The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-06-18

much; but not man from that paper has
ever talked to me about it. | sent my pass
at my residence, and my wife handed it TO
me when / went home for dinner. / re-
marked TO her that / intended TO send it
back ut once. / talked 70 Mr.. Allen about
getting the pass, and informed him that L
intended to return it. SO do /, said Mr..
Allen. Let's return them together. 4
agreed to that, but, after waiting a day or
two without seeing him, / returned my
pass l showed him copy OF the letter
l ne had written, and he returned his the
next day / cannot understand how paper
can go ahead and publish such a libelous
article without first getting the facts from
the men it is abusing"
Of the councimen seen yesterday one,
George w. Shaffer of the Seventh ward,
admitted that he had retained the pass he
received some two or three weeks ago.
What if dido" asked Mr.. Shaffer. Does
any one suppose that i would be influenced
by pass? | have voted against the COM
pany every time anything came up. Here
at the last meeting of the Council / voted
Tor the ordinance recurring the company to
voted for both of Mr. Payne's ordinances"
MR.. PAYNE'S STATEMENT.
Gavin l.. Payne. councilman from the
Third ward, is one of the councilmen in
cluded in the charge made by the News
Said he yesterday:
THE editorial in the News was charac-
terlsuc of that papers INSCRIPTIONS man
ner OF attacking decent citizens without re-
ments. the willfulness and righteousness
or IL appeared in the fact that the News
mas had excellent opportunities in the last
rev weeks to ascertain If councilmen had
returned these street-car passes | was
probably the first councilman to return the
pass sent me, for the reason that / am
employed at night, the pass reaching me
late in the afternoon and being returned
by mail from my office the same night to
the street-car company. L nave never
thoughteit necessary to make a public pa
rade of virtue. That is a characteristic of
the News. The world is apt to form it's
own estimate of the man who continually
shouts. i am VirtuouS.'
with the pass which / returned TO the
street-car company. several days before
Mr.. Ohleyer sent his, | wrote. a note,
stating that I never accepted favors from
any parties who had or might have deal
ings with the city. That same night | had
an article written for the Journal, of which
/ am city editor exposing the fact that the
Street-car company had sent passes TO all
the councilmen. Since then | have met the
editor-in-chief of the News several times,
the managing editor, several other editors
and several different reporters, and at no
time was | questioned about this pass. A
simple inquiry would have elected the fact
that 1 had returned the pass the very day
it was sent me. | have talked With re-
porters of the News in the Council cham
Der and various other places in the last
two weeks, and at no time was any effort
made to ascertain the truth. other men,
bers of the Council, at least week ago,
told me they had returned the passes sent
them. No effort whatever was made by the
News to inquire into the matter before 1t
printed it's libel yesterday.
I'm the present Council l introduced the
N easure compelling the street-car com
peny to heat it's cars in winter-Whlch was
passed-and the one prohibiting 1t from
croWding it's cars. have voted for every
other ordinance imposing conditions on the
company for the benefit of the city and
citizens Since / have been q member of
the Council have accepted no faVors from
any one