The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-08-03
State Did Not Grant 1t the Deaf and
Dumb Institute Strip.

In response to inquiries on the subject Of
the city assuming control of the strip of
land owned by the State and situated con-
tiguous to the Deaf and Dumb Institute on
East Washington street, Governor Mount
issued statement yesterday concerning
the attitude of the State, in view of the law
on the subject. The popular suppostion
that the State Legislature provided for the
use of this land by the city for park pur-
poses, without acquiring title to it, is said
by the Governor to be wrong, and he sets
forth the true conditions in the following
statement:
with reference to the proposition that
certain lands belonging to the State of In
diana, to wit: The piece of ground situate
on East Washington street. in the city of
Indianapolis, lying north of the Institution
for the Education of the Deaf and Dumb.
consisting of about fifteen Q5) acres, be
temporarily turned over to the city Of In
dianapolis for park purposes, / beg to call
your attention to the following facts, to
wit:
''In the published acts of the General As
sembly of 1895 it appears that concurrent
resolution No IL, originating in the House
of Representatives, granted to the city OF
Indianapolis the right to take possession of
and beautify said tract of land above de-
scribed to be thus held by the city of In
dianapolis until the Governor should make
demand upon said city for the return of
said property to the State of Indiana, and
improvements, etc, I find. upon examina-
ton of the records that bill to the above
effect was introduced In the House of Rep
adopted by the House on March 4 following.
On the 18th day of March, 1895, Senator
Duncan offered amendment No. !, as fol-
lows: I move to amend the resolution by
adding the following: Provided, that said
city shall be at all the expense in building;
constructng maintaining caring for and
rounding the same. Which amendment was
adopted; Senator. Parker offered amend
nothing herein contained shall be held or
taken to be a REIMBURSEMENT of any right or
title to said land that the State of Indiana
has; and provided, further, that the power
hereby conferred on said city to beautify
and improve said land shall cease at any
time upon demand by the Governor, and
said city shall not have. the right to remove
any property thereon placed, nor to receive
any compensation therefor Which also was
adopted.
II quote the entire proceedings in order
that you may fully appreciate existing con-
ditions. The action taken by the Senate
to w.t. March H. 1895. The House did not
concur in these amendments and concurrent
resolution No. II was, therefore, rendered
absolutely invalid. For your further infor-
nation l desire to state that 1 have caused
an investigation to be made, to ascertain
why the original resolution appears in the
acts as printed. The record of enrolled bills
discloses the fact that the resolution was
certified to the secretary OF state by the
minute clerk, who assumed the right TO at
tach the signature of the clerk Of the House
of Representatives, but it does not contain
the name of the speaker of the House or
Representatives nor the president of the
Senate, and is therefore, of no force or
effect, to say nothing of the fact that the
House failed to concur in the amendments
passed by the Senate on March H. 1895, as
aforesaid 1t will, therefore, become APP
parent to you at glance that have no
authority to grant the request to concede
to the city of indianapolis any right to take
possession of and improve the tract of land
in question: