The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-03-19
Mr.. TAGGART'S MACHINE
CITY EMPLOYEES KEPT BUSY SOLELY
ON POLITICAL WORK.
How Councilman Merrick Was Won
Over to the Park Fund CAM
efItlf -
paign Plan.

Mr.. Taggart is forecloSfng his poltlcal
mortgages. Where he has none new ones
are being placed. 1t is anything and every
thing to aid him in the scramble for the
control of the Craftsmanship and member
ship Of the county committee that is to be
formed April /. City employees instead of
devoting their time to the duties of their
positions are out hustlng for Taggart.
Not content with the men already under his
thumb, thirteen additional men were APP
pointed inspectors in the engineers office
They are to receive paw from such time as
the engineer dictates. Anti-Taggartites say
that this means they are to begin receiving
pay as soon as they show they have cap
tured committeeman for Taggart. Not
content with controlling the city employees
that owe their official positions to his APP
pointive power, the mayor is reaching out
to engulf the councilmen in his grasp. AS
an illustration the case of Councilman
Merrick Is mentioned. Until his son was
given a cierkship in the engineers Office
Mr.. Merrick was against the park scheme.
Now the mayor expects him to vote for the
transfer of the $3560O0 park funds to the
use of the Board of Public Works, where
it may be manipulated to secure the
mayors supremacy, in political sense, in
the county this year and in the state cam
paign two years hence, when he hopes to
become Governor.
AS an illustration of the way in which
city employees are spending their time in
furthering the mayors cause DIT might be
mentioned that Market Master Monte"
Goebel and Horace Kramer, an inspector
of the Board of Health, spent considerable
time in Brightwood this week fixing one
of the prospective candidates for precinct
committeeman for Taggart. Neither had
any public duties that would take him in
that direction. Coming home on a street
car they went so far as to admit they were
up there putting up rails in the Taggart
political fence.
The efforts of the mayor to fold the Coun-
Gil in the arms of his political octopus by
drawing them into the scheme of appro-
priating the immense park campaign fund
of $35O,OOO is meeting quite a resistance from
the constituents of those weakened coun-
cilmen who have been disposed to favor
Taggart's ambitions on account of present
or future political preferment for which
they hope. Some want to be on the county
ticket this fall. Their constituents are TAX
ing a hand. Taggart, through his organs
has boasted in the last week that the park
transfer would be made, as enough votes
are pledged to its support. Since this an
nouncement many men who were counted
on by inference as favoring the mayors
ideas have been seen by influential men in
their wards, who are urging that they shall
not be influenced by present future po-
litical ambitions in appropriating public
money or lacing it within the power Of the
Board of Works to spend it. They are urg-
ing the counclmen to insist on having the
Board of Works furnish list of the
grounds that are to be purchased, with the
price of each piece, so that there may be
no movement in the dark. A number of the
councilmen on whom the mayor relied at
the beginning of the week are growing
shaky since the representations that have
been made to them by their constituents.
An enort is being made by the Taggart
crowd to use the name of ex-Postmaster
Sahm as a political cats paw in pulling the
nomination OF a Taggart chairman out of
the smodering factlonal Goals. Mr.. Sahm
has repeatedly assured the mayor and those
who are most intimate with him that he
is not only not a candidate for county chair
man, but also that he would not have the
place under any circumstances. Mr.. Sahm
knows that while he is SO closely associated
with the mayor in general business trans
actions the latter would not hesitate to use
him in furthering his own political aims.
Mr.. Sahm has a comparatively clean po-
litical record, and while he has a natural
desire to further the interests of his bust
ness associate and friend, II is claimed that
he is thoroughly acquainted with Taggart's
political methods and does not want 10 get
drawn into compromising situation. 1t is
said hat this is why Mr.. Sahm is not a
candidate for county chairman. He does
not want to let Taggart assume supreme
control over his actions. Nevertheless anti
Taggarites say Sahms name Is being used.
1t is given out that certain candidates for
precinct committeeman are Sahm candi-
dates in the hope that they will receive
support simply because they are supposed
to favor Sahm's election 1t is said that
when the county meeting is held it will be
most positively and authoritativey an
N Gahn1 will haVa no
At this juncture the delegations are to be
thrown to Judge A. 9. Ayers. another I'M
doubted Taggart man. AS an excuse to
those citizens who voted for the delegates,
supposing them TO be for Sahm, it will be
explained that Mr.. Sahn withdrew" at
the last moment and that the next best
man was chosen.