The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-03
WHY TAX RATE WENT UP
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. COMBINE VAST
ED TOO MUCH CITY MONEY.
Same Gang Trying to Hold Up the
COunty-Trend OF the
Betting.

Many taxpayers are asking why Tag
! gartism in three years has made an increase
! in the city tax levy of 10 cents necessary.
| Since it has been shown that three years
| of Taggartism cost over $4,000 while the
| county auditors Office was being run by
| E. NJ. johnson and Thomas Taggart, city
| taxpayers have been reminded of some of
! the burdens the same regime that is now
| seeking control of the county offices-John-
son, Mcguire, Taggart ct al.-has placed
on the city. 1t is recalled that last year
$4,000 was spent for campaign purposes on
alleged improvements of Pogue's run. This
year an even larger sum is being spent on
the parks. the street gangs and in the city
engineers department. Not long ago 5000
additional was appropriated for inspectors
in the engineers office. So at least $25 600
has been spent in the last two years by
the ring to perpetuate Taggartism, last fall
| in the city and this fall in the county.
Not only are large sums being thus APP
piled, but the city has been burdened with
debt. Over a half million dollars of debt
has been piled up for future generations to
pay since October, 1895, when Taggart retired
from the office Of county auditor and took
with him e. M. Johnson to the courthouse
basement. While future generations will
have this immense principal to pay, the tax
payers of to-day are paying the interest.
Take two items: The city was run into debt
$4,000 for the new station house and was
run in debt $3J00O for the parks. The in
terest paid on this 100000 is per cent. a
year, or $4,000 every year. Taxpayers add
to this the $4,000 year that is misappro-
priated in campaign funds to perpetuate
Taggartism making $685. 900 year, and then
ask: rs it strange that the tax rate must
10 s,,o. ho in only
three years timer
1t is said and constantly reiterated by the
Democratic press that Taggart is not an
issue; that he is not running for office.
Taxpayers are awakening to the fact that
while this is true the men who have been
asspciated with Taggart for the last eleven
years, ever since he began official life, are
now trying to get control of the Offices of
the county, hoping to make as much out of
them as he did. Last week it was shown
that the last Democratic commissioners in
creased the county debt $9S,O00 besides
squandering $4,000 that ought to have been
paid on the new Jail, and at the same time
increased the tax levy. When in control of
the county the Taggart crowd increased the
debt, raised the tax levy and squandered
money-no one knows for what. In shifting
from the county offices to the City Hall the
policy OF the crowd was unchanged. In
three years NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. debt has
been piled up for the city, many thousands
of dollars have been spent to employ heel
ers and keep them in line, and, to top It
all, the tax levy has been increased. Many
taxpayers are asking themselves whether
this will not continue, whether the county
debt will not be again increased. whether
the county tax levy will not be again in
creased, and whether it is not better to con-
tinue in Office the men who have saved the
county money-Auditor Smith over $4,000 in
three years and the County Commissioners
over 1929 900 in the same period.