The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-11
COSTS CITIZENS $500 A MONTH.
Taggart Administration Blunder in
the pnrI< Matter.

The chief boast of the Democrats in the
municipal campaign is that Mayor Taggart
has given a. business administration, and
this ought to excuse the rankness in the
departments and all other faults. The
chief business" transaction of the ad-
ministration has been in connection with
the park movement. At the first of the
year the Belt Railroad bonds, guaranteed
by the city to the extent of S5O0O0O, were
paid off by the railroad company. While
the city had none of the expense of carry
ing these bonds they had the effect of lin
iting its credit under the constitutional in
hibition against debt of more than per
cent. of the taxable property. Thus when
these bonds We're paid the effect was to give
the city half a million leeway in borrow
ing.
1t came in handy, for the city had had a
park board for two years, without any
parks to speak of, and the people were in
favor of building up a park system. The
Legislature, at the request of the city,
passed very promptly a law permitting the
city to condemn land for park purposes, to
assess benefits and damages, etc. Then the
scheme of building parks went along right
merrly. There was much talk about
comprehensive system and incidentally
few favored holders of small patches Of
ground were permitted to unload them.
The business man who should make up his
mind to buy certain property two or three
months hence and go at once to the bank
and borrow the money to pay for it, just
for the pleasure of paying interest on the
loan for the two or three months before
he wanted to use it, would be laughed at
That however, is just what this business
administration did. Worse than that
after borrowing the money it made up its
mind that it would not want to use 1t for
several months yet, and possibly not for
a year or two.
In Nav the city issued $3.50 900 park bonds
drawing per cent interest. They brought
a good figure, the proceeds being slightly
in excess Of 1870, 900. While the agreements
to buy park lands and the assessments for
the same were going along so mer-
rily, it came to pass that certain of
the people noted the fact that gross favor
itism was being exercised in these assess
ments, and those who were assessed began
to raise their voices in protest and lamen-
tatiOn Then it occurred to the business
administration" that there was a city cleo
ton coming on, and this park business had
in it the elements of dai ger, and must be
stopped until after the election at all haz-
ards. The Supreme Court was about to
adjourn for the summer, and 1t occurred
to the business administration" that the
whole thing might be shut off by a test
case, which could be lodged in the Supreme
Court, there to shoulder all summer or for
u year or two if need be.
Accordingly, Albert Lieber, one of the
park commissioners, head of the syn
dictate" and chief adviser of the admins
tration, brought a suit in individual ca
pacity of his brewing company as tax
payer to test the validity of the law. II
was pushed to the Sup -eme Court, and
there it rests. This is the first time any
public or private business in the city has
ever been stopped merely because suit
has been brought before any adverse ruling
has been had. The only ruling in this case,
that of the lower court is that the law is
valid. However, that part of the business
administration known as the park bOard
decided that because its authority had been
questioned it woul, stop work and every
thing was hung up until such time the
Supreme Court shall act.
In the meantime the people are paying
interest on that $3.50, coo of borrowed money,
this amounts to $4,000 a year the people of
Indianapolis are paying without any re-
turns whatever for the outlay. 1t is cost
ing them $500 a month for a single business
blunder among the many made by this
business administration"