The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-09-26
IRVINGTON STIRRED UP
WESTINGHOUSE IMPROVEMENT
CAUSES MUCH FEELING.
Resolutions COndemning the Town
Board Adopted Last Night-A
WeII-Attended Meeting.


More than hundred citizens assembled
in the knights of Pythias Hall, in Irving
ton, last night in response to a call signed
and circulated by twenty taxpayers of the
suburb. The object of the meeting was TO
discuss the recent action of the Town
Board in it's decision to pave Washington
street in the suburb with brick Two
Washington-street property owners OBJ
tanned a temporary restraining order
against the board, but Judge Harvey, of
the Superior Court, refused to grant a per-
manent injunction on the evidence submit
ted to prevent the work, so the Irvington
Town Board went ahead and received bids
and let the contract for the work. This
action incensed many Washington-street
property owners. who. together with some
other citizens of the suburb who are
against extensive improvement anywhere
in the town, issued a call for the mass
meeting which was held last night About
a dozen women were in the audience, and
the Town Board was there to listen to the
charges which were to be brought against
it.
A main feature of the evening was the
presence of Hon. George w. Julian, who
made speech on the Improvement ques-
ton. Mr.. Julian said, in part: THE state
of affairs is so serious that no citizen can
feel neutral towards the question. The
question is the power of the Town Board
of Irvington. The Town Board of any
community has only the power of service.
The limit of its power is the wishes of the
people," Mr.. Julian characterized the con-
struction of a brick pavement on Wash
1ngton street as an injustice to the citi-
zens, and spoke strongly against the ac-
ton of the board in deciding to pave Wash
ington street. He thought the citizens had
perfect right to kick against the bricks.
A committee on resolutions, which had
been appointed by James T. Layman, chair
man of the meeting, came in with three
sderation.
The resolutions recall the conventions
held in lrvington just before the May
election, and excerpts from the platforms
adopted at these conventions are set forth.
THESE platforms pledged the nominees for
trustees to SUI port no Improvement meas
ureS that were not Endorsed by majority
OF the property owners who had to pay for
them: The resolutions then continue:
. Whereas, The unanimous adoption Of
these platforms of principles by the whole
people of our town, not only impose a bind
ing obligation upon those who were elected
upon them, and thereby agreed to adhere
to them but should as well be an unerring
guide to the members of the board who hold
over:
improvements have been ordered by the
board since the adoption OF these princi-
pies, they have been done without petition
of majority of the property owners and
in utter defiance of the well-knoWn wishes
or such majority; and
Whereas, A ma jority of the Town Board
have attempted to have Washington street
paved with brick, at a cost of $7.06 per
lineal foot after pledging themselves TO
repair our gravel streets with gravel or
broken stone, and against the strongly ex-
pressed desire and remonstrance of almost
all the property owners on said street; and.
Whereas, Said property owners, after
having demonstrated against the expensive
brick pavement, have unanimously petit
toned the board to improve Washington
street by macadamizing it, at cost of less
than one-half that of the brick pavement;
and
Whereas. The board has refused to ac-
this large majority of the property owners,
Notwithstanding their promises in the
platforms; therefore. be it
Resolved, That we, the citizens and tax
payers of the town Of Irvington, in mass
meeting assembled, do most earnestly con-
denim the action Of the majority of our
plainly expressed wishes of the people of
our town.
recent increase of our tax levy. excepting
such portions of the same as may have
been made necessary by the building of an
addition to our public schoolhouse, as un
called for and unnecessary.
The committee on resolutions was COM
posed of the following citizens: Sylvester
d.
]. G. Kingsbury Charles Cross.
A motion to strike out the personal ref
erences in the resolutions was made and
discussed at length, but the chairman of
the committee urged that by so doing all
the pith would be taken out of the resolu-
tons, so the motion was lost Another mo-
ton was made to withhold the resolution
from publication in the daily papers. 1t was
argued that the state of Irvington town
affairs had been grossly misrepresented and
that citizens outside of the suburb would
draw a wrong conception of the towns gov
eminent but this motion was lost.
During this discussion the point OF the
condition of Washington street was brought
up The statement was made and sustained
that teams hauling Lieutenant Governor
Hanna's goods bad "stalled" in Irvington
streets last spring, and that a four-horse
team had been required to pull a load of
corn out of a WaShingtOn-street rut. These
remarks caused some heat. but the discus
sion was drowned out by the noise OF
passing freight train.
Mrs. DR.. Swain. of Indianapolis, who owns
property on Washington street. made
speech against brick paving, in which she
said that brick pavements were highly con-
ducive to nervous troubles. Finally after
much discussion pro and con the resolutions
were passed by a vote of 81 to 20.
After the resolutions had been passed
some man made a motion to adjourn, but
the citizens wanted to say and hear more,
so the motion was lost. Hilton Y. Brown,
president of the Irvngton Town Eoard. who
had not been heard in the discussion of the
resolutions answered some statements
which had been made against the board.
He denied that the Town Board considered
the question of paving the Irvington streets
with brick making Washington street as a
center. He also stated that the action of
the board had not been done on the. spur
of the moment or unbeknown to the citizens.
He said that the board had time and again
invited the citizens to come to the meetings
and confer with the board, but they had
not done it. Mr.. Brown stated that after
months of deliberation the board had chosen
brick as a pavement, with view toward
the perrnanency of the Improvement. and
that a macadam roadway would not stand
the wear to which it would be subjected on
the main artery of travel of Marion county
Mr. Brown thought that the five members
of the Town Board ought to receive as much
consideration as the five members of the
resolutions committee. who reported after
I'VE minutes elaboration. Following Mr..
Brown several citizens arose to condemn
the passage of the resolutions. and senti-
r,oent was about equally divided.
The Improvement question in lrvington is
drawing intense interest from all the citi-
zens. The paving of Washington street is
practically unsettled, and it is hard to tell
what action the Town Board will take in
~ The hoard will