The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-05-26
PARK BOARD DENOUNCED
ROUsING MEETING OF NORTHEAST
ERN PROPERTY OWNERS.
Taggart's Campaign Labor Fund Also
-CaH En- Masse 10 BE Made.


Mayor Taggart would have been inter-
ested, if not particularly fattered. had he
been present at a large meeting of citizens
of the northeast part of the city in Belle
fontaine Hall last night, when the propo-
sition of establishing chain of parks along
Pogue's run was discussed and reports We're
heard from the committee that called on
the Park Board the mayor and Controller
johnson. The meeting was the largest that
has been held since this agitation began,
six weeks ago. Every seat in the hall was
! filled. Most of those present were labor
ing men from the northern part of town
| and Brightwood, although quite number
OF prominent business men and manufacture
ers were there, besides a few ladies. 1t
| lasted for two hours and a half.
Most Of the speakers were temperate in
what they said, but all were exceedingly in
earnest in demanding that the rights of the
! property owners of the northeast, who will
have to help pay for the improvement and
maintenance of parks receive some consid-
! Grafton from the Park Board. There were
cries for an injunction suit to prevent the
| board putting all the money at it's dis
posal in the bottom lands and swamps of
| White river and the dumps of Fall creek.
Others declared that if the Park Board in
! sisted on going ahead on the lines it has
marked out a demand should be made on
Thomas Taggart for the removal of the
| present board and the appointment of one
! that would listen to the will of the people
Such sentiments from the speakers were
received with wild approval tunultuous
applause filling the big hail. AS a result OF
| will
on the Park Board at its meeting Friday
afternoon. Fully that many earnest voters
arose last night to volunteer to so before
| the board and demand that the north
east be listened to. They are to meet in
the rotunda of the Indiana Trust building
! the Vance block and proc ED to the office
! OF the board in a body. Others who are
In sympathy with the movement who were
not present last night are to be urged to
go with the citizens committee. In the
meantime another form of petition is being
| circulated by fifty men who volunteered to
UNDERTAKE the work last night. These will
| pc presented to the board Friday afternoon.
some doubt was expressed to the efficacy
Oh petuonS last night, owing to the indit-
terence with which similar petitions signed
| by seven hundred citizens were treated
When they We're presented several days ago,
anu lne lqed was advanced that the pres
ence or a large committee would have more
weight with the board than any written
| PETITIONS would as petitions are ALWAYS
| Hled by the board and are never even
READ. This idea met with loud approval,
ana ana numbers volunteered to be IN the party
| 10 call on the board. Following is a copy
! OF the petition addressed to the board and
S GO Council, which is being circulated
| be presented tomorrow:
we the undersigned citizens and tax
| payers or the city of indianapolis hereby
| enter our vigorous protest against the car
| rylng out of any plan for providing a gem
| eral park system for the city which will
iieave out the purchase of the large tract
l and p1fli -
| from the vicinity of Newman street along
| the north side of Pogue's run towards the
| Belt Railroad for the benefit of the citizens
| OF Br!ghtWood and the northeast section.
| IT Is not only unfair but manifestly un-
| just that the large number of small prop
| erty holders, mostly working people of
| small means, living in this section should
| be heavily taxed for the purchase of parks
| for the city and get no direct benefit from
| the same because of their long distance
| from their homes. We therefore respectful
| ~ petition and earnestly urge upon your
| attention the fact that in all of the pro-
| posed outlay for parks there is pro-
| vision for a park east of Pennsylvania or
| north of New York street. We also cali
| your attention to the important fact that
| the tract of land we ask to be purchased
| Is without any question the most naturally
| located and best fitted for an ideal park
| 1t Is easy of access to a large body of
| working people, is in a part of the city
| question is so well adapted for the pur-
| poses OF park that 1t can be made into a
| hrst class park at far less cost than any
y
| set apart from any available park funds
! or II need be that you provide by special
| ordinance an amount sufficient to purchase
! not less than 100 acres of land follows:
| The Spades tract of about II acres and the
| Roberts tract of about L. 33 acres, the Vajen
| tract Of something like 20 acres also 40
| John Hancock tract, comprising 40 acres''
THE $4,000 LABOR FUND.
Mr.. Howe, a member of the committee
that presented the petitions signed by
| seven hundred citizens at the meeting when
Mr.. English informed them that all the
money available had been exhausted by
| land already purchased or which the board
| had ordered condemned, gave a detailed
| report of that meeting. After making this
| statement, Mr.. English suggested that there
was $4,000 in the labor fund which was not
/ needed for the purpose for which it had
| been set aside by the Council at Mayor
| Taggart's behest, and urged that the COM
| mittee labor with the Council to transfer
| this amount to the fund for purchasing
| land. Mr.. Howe spoke but briefly saying
| that he presumed this matter was well UNI
| derstood from accounts of the public press.
| He asserted that three members of the
| board who were present that day expressed
| themselves very favorably impressed with
| the suggestion of purchasing land along
| Pogues rum and had virtually promised
| that If the transfer was made the money
| should be expended in that part of the city.
The sum of the matter is that the park
] board is without money, and we are with
out park" said Mr.. Howe The only way
We can get them is either by that transfer,
| by taking sufficient money out of the bene-
| fit funds or by securing new appropria-
| ton from the Council
Colonel Shaw, another member OF the
committee told about visiting the park en-
| gineer, ]. Clyde Power, whose statement
| he was quoted with making to the effect
| that Pogues run a dry stream. The
committee was prepared to prove that there
| were at least twenty-five living springs
| between Washington street and Bright
| wood along Pogue's run. Mr.. Power could
| not be found Then the committee called
| on the mayor and Controller Johnson, both
| of whom said that they were in favor of
| parks in the northeast part of town when
asked what might be expected. You have
| my undivided support, and | never intended
| the northeast part of town should be left
| out of the park system, said the mayor,
| according to Colonel Shaw. The mayor au-
| thorized him to so express his ideas to the
| meeting of the evening the colonel said.
| Colonel Shaw inferred from what Con-
| troller Johnson told him that the park
| board misrepresented things when it said
| that all the money had been expended or
| tied up by proceedings the board had taken.
I'VE inferred that something could yet be
| done toward having part of the FAN creek
| system dropped" said he. 1T
| seems that there might be still an
opportunity to secure little of
| that money Mr. Johnson read the
| resolution of the board favoring that $780,
600 transfer to us. 1t does not mention
| Pogues run at all. What do they want
| with that money? 1t is likely If the trans
| fer is made that they will put IL in Fall
| creek or White river.
| h0 III