The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-09-17
PROOF IN THE SENTINEL
MIR. BOOKWALTER SHOWS TAG
CARTS LAND WAS FOR PARKS.
Price at Higher Rate Even than the
Appraisers Pint 1.-THE Bog
Scandal.

Charles a. BookWalter, ). ii. SpOOner, Jonn
Ruckelshaus and Thomas Bowser.
The feature of the evening was Mr.. Book
walters speech on the subject of the deal
by which the taxpayers were to pay a good
big price for Mayor Taggerts bog land
south of the Belt, running from the Bluff
road to White river. On Wednesday after
noon Mayor Taggart had a story in the
News and yesterday morning he had an
other in the Sentinel, denying the charge
made by Mr. Bookwalter The article in the
News was as follows
The statements made by Mr.. Bookwalter
in his speech last night on the South Side
in reference to the purchase and taking by
the Park Board of land owned by Mayor
Taggart south of the city, are, the mayor
says, without any foundation. Long before
appropriations were made Tor the purchase
of park lands, Mayor Taggart requested the
Park Board and Mr.. Powers, the park
engineer, not to consider his land. The
board acted upon this, and in a letter Writ
ten on Feb. s, 1897, to the chairman OF the
finance committee of the Council, notlned
the committee and the Council that 1t had
dispensed with certain tracts OF lahds
among others one hundred acres south OF
the Belt Railroad, a part of which was at
that time. and still is, owned by Mayor
Taggart This is shown by the records OF
the Park Board. The Park Board has not
since had under consideration this property,
and does not contemplate considering 1T.
Both Mr.. Claypool, president of the Park
Board, and Mr.. Powers, the engineer, say
that Mayor Taggart urged them under no
circumstances to consider the land owned
by him.
The tale in the Sentinel was as follows:
1.-The spleen displayed by Charles Book
walter because he was not able to work the
Board of Park Commissioners into incorpO-
rating his far-remoVed Tuxedo addition into
the park system is not surprising to many.
Mr.. Bookwalter's charges that Mayor Tag
CARTS lands were to have been incorporated
into the park system have been undeniably
refuted by as good q Republican as Mr..
Claypool, president of the Park Board, and
the defeated candidate Will not have the
nerve to repeat such false statements. Mr..
Claypool said yesterday that Mr.. Taggart
had specifically and positively told him and
the board that not a foot of his land was
to be taken into the park system and
letter to that effect was written by the
the lands referred to by BoOkwalter would
not be taken into the park ark system This let
the records of the boaru'
TAGGARTS LAND IN IT
Mr.. Bookwalter, in the course of his re-
marks last night referred to the comments
quoted above by saying Il feel like apollo
giving for consuming any part of your time
with reading an extract from the Sentinel
and only do so to show the impossibility
of that paper telling the exact truth even
on a question of geography. The facts are,
/ never had dollar of interests in Tuxedo
addition, which lies more than two miles
east of the city. Nor has any other citizen
OF Indianapolis, unless he purchased lot
from the Kansas City syndicate which ex-
plotted this real estate. The question at is
sue is, Shall the citizens of Indianapolis
be compelled to pay an outrageous price for
worthless real estate, even though thatlreaI
estate belongs to a good fellow 7 calIed
upon the Park Board to-day for informal
ton on several subjects. | asked for the
cate on which the appraisers We're in
Structed to appraiSe the Taggart ground
and was informed by the gentlemanly
young clerk that no such order had ever
been given. ask you, my fellow-citizens,
is it reasonable to presume that these APP
praisers of their own violation-upon no
authority other than their own wishes pro-
ceeded to put a value upon, this property
and incorporate it in the park system?
Il did find that the Park Board had pre-
sented to the controller communication
requesting him to recommend to the COM
mon Council the appropriation of $500, 900
for the purchase of park ground In this
communication was specifically set out one
hundred acres south of the Belt and west
of the Bluff road. l did find a rejoinder
from the controller in which he expressed
doubt as to the advisability of asking for
any such amount and suggesting that GER
tain sufficient real estate he dropped from
the scheme to bring the aggregate amount
to 100000 or less On Feb. s, 1897 the park
commission, in accordance with this re-
quest OF the controller, submitted a second
communication to that official in which
they cut out, among other property the one
hundred acres south of the Belt and west
of the Bluff road Let it be said to th;s
credit OF the Park Board that here their
connection with this scheme ceases and Mr.
Taggart is correct in his statement in the
News that the records of the Park Board
fail to show further action as to this land
But where the work of the Park Board
ceases, the fine hand of the administration
begins to be seen. On Monday March l.
1897, the Common Council passed the apprO-
priation ordinance for park purposes pro
viding for the expenditure of 100000 and
$4,000 for labor. On March 2 in its report
IA hn !.
apolis Sentinel, the inspired organ of this
administration had the following to say:
For weeks and months the park system
has been bone Of contention and that it is
finally disposed of is a matter of much
relief and self-congra tulation on the part
at least of the councilmen. . That
the passage of this ordinance is the result
of compromise is generally admitted but
the terms of the compromise have been
withheld from the public until the Council
had taken final action This was done as
matter Of policy, from the fear that the
Trends OF such sections of land as had to
be dropped might have stirred up opposi-
ton that would have proved annoying be-
fore the contamination of the agreement
Now, however, the Park Board is in a posi-
ton to declare what tracts will be pur-
chased These tracts are as follows:'f'
Il ask you, my friends to mark" contin-
ued Mr.. BoOkWalter. the admission con-
tanned in this ingenious statement that there
was a compromise or job necessary in or
der fsrot that this appropriation might go
Now, however, the Park Board is in po-
sition to declare what tracts will be pur-
chased. These tracts are as follows: The
Fall creek system, the estimated cost of
which will be $193 900; twenty-five acres in
the First ward on Brookside avenue, the
appraised value 1900; one and eight-tenths
acres in the Fifth ward, on the corner of
West Washington street and Miley avenue
appraised value S., coo; four and a third acres
in the Eighth ward, at the corner of High
land street and Marlowe avenue appraised
value $l5,000 eight acres in the Ninth ward
at the corner of Dillon and Meek streets
Iffad ct and hole
the Fourteenth ward. al the corner of Sam
ders and McKernan streets, valued at S. $50 ;
THE ORGAN DESCRIBES IT.
Now mark you, my friends" said Mr.
Bookwalter, that the following sentence
is taken from the inspired organ of the ad-
ministration, speaking with a full knowl-
edge of the compromise, or deal or lob
which it had been necessary to conceal from
the people in order to carry out the scheme
Remember, it is the Sentinel 1t saws: In
the Fifteenth ward, three tracts-two acres
at the corner of Madison avenue and Coburn
street. valued at $4,000; three-fourths of an
acre at the corner of Chadwick ard Ray
streets, valued at $500 and thirty acres
where the Belt road crosses White river
valued at $l5,000.' My friends, the charge
l made in the speech delivered in the Four
teenth ward, which Mr.. Taggart has denied
was that the park appraisers We're willing
to give him $500 an acre for his land where
now you see that his personal organ ad-
mits that as result of the compromise
'dicker or job he's to receive $500 an acre.
The Sentinel further saws the same ar