The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-10-05
AN ADDITIONAL CHAPTER
c. A. BOoKwALTER CONTINUES THE
STORY OF THE PARK DEAL.
Republican Speakers at Brightwood
Last Night-Meeting Mt HaughviIIe
Harding Club Formed.

ncp"UAhc"M Speakers AT brlEnfWOOd
Last Nisht-Meeting Mt HaughviIIe
Harding Club Formed.
An enthusiastic and well-attended meet
ing was held by the Republicans of Bright
wood at the town hail. on Station street,
last night. Speeches were made by Messrs.
w. N Harding, c. A. Bookwalter, Joseph
Il. Healing and f. Z. Negley. The hall
was flied with an attentive and apprecia-
tive audience numbering between four and
five hundred people. Not only were all the
available chairs taken, but the standing
room was occupied. At intervals the en-
thusiasm of those in attendance burst forth
in a round of rousing cheers. The
Marion Glee Club, which came in about 9
o'clock and rendered several campaign
songs, was literally applauded. J. J. Val
denaire, acting as chairman of the meeting,
introduced Joseph Il. Healing. In part, Mr..
Healing said: 1--WE are here tonight to dis
cuss the issues of this campaign from a
business standpoint. There are a great
many issues involved in this campaign, and
these we are endeavoring to place before
the people in q business manner" Mr..
Healing then spoke at length on the con-
duct of the present administration, show
ing wherein 1t was working to the disad~
vantage Of the people in it's endeavor to
benefit itself. mo matter what charges we
make against Taggart and his administra-
ton he said, you only have to pick up
the afternoon organ and there you can
read Mr.. Taggart's general denial of any
thing that appears against him. He can
even deny his acts that appear upon the
records, but such a denial does not alter
the facts. Mr.. Harding stands this year for
the people, for cheaper gas, for cheaper
telephones for cheaper street-car service.
Mr.. Taggart stands for monopolies and cor
porations. The citizens of Brightwood are
interested in this gas question. You have
to pay half again as much for gas here as
you would did you reside in the city. Is
Mr.. Taggart making an honest endeavor to
secure cheaper gas for you? No he puts
you off and tells you to wait and you will
get it. But will you get it if he has the
say so about it?
MIR. TAGGARTS RECORD.
What is Mr.. Taggart's record on the gas
question? Let me tell you right here that
Thomas Taggart never raised his voice for
cheaper gas until the papers began agitat-
ing it, and public opinion and sentiment
forced him to say that he wanted cheaper
gas. You have only to look to the records
of the Common Council of indianapolis to
learn that he held the resolution which had
been introduced for cheaper gas, sixty DAYS
without uttering word about the matter
l was this suburbs attorney for nine years
out of ten and 1 know how the gas COM
pany compelled the consumers here to pay
one-half more for gas than the citizens Of
the city paid for it After this suburb had
been made a part of the city can you show
me one thing Taggart ever did to get you
cheaper gas rates-the rates that were be-
ing paid in the city? You are obliged to
pay taxes the same as / do why, then.
should you be Obliged to pay So more a year
on cook stove than / would have to paw?
Your citizens have petitioned the City
Council to secure for you city rates. The
Council is two-thirds Democratic, but did
you get what you asked? Several times has
your committee waited upon both Mr.. Tag
CART ana Mr.. Johnson but it did no good
Taggart told you he did not see why it
could not be done and forthwith sent you to
see Mr.. PierSOn. Your petition was ignored
and not even voted upon by the Council
Mr.. Harding comes before you and looks
you in the eye, while Taggart sits in back
room at the Grand Hotel directing follow
ers and associates in an administration that
has Increased the bonded Indebtedness of
the city $50 900. Numerous inspectors have
been appointed by the administration to
smooth over the feelings of dissatisfied
democrats, and these inspectors are paid
$65 month out of the city's money in or
der TO keep them in good humor and hold
them In line. Taggart claims that he is a
friend OF the working man, but is he? 1t
took 81 600 the week of the Democratic con-
yention to nominate him, and at that rate
how much money viii it take to elect him {?
Is 1t not time for the people to get on the
opposite side?"
MR.. BOOKWALTER's SPEECH.
Mr. Bookwalter next addressed the peo-
pie on the park system, giving details of
the way in which much of the work has
been carried on. In part, he said:
The apoogists for this administration
have been insisting that the charges l have
heretofore made have been too vague to re-
ceive credence; that the story of midnight
meetings in barrooms and in the upper rooms
of hotels have been like a story from 'Old
Sleuth," but ask you what could be more
positive than the statements | have made
this evening. l now for the first time make
this additional charge against the park rec
ord of this administration, and hope l will
be sufficiently explicit to suit these fastid-
ious gentlemen. Prior to the 18th day of
February, the date of the meeting of the
finance committee in the little room east of
the barroOm of the Grand Hotel several
members of the finance committee insisted
that they should receive some guarantee
from the Park Board as to how the money
appropriated Tor park purposes should be
expended 1 charge that members of the
Park Board and the mayor suggested to a
member of this committee that he prepare
an agreement binding the Park Board as ia
the disposition to be made of the money APP
propriated, and in accordance with this sug-
geston such an agreement was prepared
This agreement was in effect as follows:
In consideration of the Council passing
general ordinance No. 2, 1897 appropriating
$3.50 600 for the purchase of park lands we
hereby agree to purchase the following de-
scribed tracts of lands. (Here followed a
description of the lands to be purchased
but no mention was made of the mayor )
propagating ground.) We further agree that
the $4,000 appropriated for labor shall be
expended upon the smaller tracts of land set
out above.
pared by the member of the Council
ended but / now charge that after this had
been read to MIR. Holt and Mr.. Lieber, of
the Park Board, and Mayor Taggart, who
was present in the office of the Grand
Hotel at the time, that the following addi-
gentlemen present: The Park Board re-
serves the right TO purchase in addition to
the above described tracts fifty acres at
the intersection of the Belt Railroad and
White river FOR a propagatlng ground, at a
valuation of SIS, 000.
HOW THE CONTRACT WAS SIGNED.
II charge that this addition to the con-
tract was made in the presence Of the two
members of the Park Board and the mayor
at their suggestion and with their consent.
and that the verbiage was dictated by
them charge that when this contract
was thus amended that Mr. Holt signed
on the last line OF the page; that Mr.. Lie
Der signed on the line Immediately above
him, and that this unusual form of sign