The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-09-28

within the past twenty-five months the sum
spending over $4,000 for the current ex-
penses of the city. Out of that sum 10
permanent improvements have been made,
and for every dollars worth of permanent
improvements bond has been issued by the
city bearing a high rate of interest which
you and your representatives viii have to
pay in the future.
We have arraigned this administration for
q Wasteful extravaganza OF public funds. 1t
has placed upon the pay rolls q large num-
Der of supernumeraries for the sole purpose
of advancing the interest of the members OF
the present administration To control the
nomination Of Mayor Taggart II has sweiled
the pay roll OF the street ana Other depart
ments and paid for the same out of the pub
lie treasury To insure his election 1t has
transferred the sum of SO 000 TO the street
repair fund and bridge fund in violation
Of the spirit of the city charter and without
regard TO common decency 1t has burdened
the city with contracts from the highest
bidder and rejected bids from equally re-
sponsible parties that would have saved the
city thousands of dollars. IL has Duruened
the city with the garbage contract 10 a COM
pany that has not adequate means TO carry
out the conditions of it's contract Day after
day the citizens of Indianapolis are outraged
by the failure of this company to carry
away the garbage of its citizens and its
failure to properly dispose OF the garbage
after 1t is collected Complaints to this adj
ministration of the violation OF the contract
are made daily by the Board of Health ana
those complaints are smothered for fear the
wrath of an indignant people Will be VISITED
upon them. In violation Of the spirit OF the
charter il has appointed eight garbage IN
spectors at a salary of $40 per month Tor
doing the work that one man ought to be
able to CO. To evade the charter they nave
called these garbage inspectors sanitary
officers and made them part of the Board
OF Health office. The garbage contract pro-
vided that the garbage should be removed
and disposed of at cos OF certain sum
per year and no more AT the time the
Democratic convention was held number
of the loyal supporters of William j. Bryan,
believing that Mr.. Taggart had betrayed ms
~ tef.
ocrats. opposed him in the convention TO
prevent their opposition If possible IN the
election he appointed eight OF them as gar
bage inspectors at the salary aDoVe stated,
hoping by doing that he could prevent
their opposition to his reelection. During
the week of the Democratic city convention
the pay rolls of the street department
showed an outlay of more than $500 more
than any other week during the years of
1896 or 1897 All of this comes from the
pockets of the taxpayers of the city OF In
dianapolis, and as one Democrat remarked
to me, if it takes $500 in one week of the
money of the taxpayers to nominate him
how much will 1t take to eleG him?
THE GAMEWELL CONTRACT.
We have arraigned the administration for
foisting upon the public the contract known
as the GameweH contract, costing the city
of indianapolis $4,000 more than the con-
tract of the lowest bidder, who was an
equally responsible party. Bribery in the
letting of this contract has been so openly
charged as to require investigation by the
grand jury. We have arraigned this ad-
ministration for placing dishonest and I'M
worthy men upon the Democratic sticket.
IT. has no use for an honest man. In this
ward two years ago the people elected an
honest man TO the Council by one of the
largest majorities ever given to any man.
Duncan Dewar is too honest a man to be
a part of this administration, and when
he came before the people asking for a re-
nomination as councilman of this ward the
city administration sent its inspectors,
clerks and employees here to insure his de-
feat. They succeeded in so doing, for Mr..
Dewar, although q Democrat, was too
honest man to vote in the City Coun I'll
for tAe transfer of the $4,000 already
spoken of TO the bridge fund and street re-
pair fund for the purpose of being used by
Mr.. Taggart for a campaign fund, and
boldly proclaimed that the action OF the
Council was outrageous and refused to
sanction it. On the other hand, across
Washington street lies the Ninth ward, rep
resented in Council by Mr.. Clark Be
fore the Democratic convention he was
charged with bribery in the letting of the
Gamewell contract. He was investigated by
the Democratic majority in the city Coun-
ell who, upon hearing, refused to vindi-
cate him and referred the whole matter
to the Marion county grand jury, where It
man was a candidate for denomination in
the Ninth ward, and the administrator
tools successful in defeating homes, NE VI:
Dewar, were sent to the Ninth ward for
the purpose of assisting in the nomination
of MIR Clark They succeeded in renomi-
mating him, and to-day he is upon the DEM
ocratic ticket with Mr.. Taggart, represent
ing the present city administration.
None of the charges made by the Repub-
lcans in this campaign have been denied
publicly by Mr.. Taggart or his representa-
tives and no defense has been publicly
made by him or his lieutenants.
A few days ago a meeting was held in
which Mr.. Hoffman addressed the Demo-
cratic club and eulogized Mr.. Taggart and
the. administration for the c9ndltioh Nj, IN
Holtzman forgot to tell his hearers that the
method of street sweeping and street
sprinkling is purely democratic. The TACT
is that the sweeping of the improved streets
in this city is paid for by general taxation.
while the street sprinkling is PAID Tor by
the property owners themselves: In TINS
city there are probably ninety miles of I'M
proved streets running, of course, through
the heart of the city and in localities where
the most valuable property is, while that
part of the city in which the streets are not
improved by asphalt, block or brick is the
portion of the city where people live who
simply own their own homes Each year
there is levied on all the property in this
CITY by general taxation the sum OF $6OVO0,
which is paid into the city treasury ana
paid out for street sweeping. Each prop
erty holder in the city of Indianapolis helps
TO pay for the sweeping OF these improved
streets. and has to pay for his own street
sprinkling In other words, citizen OF
the Eighth ward, in which ward there are
very few. improved streets mas 10 pay LOT
the sprinlxling of the street he lives on and
helps to pay for the sweeping of the I'M
proved streets that run past the valuable
property of this city, while the man that
lives on the improved street pays nothing
for your street sprinkling. This is Dem
ocratic law and IS carried out now by a
Democratic city administration.
While our candidate for Mayor Mr.
Harding, is standing before the people, face
to face telling them what they can expect
of him when he is elected, Mr.. Taggart is
afraid to stand before the people to defend
his administration and tell the people what
they can expect of him If he is elected.
There is not q single quasi corporation
that has asked anything from the city or
is expected to ask for something that is
not supporting Mr.. Taggart and opposing
Mr. Harding with their votes and their
money. Is it not time for the taxpayers to
pause a moment and think why they are
supporting Mr.. Taggart and opposing Mr..
Harding? They are doing this because they
have received favors at the hands of this
administration that they ought not TO have
received and are expected in the future TO
receive favors from Mr.. Taggart that they
ought not to receive at the expense OF the
neonle If this be true, and 1t undoubtedly
is and If all the quasi corporations that
avnect something from the city expect to
nse vour streets and the city get nothing
I'm return. when they are all found on one
side. is il not high time for the people to
be on the other side?
POLITICAL WEATHERCOCK.