The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-01-03
THAT FIVE THOUSAND
Colonel Lilly's Statement to the
Commercial Club Directors.
He Assumes Full Responsibility for the
Allowance to Nj. Fortune and
Tells Why 1t Was Made.

treasurer of the relief committee. The res
ignations of Horace T.. Smith, George a.
Woodland n George c.. Haerle were re-
ceived and accepted. s. d. Noel was taken
into the membership of the club. The i'm
portant feature of the session occurred at
5 p. m, when President Lilly called Vice
President Foster to the chair and submit
ted the following statement:
"To the Board of Directors Of the CONNER
cial Club:
"Gentlemen-Since your last meeting the
propriety of a certain expenditure by my
self as chairman of the citizens executive
board for the twenty-seventh National En-
campment, G.. A. r., has been called in
question: Inasmuch as the fund thus dis
bursed was a portion of the fund paid in
by citizens to the Commercial Club COM
mittee on assemblageS, / deem it proper
and right that l should account TO you for
my action in the premises, giving you the
facts upon which my judgment in the mat
ter is based.
Exceptions are taken in that / caused
to be paid to William Fortune, executive
director of the twenty-seventh National
Encampment, the sum of $1,000 for his
services in that capacity, when he was al.
ready receiving a salary as secretary of
the Commercial Club. Now, to prove l did
right in this, L must satisfy you that / re
garded William Fortune as an employe or
the citizens encampment organization, that
he rendered service to the value paid for,
and that he was not otherwise paid for the
same service. ] shall undertake to prove
After the assemblage committee of the
Commercial Club. under the direction of
Mr.. ID. p. Erwin, chairman, secured the
encampment for Indianapolis, that commit
tee held a meeting and asked me to take
utive board to be formed. MIR. Fortune was
sent by the committee to Wawasee, where
was taking my vacation, With the re- re-
committee with the understanding that 1
would do so if l could have absolute con-
troll of the expenditure of all moneys, and
that l should have William Fortune as my
chief executive aid. These demands were
made for the reason that an entire depar-
ture was contemplated by Mr.. Fortune in
the management of the indianapolis en-
campment as compared with any held be-
fore, and his plans, adopted by the assem-
blage committee, and finally by the citizens
of indianapolis at a public meeting at the
Grand Opera House, Dec. Is, 1892, marked
the first attempt TO place any encampment
of the CT. A. r. on a strictly business basis.
1.-The authority given me at that meeting
was absolute. The executive board was
made advisory only, and no committee could
eNpend a dollar. The usual methods in 9TH
ec encampment organizations allowed the
executive board to vote money on recon-
mediation of the various committees:
some thirty In number, the chairmen were
all personally impressed with the necessity
OF economy, and asked to bring in esti-
mates. These estimates of the thirty COM
mitteSS were gone over by Mr.. Fortune,
harmoniZed into a programme for the week
and reduced to the lowest possible cost
consistent with the proper demands of the
occasion. We went over the work together
and made final decisions. when it became
my duty TO meet the various committees
and impress them with the Importance of
accepting our plans, which was done in
every instance.
THE result was that out of S120,000 at our
disposal but set, 600 was expended, and l
believe that no additional expenditure would
have added anything of value to the oc-
cdsion. While there was a saving on near
ly every committee, as compared with
Washington, where the encampment cost
S1iS,5OO, the largest item of saving in our
work was on accommodations, which was
not given out to any committee, but was
solely in the hands of William Fortune,
and which he closed up at an expense of
less than $21, 600, making a saving of more
than $4,000, and taking care in free quar-
ters Of nearly, if not quite. as many men as
other encampment since 1889 has cost less
than $10o,000.
That William Fortune was regarded by
me as an employe, and that he was to be
paid for his service as executive director,
/ affirm, although he performed that serv-
ice in a manner far above and beyond any
reasonable demand that could be made
upon a salaried man. To support my af-
frmation, 1 will say that the average an
nual earnings of William Fortune for five
years before the organization of the Com
mercial Club exceeded his present official
salary. When he was made secretary he
was paid 5000 per year, with the explicit
that he would continue other work afford
ing him a larger income than the salary
paid him. Later, when Mr. Fortunes sal
airy was increased to s., 400. a resolution
was passed by unanimous vote of the d.
rectors declaring that they believed this
sum insufficient for the service he was
performing, and that it should be increased
when the finances of the club would permit
it. When, still later, the salary was in
creased to $1,000 by the unanimous vote OF
the directors, there was expressed recog-
milton of the fact that this was the pay OF
the service performed, and was not TO be
regarded as the salary of the position for
a man who had not demonstrated equal
value. While performing his duties faith
fully and in a manner satisfactory TO the
directors In the highest degree, he con-
tinued to earn a larger additional income,
as we explicitly understood. and this with
out any neglect of or interference with
his official duties. However, in October,
1892, when Mr.. Fortune took up the en-
campment work proper as executive di-
rector for the citizens executive board, he
that day until the end of the encampment,
a year of time. devoted himself to the
work nearly eighteen hours a day, Sun
when he was elected executive director
his duties as secretary of the Commercial
Club were separated from those of execu-
charge of the -encanpment. The only con-
nection the Commercial Club had after that
date with the e-ncampment was in the fact
that its members raised funds TO carry
on the work and paid ii over to the citizens
organization as required for expenses.
During the time Mr.. Fortune was execu-
tive director he kept up the large and very
important work of the club in the most
satisfactory manner, a work which is usu-
ally done in the regular time of about eight
or nine hours office work a day.
Now. if there is any reason why, as an
officer of another organization, he should
double his working hours for a whole year,
without compensation, and at the same
time surrender a large income which he
was earning in addition to his salary as
secretary of the Commercial Club, / utterly
fail TO see IT.
Now, further, in the first place, | would
not accept the Craftsmanship unless | could
have William Fortune as executive d.
rector, and, later, when the work was be-
coming very heavy and the financial pros
poets not assuring, / told him ! did not
know If ever he could be paid adequately
for the work he was doing. He stated that
he had nothing TO say on that point, that
the main thing was 10 do the work credit
ably, and the amount of compensation
could be left for consideration at the close
administered a fund of $l20, 900; only S61. 00O
had been expended. The saving of $500
had been made by William fortunes untlr-
ing labor performed i'm excess of any duty
required of him in any other work ,
M judgment was. therefore, that Will
lam Fortune should be paid $1,000 for his
services, thus making the total expense of
the encampment $4,000.
I'm making this decision l consulted Mr..
.John w. Murphy and MIR. Albert Sahm,
knowing all the circumstances, fully agreed
with me. The entry was made. was passed
upon by the auditing committee, whose only
duty, however. was TO certify that eXpendi-
lures made were properly authorized.
Il desire to say in the most uneduiyocal
manner that the entire responsibility OF fix
ing Mr.. Fortunes salary is with myself. |
was glad TO have the approval OF the gen.
tlemen 10 whom i submitted my views.
They are men of such character and ex-
parieOca that If could not get good bust