The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-09-09
COERCING THE EMPLOYEES
CITY ADMINISTRATIONS DRIVES
THEM INTO FREE-SILVER CLUBS.
Poor Street Laborers Afraid of Losing
Their Jobs-ControIler johnson
President of the Affair.

There are a few of those men employed
by the city under Mayor Taggart who have
enough will and opinion of their own to not
allow themselves to be whipped into the
Bryan and Sewal line. Last night a meet
ing was held in the Council chamber on
the call of Bert Spencer, Mayor Taggart S
clerk, for the purpose Of organizing a free
silver club. While there were over 100 peo-
pie there, the absence of a few was so
conspicuous as to be the most notable
thing of the entire affair Controller John
son, who was a rampant gold bug before
the Chicago convention. was there, but his
deputy, Charles Adam, was missing. and
conspicuously missing. Then there were
meme of the members of the Board of
Health and few Of the thinking men en-
ployed as clerks in the city offices. M. A.
Downing president Of the Board of Works,
was absent. The men who work on the
streets and are dependent for their daily
bread upon the will and whim of George
Herpick who likewise is ready at all times
to do the bidding of the Mayor, were there
in force and were anxious to be among the
first to put their names on the list, so they
can point to it in the future and say: 1--WE
are doing all we can for you, and you must
keep US at work. They fully understood
that the call for the meeting, being issued
ny beII 0DGHCcT, WdS cQuoi W AehNiiiS Tic
name of the Mayor signed to it, and they
further understood that +he Mayor is not
now in a frame of mind to bear up well
under dispIeasure. For these and other
similar reasons they f1ocked into the room,
like sheep to the slaughter, to put their
names on list that is to insure them their
bread and butter while the present city
administration lasts.
Shortly after the meeting was called to
order last night w. HI. Bigger, an inspector
in the engineers department, and man
who is fond of taking his stand on street
corner and spouting free silver, arose and
asked for little information. He wanted
to know if the club to be organized was to
be for free silver. There was no response
and he waited awhile. Finally he moved
that free-silver club be organized. me
vote on it was somewhat like the sound of
a passage of music with swell mark
over it. Those who had been driven into
the camp were little undecided as to
which way the band wagon was headed
and did not allow their voices to mingle
with the others until they saw what the
leaders were doing. Many of them looked
toward Bert Spencer, while others turned
toward Controller Johnson. AS soon as it
was seen that these two men We're voting
ON the call for the affirmative the others
joined in and the vote swelled out until 1t
filed the room. Many faces wore a scared
expression, as though the men did not
know certainly that they had voted the
right way.
ing of Charles Garrard E. A Austin and
August Tamm, to draw up rules for the
government of the club. The committee re-
tired and told fish stores while waiting
until a reasonable time Tor them to report
the already prepared rules. The rules had
been written and duplicated by Bert
Spencer during the afternoon. In the
meantime three men passed through the
crowd and secured 101 names for the roster
of the club
The committee reported that the club
should be known as the City Administra-
ton Free-silver Club, and only employees OF
the city are eligible to membership. Con-
troller Johnson was elected president,
Councilman Montgomery vice president
and Grant Hornaday secretary.
1t was a noticeable fact that although
every available bit of space in the room
was filed with people and many were in
three tellers brought forth only 101 names,
which was not two-thirds of those present.