The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-11-30
A SIGHT FOR STATESMEN
CITY COUNCIL BECOMES A COMMIT
TEE IN THE HOLE"
May Repeal the DingIey Tariff Bill at
Next SesSiOn-A New Thea
ter Ordinance.


The Common Council is as delighted as a
boy with a new toy. 1t has what is known
in parliamentary procedure as the commit
tee of the WHOLE 1t was tried last
night for the first time. 1t proved as try
ing a puzzle to many of the members as
that toy known as pigs in the clover" dis
covered some years ago by a practical joker
with malicious intent. If the Council has
as much trouble in the future with the
committee of the whole as it did last night
some of the members will be prematurey
driven into paresis, as men were who be-
came infatuated with pigs in clover" Last
night the new rules of the Council were
adopted. One of them provided for this adj
dition to the legislative dignity of the CITY
fathers. The occasion for trying it on was
a resolution introduced by Councilman Mof-
felt, which proved as diverting to the large
crowd of spectators, including fifty small
boys who gathered in the corridor antici-
pating the passage of the curfew ordinance
as the proceedings of the whole committee
The boys looked with bewilderment try
ing to get some inkling of the strange wran-
gle in which the councimen were engaged
Finding the curfew ordinance was not to
be called up, although it was reported favor
ably and that they were sure of at least
another weeks liberty and freedom from
police interference with their after-dark
pranks, the urchins fled from the basement
with whoop. 1t is doubtful whether one
of them comprehended more than did the
councilmen what had been going on. Dr.
Moffett's resolution reads: sa9
Whereas, We, the Common Council of
INDIANAPOLIS. have hpPn chosen n
the best interests of the taxpayers of this
city; and since the inauguration and appli-
cation OF the Dingley tariff has still greater
widened the breach between capital and
labor, so that the classes are favored to the
injury of the masses, by causing a greater
Increased price of many commodities; and
that labor wages are disproportionately re-
duced by this and by many employers cut
ting the scale of wages of many of their
employees, still greater destroying and al
most completely destroying the right of
contract of labor until it has little or no
voice in any contracts; and that we be-
lieVe these things to be unjust and I'M
democratic; therefore, be it
Resolved, That we. the Common Coun-
eli of indianapolis, will heartily cooperate
in the attainment thereof, and believe that
no contracts should be let by the city of
Indianapolis to any bidders to do work for
the city, unless there is specified in the
contracts with a forfeiture clause that the
contractors will pay from 80 TO 90 cents an
hour for all skilled labor and hazardous
occupations; and that the commonest kind
of labor shall receive as the minimum of
wage not less than 20 cents an hour.
Resolved, That we depore the state of
society whereby unjust and unmefcltul busl-
ness men and corporations are constantly
jeopardizng our institutions by their cruel
oppression of those under them"
THE COUNCIL TANGLES ITSELF.
DR.. Moffett and other councilmen were
anxious to sit as a committee of the whole,
but did not know just how to get the thing
started. Dr. Moffett moved that the Coun-
/ I.oIo
he said, he wanted to have a resolution dis
cussed. President Mahoney informed him
that the resolution must be first read, and
then it would be proper to consider it in the
whole committee. The resolution was read
and the Council dissolved into the whole
committee. President Mahoney appointed
Mr. Rauh chairman of the committee. He
was reluctant to serve. He knew nothing
more about whole committees than Wnite
elephants, but took the chair when Presl-
dent Mahoney insisted. Profound silence
filled the Council chamber at this juncture,
no one knowing the next step. Finally Dr.
Moffett arose and began speech that
lasted half an hour. The burden or the
speech was that there are some forty-tWo
men employed by the Street-SWeeplng con-
tractors who only receive $1.oO week. or
MOffett was in favor OF doing away with
the street scraperS and revolving broom ma
chimes and substituting about twenty-tour
blowers or automatic street cleaners IN
their stead. This would reduce the NUMBER
of WOrkmen from tOrty-tWO TO ABOUT TWEEN
ty-four The twenty-four he would have the
contractors pay SIS each day. Inc otners,
now employed at starvation wages, Wouiu
find employment in some other neid az
remunerative wages. In fact he hoped that
the men who would receive % day WouIu
begin building their own homes SO tllae
those in other fields would have chance
to dig cellars for them, and thus set IN reVo-
luton the wheels of trade which nave Deen
Rarayzed BY the pR Mgoet ta SCENTED War
cloud He asked If it would not be better
10 amend the constitution, pass laws 10 give
the poor laboring men living wages tnd nan
Think of the thirty men Worklng lor en ea'
mon (the contraetors) Not one OF theIn s Gan
build houses on $3.50 week. Dr: MOL oitetC
was not very clear in expressing himself 10
the effect that half of the money now pau
by the city should go 70 the hut hut
he did show to his own satisfaction that the
city would save, money. D,oseo4+ o,+ - said
Mr. Harston 81 move that the committee
of the whole report favorably on the reso-
luton" = ou+ of order" Mr..
chairman said President Mahoney from
Mr. Rauch's chair on the floor me e, e1 ttn-
mittee of the whole cannot reIer nae'ei
10 c TmG Rauch was at sea. Finally he
ruIed that Mr. HarstOn was OUT OF oIuel.
Then the talk continued a cnnnmi{tee
" @As on EXPRESSION of good will" said Mr.
Costello, with one of his smiles noteo LOT eII
fbpir hardness, lIuS lCSOiNNAoAA
right. even if nothing ever comes VI ~.
thinl however If the doctor VIII consult
the citv attorney he will find tnat tne Iouti AZ
oil cannot regulate wages that are 70 nc
naid hv contractors. If It were M t.Sst
IF regulating salaries paid BY the Ely go =
would he different The garbage COM tle az
is made for ten years" Specihcatio,nLs a ad.,
bean adopted for next years sWesplnS coi-
tract Mr. Costello might have aaaeo' .,,or,
"You mean then, Jimmy sald MI. A lei
from the minority side, that II Is d eoo99
thing 10 Jolly the boys along niue any ~
nahs them believe they will get 81 Gay
Nh Zen the members of the Democratlc Wd i-
ioritv had to laugh in recognltioh Vi ing
thrust. e,,,1,1,c,1r
THE SCULPTOR'S MAIDEN Spell
president Mahoney made his maldeh
sneech. He appreherded that there was
emo rnisapprehension of the purposes OF
tbe resolution. 1t was not intended to re-
ouira contracts already in existence to be
changed. but had for its purpose the re-
curing Of the Board of Works TO nix the
minimum wages that might be paid III the
specifications for future public work. Some
of the contractors, he said, were not pay
ing over Is cents a day. If l understand
the resolution" he said, Its intent is that
as much of the citys work as possible shall
no retained by the Board of Works instead
of letting It to contractors to shave those
A= nsC "A