The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-09-08

become the means by which the people are
oppressed. The State, therefore, has great
duty to perform in protecting the cities
within its boundaries from the encroach-
ments of quasi-public corporations.
CANNOT CAPITALIZE STREETS.
Unjust and unnecessary taxation for the
use of our streets and alleys is oppression,
and that is just why am raising my voice
against the continuation of this admins
tration. We demand and shall insist that
these tax-levying companies shall act in
quasi-public affairs with strict accounta-
bility, not only to their stockholders alone,
but also to the people, to whom they owe
their right of existence because the use of
the public streets is granted to them, with
out which they could not exist. And in
return the city says: THE property you
thus create is not exclusively private prop
erty, but is invested with a public use for
the benefit of the people, and not for their
oppression. A fair and reasonable return
on your investment is your right, but you
cannot capitalize the use of the street or
the power of the State invoked in your
behalf. You cannot collect tolls and pay
dividends upon such capitalization"
The people therefore are entitled to the
protection of their government, whether
municipal. state or national even against
betrayal by their own servants, and GER
tainly against invasion by corporations OF
their own creation. The necessities of the
people therefore do not furnish a legitimate
held for financial speculation by private
enterprise or corporate bodies. The fact that
the necessities of the people of the city Of
indianapolis require the use of telephones
by her citizens affords no excuse for Mr..
Taggart and the present administration TO
take advantage of the necessities of the
public and impose an additional tax of $24
year on every person whose business conn.,
n oil Mil.
only taxation without representation but
is unjust and cruel oppression, and no rea-
sonable excuse has ever been or can be
offered to the citizens of Indianapolis for
having perpetrated this outrage. And yet,
in the very face of this fragrant outrage, we
are tod by part of the public press of
this city that Mr.. Taggart's administration
has been a business administration, and
therefore should not be disturbed. For
whom? do ask. The echo returns from
2,2O0 subscribers: "a good business admin
istration for the telephone company But
for each one of those 1920 who have paid
S24 year additional into the pockets of
that corporation, making a grand total OF
1880 filched from their pockets-to them,
from a business standpoint, this administra-
fusion.
When this thing and many others of like
character happen and are made matters of
public record, which no man may deny,
then that man is untrue to his country his
party and himself, who will not raise his
voice in condemnation-not in condemna-
ton of the principles of the political party
in which he believes, but of the men who
betray it and the method by which they
control it, only to prostitute it to base ana
selfish ends
But the friends of Mr.. Taggart may say
that the City Council is to blame in this
matter and not he Let me tell you my
friends, the records show that the execu-
tive has joined hands with the legislative
in all these matters, and there was no OBJ
struction ever offered to this measure by
the exercise of the veto power: so all things
were harmonious and worked together in
this oppressive scheme. But what about the
business side of this administration that the
Indianapolis Sentinel and the Frenzel-Lhe-
ber-Holt- Wilson wing speak about in such
glowing terms?
CITY PLUNGED INTO GREAT DEBT.
Let us see what the facts are along this
line and find out whether or not our city
affairs have been administered as one
would his own private business. The rec
ords speak the facts, and they show that
the present administration took charge of
the city's business with the lowest bonded
Indebtedness that had existed for many
years During the many years of Repub-
lican rule there had never been a bond
issued for the purpose of paying the nee
essary current expenses of the city gov
eminent but before the expiration of two
years in office this administration has in
creased the bonded debt of the city $50 0OO
And what is this all for? Seventy thousand
dollars of the amount was for the purpose
of improving the fire department, yet this
administration had current receipts
amounting in round numbers to more than
one million dollars annually, out of which
this expenditure should have come, If man
aged on business principles.
The present administration also issued
$4,000 of bonds with which to build a new
station house Why should this admins
traJion issue bonds to raise money for that
purpose when the current annual receipts
when former administrations have made
similar permanent improvements and paid
the running expenses, of the city out of
two-thirds of the present current receipts.
Amy kind of business of a private charac-
ter which does not pay the necessary ex-
penSes for running the same is failure.
and any business man who follows that
policy any length of time ends in bank
ruptcy and becomes a financial wreck. A
city Governments If strictly administered
in the interests of the people, must neces-
sarily be conducted on the same plan that
a successful business man conducts his
private affairs.
During the last thirty-eight years Indian
apolis has had but three mayors who We're
not Republicans, viz, James l.. Mitchell,
Thomas l.. Sullivan and Thomas Taggart.
The first named served from 1873 to is 5:
Mr., Sullivan's term began in 1880 and ended
in the latter part of 1898. Both Major
Mitchell and Mr.. Sullivan We're honorable
gentlemen. The two years during W y1h:
city were disastrous years for the tax
payers At the beginning of his term when
the executive department. was turned over
TO him the city had q bonded indebtedness
of only $176,0 COO which is less than one-htth
of the present current revenues of the city
for a single year, and was far less than the
Temporary loans and anticipauonS on fu-
ture tax revenues of the city carried dur
ing a portion of the Sullivan administra-
ton When the Democratic administrator
was ended in 1875 and that party turned the
city over to the Republicans, its bonded IN
debtedness as it came from the Democratic
party that had been it's guardian for only
two years. was 81, 1856 500. This was an IN
civ Of Indianapolis which had accrued dur
ing the two years of Democratic rule OF
81 300 800 Twenty year bonds were issued
for the money bearing interest at the rate
of $40 per cent. per annum- payable semi
Early in the last Republican administra-
tion and Immediately preceding Mr.. Tag
gart's entering the mayors cnalr, these
bonds became due and We're refundeu with
bonds bearing interests at per cent per
annum. The city mas alfeady pau IA IN IN
terest on this debt vast sum, ana the
principal of the debt is still UNPAID ana
Stands as a heritage of Democratic misrule.
CITY RESCUED BY REPUBLICANS.
At the close of Mayor Sullivan's admins
tration, in 1893, the city's Indebtedness was
as follows
Bonded debt 81 oo4' o00
July TO- 1893 temporary loans ....... y, 50O
July "a. 1893 temporary loans ....... Sa900
Sept. 20 1898, temporary loans ..... lOU0g
Oct 2 1893. temporary loans 3O,VOO
Accumulated interest on temporary
loans ......,....... ....'......'.''''.' A'Ao1
Total Understanding debt 81. O25 $50
Sept 90 1898, outstanding
warrants .......... ............ $19'lda
Sept. 90 1898, cash .............. u,USo