The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-10-13


Since his first election Mr.. Taggart has
posed as a business mayor and his friends
have pointed with pride to his business adj
ministration.' 1t has been assumed in his
behalf and he has encouraged the assump-
ton. that municipal interests were never
properly looked after nor city business
properly attended to until he became mayor.
1t is about time for the public to realize
that this claim is absolutely Iyroundless and
that under the plausible pretsnse of bust
ness administration the citv government
has been administered on strictly partisan
lines and large business transactions
handled in a way that shows either ig-
norance of business methods or disregard of
the public interests. This iss evidenced in
the steady growth of municipal expenses,
the increase in the tax levy the extrava-
giant outlay for the alleged improvement of
Pogue's run, but most of all in the blum
dering management of the park fund and
the proposed foisting of the water works
upon the city at grossly exorbitant valua-
ton. When the city embarked in the prof.
ect of park Improvement taxpayers had a
right to expect that lands for the purpose
would be selected with the best of judg-
ment, and then either purchased at their
lowest cash price or condemned and ac-
quired at their appraised value. Probably
the best method of acquiring them would
have been by condemnation and apprase-
ment, for which the city had ample au-
thority both under the charter and the park
ordinance This method was not even con-
sidered. That failing. the city should have
purchased the land only after such strict
investigation and comparison of prices as
real estate agents make for their patrons or
business men in their private transactions.
Nothing of the kind was done. Mr.. Taggart
as an individual and the members of his
Board of Public Works as private citizens
are abundantly capable of making shrewd
trades and good investments, but as city
officials they seem to be devoid of business
common sense. Otherwise, why should they
have ignored the right of the city to con-
denim park lands and acquire them at an APP
praised valuation and paid the owners, their
party friends, a grossly exorbitant price at
private sale? The records show that they
paid $4,000 for a tract of sixty acres which
cost the owners only $1,000 ten years ago.
and which is tssessed for taxation at
$3.915. 1t is further of record that they paid
$11,596 for a tract of fifty-seven acres which
cost the owner only SIS, 79s eight years ago,
and which is assessed for taxation at
1t further appears that for another tract
of 1913 acres for which the owner paid
S,776S0 four years ago and which is assessed
for taxation at $12 $780, they paid the fancy
price of $25,300 Neither the mayor nor any
member of the Board of Public Works
would pay much more than half these
prices for the lands in question as private
purchase. Why did they do it with the
city's money? We doubt if the entire NUM-
cipal history of Indianapolis shows a more
fragrant betrayal of public interests.
Scarcely less censurable-or shall we
say suspicious?-is the attitude of the
mayor and his advisers regarding the pur-
chase of the water works. The main diff
ference in the transactions is that one is
consummated while the other is not The
park lands have been purchased at an ex-
orbitant price, while the proposed pur-
chase of the water works at an exorbi-
tant price is still pending. No scheme was
ever more carefully engineered and skill
fully developed than the Hord scheme for
unloading the water works on the city. It's
promoters have used smokeless powder
from the beginning, yet it has not been diff
ficult to tell where the firing came from.
The mayor and his cabinet have favored it
from the start, and notwithstanding the
fact that 1t has been completely riddled and
is opposed by the entire city press, by
committee of the Commercial Club and by
business men generally. their action shows
that they still favor it, and are trying to
find some pretext for putting it through.
They paid s4S S9s for 24O acres of land worth
only about half that sum; will they dare,
in the face of public opinion to commit the
Cay to the scheme of purchasing the water
works at an upset price nearly $2,OOO,OOO
more than the tangible property is worth?
If these are business methods the city may
well pray to be delivered from them.