the men who owned the prop
erty. while. as a matter of fact, the man
who really was the taxpayer was the man
who a rented the n tpB roPT rTssnr and o the m MAJ
the agent merely. He said he thought the
commissioner feared that it would be
thought they had listened to the popular
clamOr and not regarded the interests Of
the taxpayer.
FOUNDATION CLAIM ABSURD.
He thought at times like these the COM
mon good had first mortgage on all the
property of the county if it was neces-
sary to afford relief and prevent starva-
ton. He said the plea that the work could
not be done on account of the foundation
was absurd, and upon this point he spoke
as a stone cutter with years of experience
in work upon large buildings. He knew
the foundation of the courthouse was such
| as would permit the work to be done. He
/ said If the time ever was when the work.
man of this needed work IL was here now,
and If the county and city government did
not demonstrate that the governments were
able to care for the people they would be
responsible for the spread Of anarchistic
principles. A gentleman from Wayne town
ship said he had been over nearly the en-
tire county since the agitation about the
courthouse yard had begun, and he found
a general sentiment among even the farm
ers in favor of cutting il down now and
furnishing employment to the men in need
of work. He said the sentiment for it was
so strong that IL would be done within
a period of five years, at the very fur
thest, and then the question would be asked,
why was 1t not done in the winter of 1893
"a. when so many men needed the work,
and when it could have been done at less
cost?
County Attorney Brown sought to take
advantage of the occasion to make q sup
posed point against the city administration.
He said the county was doing all it could to
afford relief TO the needy, and then contin-
ued, You know what was done by the city
before the last election and you also know
what is being done now" He asked why
the city did not push ahead with the con-
Struction of sewers and other public works.
He was asked why the County Commission
erS had not gone ahead with the stone-yard
plan they had proposed. He said he knew
nothing about how the matter stood at the
present time. He knew It had been talked
OF and then dropped. Commissioner Rein
eeke said the commissioners had not done
know how much broken stone the city
would take off their hands after it was
broken.
\ motion was made and carried to have
a committee of six wait upon the Board of
Public Works and ask them TO come to
some sort OF an understanding with the
commissioners as to the amount of stone
they would TAX from the commissioners, the
commissioners agreeing 70 furnish broken
commissioners on the cars at this city. 1t
was also made a part of the committees
duty to ask the Board of Public Works to
' incorporate in their contracts for street i'm