The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-03-21


porations and Raiiroads--Rufe Cone
Roasts the Police Force.
Another retrenchment mass meet
ing was held in the old board of trade
rooms in the Sedgwick block last even
ing that lasted till a late hour. it being
after 10 O'Clock when l.. w. Clapp, the
first speaker, got through with his ar
gument.
The meeting was well attended, sew
eral representative citizens being pres
emit
At s O'Clock the meeting was called
to order by Mr.. Clapp who nominated
\. r. Carpenter for chairman. Mr..
Carpenter, on taking the chair, thank
cd the audience for the honor conferred
upon him and made afew appropriate
remarks concerning the nature and
purpose of the meeting and denying
that it was in any way intended ii in
1uence municipal politics.
Constble Sam Jones, the colored sec
rotary Of the Republican central COM
mittee was unanimously chosen secre-
tary and he, too, thanked the audience
for the honor conferred upon him.
Mr.. Clapp, chairman of the commit
tee, appointed at the last meeting to
examine the public finances and finan-
clal resources being present was called
upon for a report. He unfolded a
large roll Of paper and preceded to
read off some interesting figures. lie
aScerLained the data at the city build
ing and praised the officers of the pres
ent administration, especially City
Clerk Smith, for valuable assistance
and courtesy in ascertaining the infor-
nation he sought
MIR. Clapp gave figures to show that
the demands Of the city the coming
year would be nearly 5000 600. OF this
amount about $l32, 900 must be paid
because ii is the allowance for interest
and part payment of maturing bonds.
That would leave, as Mr.. Clapp stated
$4,000 for the expenses proper of the
city including fire department $4,000
street department $50, 900. salaries of
officers, expenses of election, maintain
ing the sewer department, the Sullivan
dam. the engineers department, the
hospitals. etc.
In order to bring the expenses down
to meet the probable income from taxa
ton, allowing for the delinquency Of
tax payers. this S63, coo must be cut to
about So. 900. In order to do that he
advocated the cutting out of thirty
water hydrantS, reduction in lights
OF $500. $1,000 for the expenses for
street improvements.
Somebody asked him if it would re-
duce the labor and he said he guessed it
would as SIT 900 of the $50 009 repro
scented labor and the remainder ma
terial This statement caused a low
mournful whistle from the back part
of the room. Mr. CIapp then advoca l.
eda reduction of $4,000 in the engineers
office and So, 900 in the sewer commits
sioner's department.
When asked whether he took the
police department into consideration
when he only appropriated So, 0G0 for
inc general expenses of the city he said
that the police department was not
considered in the appropriation. that
that department could take care Of
itself and did not cut much of figure
any way. He showed how much revp-
nue. the police commissioners collected
running back by the month for a year
or so. 1t started in with 5000 per
month and run down to 81 200 in Jan
uary. In February he said there was Il
little squirt of something, referring to
the closing Of the joints. and nothing
at all was collected and that threw
the commissioners 5000 in the hole. He
thought, however, that the police de-
partment would hardly be Self-sustaiu-
ing from now on.
At this point Rufe Cone took the
floor and in his usual spectacular man
ner made sensational speech. Rufe
said that the police department could
be cut in two in the middle and $1,000
Il year saved. Most of the police"
said he, are Loo of ward heal RS
buns and broken down stiffs anyway
who are put on To pay a political debt.
That was the case under my admins
tration and | presume the same thing
Is true now. Half of the policemen
wouldn't know Bill Cooks gang from
the Salvation army if they saw tn N
and you could drive a drove of cattle
with bells down the street at night
and they would not hear them Ii fact
Rufus acknowledged everything con-
cerping his force that the Eagle sta
ted during the campaign although he
used 10 get very mad about il then.
His remarks Were loudly cheered. At
ter this flight Of oratory on the part OF
Mr.. Cone Mr.. Clapp proceeded, like
Coin presiding over his financial school.
10 demonstrate how reductions could be
made To meet the INCOME
Concerning the schools he said that
saving Of $4,000 was made in that
department this year over last year
and desired to give the board credit
for il. He thought, however. that a
still greater reduction should be made
He advocated reducing the term of
school to seven months during each
year the abolition of the Burton school
and the Levy school. He also thought
that the younger school children
those in the cat sits on the mat class
should not attend school more than
half day. According to his plan
half the little fellows could so To school
in the forenoon and half in the after
noon. all Ia be taught 10y the same
teacher.
Mr.. Clapp's idea did not take in this
respect. He did not advocate the cut
ting of salaries and somebody said
cut the salaries down This was
loudly cheered. George Ross was as
tonished to hear that principals of
schools received So per month and he
excitedly said that they should be cut
down To $50 per month. This senti-
ment was also loudly cheered even
though il gave a school principal an
average of $40 per month for the year
under the seven months system.
Mr.. Clapp also recommended the en-
tire abolition of the city normal school
applause and the cutting out of two
teachers in the high school. RE want
ed $4,000 year reduction in the school
expenses.
on motion of John Exton a vote Of
thanks was rendered Mr. Clapp and the
committee
WILSON OK WAR PATH.
Mr. W J. Wilson of the committee
made a speech embodying a supple
mental report il which he took differ
ent view Of the burdens Of the people
He asked the audience what were the
burdens imposed upon them. how they
could be remedied and then said.
For one | am not slow To answer
that the STaspinC and whitening hand
4fr~r
death. True. the hands Of the IN
scrupuIous are often seen deep down in
the public crib. bur this can easily be
checked biz The wafchful eve Of The