The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-09-28
MIR. ovERsTREET's FIGURES.
A Fine Arrnignment Of the TaggaH
business" Administrations.

A Fine Arrangement of the TaGgart
business" Administration.
Representative Overstreets speech at the
ball park meeting last night was as follows
During the period marked by the last
quarter of a century the Democratic party
the affairs of the city of indianapolis. Two
of these administrations are closed and the
third now approaches its end. Each OF these
administrations resulted in an increase OF
the bonded indebtedness of the city, and
each was characterized by an increased ex-
penditure of money and an anticipation of
taxes then uncollected with which to meet
the current expenses of the government.
The administration now closing is not eX-
empt from the characteristics of its two
Democratic predecessors. The same Charac-
ter of business methods, the same character
of expenditures has been followed by this
administration. Coming into power at each
of these three periods when the city govern
ment, as administered by Republican Off
Gals had left the finances or the city in
healthy condition, these three Democratic
administrations should have marked eraS OF
economy and progress in the cityS affairs
instead of being marked by an increased in
debtedness and evidence or fallure IN the
management of the business of the city. In
striking contrast with the management OF
these three administrations STANDS the
record of the Republican party IN It's man
agement of the business affairs OF the city.
Each Republican administration of the city
of Indianapolis has been marked by spirit
of economy and progress, by reductlon OF
the bonded Indebtedness of the city, yet at
the same time maintaining the advance
ment which should characterize all the city
administrations and each administration
has closed it's work with the full payment
of current expenses, and in no instance has
it left a deficit or an overdraft as legacy
to it's successor.
The first of these three Democratic adj
ministratons is condemned by all parties
because of it's prodigal expenditure of the
peoples money and it's thorough abuse of
the power which had been intrusted to 1t.
1t is a matter of history unnecessary to eX-
plain in detail that the obligations imposed
by that administration of 1872 to 1875 was the
cause of the constitutional amendment pro-
hibiting the bonded Indebtedness of a city to
exceed 2 per cent. of the assessed Valua-
ton of its property. The second one Of
these three administrations came into power
at a time when the business OF the country
was at a high tide of prosperity, when
money was cheap and when If the bust
ness affairs of the city could be managed
upon a purely business line with success, it
could have been done in that period. And
vet at the close of its two years term it
went out of power having increased the
bonded Indebtedness of the city and left I'M
paid thousands OF dollars of the current run
ming expense of the government 1t is a fact
humiliating to a city of this size and i'm
portance that at the close OF the Sullivan
administration even the rent of the offices
occupied by the officials OF the government
was left unpaid, and overdrafts and tenn
porary loans to the extent of nearly $500 600
were left as legacy 10 the Republican adj