The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-01-05
MR.. MEYERS REMARKS
GROWS CAusTIC IN REFERRING TO
MIR. MARTINDALE's DUC1x PONDS.
Doe. Not Think the Entire City should
Pay for Draining Thcm-south-
Side improvements.


missioner Meyer. of the Board of Public
Works, took an Opportunity TO say few
words about the street improvements WHICH
have been made in the past and also as
20 tire personnel OF the committee which
is considering the amendments. Mr..
Fishback's proposition, as before given IN
the Journal is to have the I.oard of Works
advertise for bids for all kinds OF improve
ments when a street is to be paved and
then submit propositions for three kinds of
streets to the interested property owners,
who within ten days may select the kind
of street they want. This called Mr.. Meyer
to his feet
Gentlemen" he said, eff that provision
is adopted you might just as we'll provide
for the reduction of the salaries of the
members of the Board of Works to about
$500 year, for they will not earn any
more. Now, 1 tell this committee some
facts about street improvements that will
probably be news to it. L don't call to
mind single street which has been paved,
except South Meridian street. which was not
done over the remonstrance of the people
They were streets which 1t was conceded
should be paved. We have great many
paved streets on the North Side, but all
of them were laid over remonstrances
which in most cases were almost strong
enough to defeat the Improvement. Several
have been defeated in that part of the city,
On the other hand we have paved streets
on the South Side. not SO many it is true,
but there not near so many open
thoroughfares there. The people of the
South Side have petitioned for their streets.
and when the resolutions were adopted
nave not filed great long remonstrances
and attempted to defeat the Improvement.
circumstances nave been rleu but they
were usually by small minority. And
now TINS committee undertakes to consider
m for of ra1It1l liz tyr-vx
does not contain single member from the
South Side except myself, and am only a
m p,9e, because a am part OF the Board
How about Mr.. Costello?' asked Judge
Martindale.
Il am hardly representative of the
South Side, remarked Mr.. Costello. at is
true 1 am just below the line, but 1 am
simply member of this committee be-
City Council, and not because I was par
tscularly wanted on the committee
THE point wish to make,'' resumed Mr.
Meyer, 'is that this committee Is called
together as a committee OF representative
citizens to discuss the needed amendments
to the city charter. but in fact it is not
such committee at all. Every man who
was appointed on this committee by Judge
Martindale lives on the North Side, where
all the remonstrances against improve
ments come from, and the South Side,
where the workingmen live and where i'm
out murmur, has two representatives,
and both of them are simply accidents-I
mean are members of the committee by ac-
cident.'' an os
Immediately after these remarks Judge
Martindale announced that two members
of the committee had been compelled to
leave the city and asked permission to APP
point others, which was granted, but moth
ing was said about them being from the
South Side. 1y
Mr.. Fishback also proposed that the
value of public improvements of all kinds,
to be done in any one year, should be
limited to $500,0oO Both matters were re-
ferred to the committee of attorneys with
out recommendation n9@lG4 fa
DR.. Franklin w. Hays of the Board of
Health, offered an amendment, embodying
the suggestions made at the last meeting
by DR.. Hurry. 1t is TO authorize the Board
shall be physician. chemist and micros-
copist He is to devote his entire time TO
the eitys work ., and receive eve szoooaa year.
rotary of the Board of Health $500 a year.
the city chemist 5000, and the clerk of the
Board of Health $1,000. making $1,000 in
all. All this work would be done by the
sanitarian, with the assistance of female
clerk, which would make the additional
amendment was adonted and referred to
the committee of attorneys for draft of
a suitable BILL zIna
customs, proposed that the salaries of the
members of the Board of Health be in
creased to $500 a year and that the word
.'practicing.' in reference to The Gaalifica-
tons of the physicians who compose the
board be stricken out. thus allowing any
the active practice of medicine, to become
a member of the board. This was adopted
and referred to the committee of az tornevs.
The proposed change in the description
Of who shall have right to demonstrate
against improvements was reported by city
ment to read THE persons residing in such
city and owning freehold estate upon the
line of such proposed Improvement" to
take the place Of the line which now reads
Resident freeholders upon such street or
alley This was considered satisfactory
and a1Opto0 the committees final
action on this matter
The amendments in regard to attorneys
fees for collecting assessments and prOvid-
ing that sweeping be paid for from the
general fund We're also approved, drawn
by the subcommittee, and final action taken
Mr. Martindale offered his amendment
providing for the building Of all main
sewers With a general tax. which has been
outlined in full in the Journal, and asked
that it be referred TO the drafting com
ment embodying its main features. This
brought on a lively discussion, and Mr.:
Meyers. of the Board of Works, intimated
that Mr.. Martindale had some duck ponds
in the northern part of the city which he
would like to have drained, but wanted the
owners CT the downtown property to pay
the expense. The insinuation thrown
out SO broadly that Mr.. Martindale felt
not deny that he looked after his own inter-
est, but said that if his property was To-
to admit that main sewers should be paid
for according to the value of the land and
not according TO the area, Out was Cd0dlu
enough to admit that under those circum-
stances he would not spend days fighting
for such an amendment as he has proposed.
Mr.. Tanner offered an amendment to Mr.
Martindale's amendment providing that
one-half the cost of the main sewers be
assessed against valuation and the other
half against area. Commissioner Conner,
of the Board of Safety, argued that sewers
were not suggested or conceived
on account of rain water, but
on account of sewage, although, he said, it
is true that large part of the cost is be-
fhaxr ara dc tn car off foo
water too. He contended that because it
is sewage that makes them necessary, they
should be built by the persons who make
the sewage and not by the lit
a slight use for sthem. The pro-
sbility of Incorporating the features pro-
posed by Mr.. Martiudae in Law, and
making it constitutions, was questioned
and the entire matter was finally referred
to the committee of attorneys without in
structions.
Mayor Denny offered amendment to
increase the salary of the city attorney
to 81. 900 and give the Council the right to
make it $1,000. He explained that the sal
airy is now the same that has
been paid for the last thirteen
years and that the work has
fully doubled since the city has had its
new charter He gave q condensed state
ment of the work done by Mr.. Scott dur
ing the past year. which showed that he
had settled damage suits which demanded
over s10o0oo for about !. psr cent of the