The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-09-14
TAGGART AND THE ICE COMPANY.
f. j. Van VOrhis Reiterates His
Charges Against the Mayor.


Charges Against the Mayor.
At an outdoor meeting in the interest of
the Citizens ticket, held in West Indianap-
oils last night, Flavius ]. Van Vorhis, chief
orator of that party, ridiculed Mayor Tag
CARTS position on the Scent fare bill. Mr.
Van Vorhis said that the mayor had not
had the courage to boldly deny the charge
that he had worked against the BILL but had
taken refuge behind an editorial clipping
from the Journal He demanded that the
mayor say openly, without. equivocation,
what his position had been on that question
during the Legislature.
An audience of about fifty men and women
heard the speeches last night which were
made on a commons at the corner OF Di-
vision street and River avenue. John F.
White. candidate for mayor on the Citi-
zens' ticket, and Clarence Z. Weir candi-
date for police judge. also spoke. The three
speakers pursued about the same line of ar
gument that they have advanced in other
speeches reported in the Journal
Mr.. Van Vorhis spoke of the contest be-
tween the syndicate and nonsyndicate
brewers, referring to the fact that saloon
keepers who handle syndicate beer are al
lowed to do about as they please while
other saloon men are compelled to obey the
law. Such an enforcement of the law
against one class of salooT. men at the ex-
pense of another he declared to be an out
rage. The result is he said that the
saloon man is forced to go and buy his beer
of the Lieber syndicate and then violate
the law or go out of business"
The speaker referred to the fact that on
various occasions he had said that Taggart,
Holt, Downing, Wilson and Reach were the
stockholders in the Holt Ice and Cold Stor-
age Company. Since then, he said, he had
learned that j. O. Henderson was also in
tereSted.
''Taggart denies to me personally that ne
holds or ever held any stock in that COM
pany," continued the speaker Il ask him to
frame denial over his own signature, and
then we Will see what can be proven. 1t
can be pointed ont that he is interested in
that company and where he got the money
to invest in ii"
He said that the saloons were the largest
customers of the ice company and that the
same game was played in the matter of
the Holt Ice and Cold Storage Company
as in the case of the Lieber syndicate. A
saloon man who ,patronized it was given
immunity from police interference, just as
he was If he bought Lieber beer
IF Mr.. Taggart is not stakeholder. let
him put his name to a denial and publish
it like he has some other things and then
we will see what can be proven.
Mr.. Van Vorhis charged that if Taggart
is not interested in the various corpora
tons that control him and his administra-
ton, he knows who the stockholders are
and ought to make his knowledge public.
Speaking of the immense campaign fund
that Is being raised by assessments on en-
ployes Of the city-even the men who work
In the street gangs-as We'll as the saloons,
Mr.. Van Vorhis said that money raised for
campaign purposes never Went TO any le-
Ultimate use Ii went into the pockets of
the men that handled 1t, he said He spoke
of the scandals IN public contracts and told
how honest contractors Were forced out by
men who stand in with inspectors ana
who expect TO "whack up on unlawful
profits made by Sinking the requirements
of specifications. which honest contractors
COmnflieU
Hollis ice company. IN which the mayor.
president of the Board Of Works and others
closely identified with the administration
are interested. according 70 Mr.. Van NoT-
his. gets $500 a year rent from the city for
"a little piece of ground about big enough
TO whip dog on, as he put it. He said