The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-09-25

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temporarily abandon the scheme. What does
| MIR. Ciaypool say? In the Sentinel Of Satur-
| day, Sept. Is, find the following: While
| ! was absent in California the matter came
| UP before the board and the appraisers were
asked to fix a value on the property After
| my return home about April 20 and after
! the passage Of the park ordinance, which
appropriated about $500, 600 instead of the
| 100000 the board had requested for the pur-
chase of park lands, it then became neces-
/ sary for the board 10 dispense with certain
/ tracts of land which we had anticipated
| purchasing among which was the Mansur
! tract and some other pieces in the Fall
/ creek system, and while the question of
/ the property of Mr. Taggart south of the
Belt Railroad was under consideration Mr..
and said that his property should be left
out OF the system and should not be consid-
show E none OK tb snd selected ahe as un
derStand, by the board include any that
belong to Mr.. Taggart.'
Mark the diplomatic language of Mr..
Claypool. Study well the words as the rec
ords show. My whole charge has been that
the records do not show what has been done
in this matter or attempted to be done since
Feb. 8. Mr.. Claypool did not return from
California until April, and he says the pro-
test was made after his return. What be-
comes Of the first line of defense established
by this administration? Mr.. Taggart, on
the day following my speech in the Four
teenth ward, said the charge l made was
untrue because he had long before the
appropriation was made insisted that his
land should be left out. ] charged then and
do now, that this administration did for
more than sixty days endeavor to accom-
plish indirectly and Surreptitiously what
they had not the courage to attempt in an
open and direct manner. | ask you now,
who has told the plain truth? In view of the
statement OF Mr.. Claypool that after April
20, after his return from California, nearly
ninety days after the Sth of February, ask
you, is the truth of my charge subStan-
tiated by the very man from whom the
head of this business administration seeks
a vindication?
but let us follow these mysterious meet
ings of the majority of the finance commit
tee-Mr. Wolcott always excepted. Let us
return to the meetings of this committee
IN the, basement OF the courthouse; Mr..
Dewar's resolution was not adopted. be-
cause there were strenuous protests. ask
the members of this committee II the ma
Jority-Mr. Walcott always eXcepted-did
not after adjournment at the courthouse
go to a room on North Illinois street and
there agree to stand by the list of lands
embraced in the Grand Hotel compact or
| compromise, notwithstanding the objec-
| tons that had been offered.
CHAMPAGNE FOR COUNCILMEN.
''But this is not all. defy the members
of the Council committee-Mr. Walcott al
ways eXcepted-and the majority of the
| Park Board and the mayor to deny that
few nights later a fourth meeting was held
the third or fourth floor of the Grand
Hotel. 1 call upon any one of these gen.
tlemen to deny the fact that some one pro-
vided basket of champagne Who buys
champagne for legislative or councilmanic
committee? Is it disinteresred public cti-
zens working for the commonweal, or is it
the man with an ak to grind? | call upon
| these gentlemen to deny Inat at this meet
ing over the champagne amidst the pop
ping of the corks, that it was not again
agreed that the list OF lands as set out in
the Sentinel of March 2. should be pur-
chased. Before this meeting, however,
such objection had been raised to the omlS-
sion of White river that it was suggested
as a compromise that enough land be pur-
chased to provide for boulevard drive
from Washington street to Indiana avenue,
for which purpose, it is stated, 1t would
require about forty-six acres 1t was then
decided in order to have the funds neces-
sary. to drop the Bobbs ground and the
Mansur ground and one or two other small
tracts, but not one word was said about
dropping the propagating ground. call
upon the majority OF the Park Board 10
deny the charge which had made and
which [ now repeat that the purchase or
this propagaung ground was brought INTO
discussion at every meeting OF the Park
Board after the 8th day of February until
early in April, when the announcement had
been made that the citizens of Indianapolis
were to be allowed to enjoy two years more
of this business administration. leave this
question with you, my fellow-citizens. The
Sentinel stands by the written record. The
mayor stands with both the written rec
| ord and his letter to the Park Board writ
| ten prior to Feb s. / stand by the record
| which l have dug out by personal research,
| but which the officers of this administration
| have not allowed to be committed to writ
| ing. l stand by the record made by the
| statement of Mr.. Claypool and ask you to
| Judge as to the veracity of myself, Mr.. Tag
| CART or the Indianapolis Sentinel on this
.',The statements 1 have made concern
deeply the majority members of the Park
Board. / ask them to say to their fellow
citizens whether or not the unwritten rec
ord is true
MR.. HARDING SPEAKS.
Mr.. Harding did not speak long, but his
remarks were directed to things in which
&c in
terested. He told the audience that he had
just come from a meeting of colored peo-
ple where there was an immense turnout.
when we think of the issues as they are
Defined" he went on to say, lit is no won
der that the people are aroused. The issues
in this campaign are well and sharply de-
fined. AS an instance take the telephone
| service of this city. l, as a citizen, have
been compelled to pay $24 a year more than
| need TO have paid had the present Board
of Public Works let in a competing cor
poration that knocked at its doors a year
ago. There are 2,2OO subscribers in this city,
and they are business men-MeSSrS. Gates,
Syfers, Judge Walker-men whom you all
know. They offered for 50 a year to put in
telephones and give Satisfactory service.
locked the doors against them, and
took $24 each out of the pockets of
into the treasury $1,000, leaving S48.0 900 to go
into the pockets of the corporation. Not
| word SAID TO Inem, out a perpetual
| chse granted to this concern, making a
monopoly against you and me- When
thought of this / said | would make fight
for mayor and beat Tom Taggart. de-
clared L was in favor of Seventy-cent gas.
The Democratic press made fun of me.
| (Here the speaker read a clipping from the
Indianapolis News commenting on the re-
duction of gas in Cleveland, o., to 60 and
90 cents) l am of the opinion that gas can
be made at 60 and 65 cents, and the COM
pany at the same time make IA per cent.
on the investment. Do you want cheap gas,
or do you want to pay $l.25 and have Mr..
from that good fellow that smiles? He
never made a fight in his life When you
want to fight, do you get a man
who can fight, or a man who Will smile! |
will make a fight fJr cheap gas and
won't stop for an injunction suit, either.
DO you know what / will do? When / Sc
lect my Board of Public Works l will say
to each man, The people want cheap gas.
and you will have to give it to them If
they don't promise to do 1T, they will not
be appointed (Applause)
ton for bridges and repairs. Now every
body tells you that prosperity is here.
Everybody knows that times are one hun
dred fold better than a year ago. If Tom
Taggart fond of the poor men why
did he not make this appropriation a year
ago and supply the poor mems wants?
1t is an insult to the poor man to say that
he can be bought for a few thousand dollars
to support a man who is a candidate for
no higher office than that of mayor. You
can't buy the common people. You can buy
a man occasionally. You man corrupt
board occasionally, but you can't buy the
citizen and voter who already has on him