The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-10-09
WHAT MIGHT BE EXPECTED.

The scandals that have come TO light dur
ing the Taggart administration are, first,
the Austin-Downing scandal which resulted
in the resignation of Ed A. Austin from the
Board of Public Works; second, the Park
Board scandal in which an attempt was
made 20 get tract of land belonging to
Mr.. Taggart into the park system at a
very high valuation, which attempt failed;
third, the Colbert scandal, resulting in his
resignation as superintendent of police;
fourth, the Holt sewer scandal resulting in
the resignation of Sterling r. Holt from the
Parks Board. There have been a number
of minor scandals resulting in the discharge
or embarrassing of members of the police,
but these may all be Jumped under the
Colbert scandal, which stands for the gem
eral decentralization of the force. The four
scandals named include all the large ones
that have come to light though nobody
knows what is still covered no. They are
enough to indicate the general weakness if
one of them indicates that Mr.. Taggart is
either a very poor judge of human nature
or else that in making appointments he
habitually places personal and political
obligations above a sense of public duty.
No man with even moderate knowledge of
human nature and a proper sense of official
duty would surround himself with men who
would be guilty of such acts as these above
mentioned. In either case Mr.. Taggart is
an unfit and unsafe man to be continued
as mayor.
There is another aspect of the case which
voters should take cognizance of. All these
scandals have occurred in Mr.. Taggart's
first administration He is now a candidate
for reelection, asking the people for vote
of confidence on the strength of this adj
ministration. During this administra-
ton he has been trying to lay the
foundation for a reelection and presum-
ably has done his best If reelected he
will not aspire to a third term and will
have no incentive to make his second adj
ministration better than his first. On the
contrary, there is every reason to believe
he would construe a reelection as a con-
donation of all the scandals of this admin
istration and permission to do as he pleased
in a second. If he has been under some
restraint curing THIS administration ne
would be under none whatever in a second
one. If during this administration he has
placed personal and party obligations above
the public welfare, he would go much
further in that direction in a second adj
ministration. If he has surrounded himself
during this administration with men who
have proved unfit for office he would be
likely to be much more reckless in his ap-
pointments in second administration. II
his. first administration has developed more
and greater scandals than any ten years
in the previous history of the city, closing
with the air full of sewer gas, what might
be expected of q second one? These are
matters to be considered by all who desire
better city government. 1t is to be expected
that Mr.. Taggart's personal followers and
his thick-and-thin party friends will vote
for him. They would do SO If the scandals
of his first administration were far more
numerous than they are with a certainty
that they would be still more numerous dur
ing a second administration. But honest and
independent voters, men who think for
themselves and endeavor to put some con-
science into their ballots, should consider
well if they can afford to condone the scan
dals of this administration and take the risk
of another on the same lines and still worse