The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-12-29
INDORSE PRESENT PLAN
TOWNSHIP TRUSTEES OPPOSED TO
THE REFORM MOVEMENT.
of school Books
Officers.

The four hundred representatives of the
| Township Trustees Association who have
been in convention at Masonic Hall the
last two days took final adjournment at
o'clock yesterday afternoon During the
morning session they heard Governor Mount
discuss good roads, listened to a paper from
the Governors representative, John P.
Brown, of Connersvilles on the same line,
Good Roads and High Land Tax VS.. Poor
Roads and Low Land Tax, and Their Re
lation to the Concentration Of the Public
Schools" and adopted resolutions on points
that are very important in the estimation
of the Indiana township official.
Governor Mount made but short talk,
advocating higher taxes in preference to
bad roads, and declaring that II the trustees
used proper care in selecting Supervisors
who would conduct the work of road i'm
provement in a. business-like way the ex-
pense of good roads need be but little more
than that of the apology for roads result
ing from half-hearted system of improve
ment. He believed the time was coming
when all road taxes would ne paid in full
and the man who worked out his road tax
would be paid back the money he had turned
in provided he had rendered satisfactory
equivalent in labor. The meeting took a
five minutes adjournment to meet the Gov
| ernor who, during that time, was Kept busy
| shaking hands with trustees who approved
| of his remarks The paper of Mr.. Brown
| to whom he had delegated the more elap-
| crate address,. followed out the Governor
| line of thought and offered statistics to
| show that the money expended since 1861
if properly used, would have been sufficient
to complete the entire system Of roads in
proper manner.
The committee on claims reported an ag-
gregate of expenses of SIG, which was APP
proved The committee on legislative ac-
tion which was to have conferred with tne
| representatives of the indianapolis REFORM
committee, reported that 1t had been deemed
unnecessary TO call upon them in as much
as there was no probability OF any agree
ment between the two factions so diamet-
really opposed. 1t was decided to let the
matter take it's course, simply Employing IN
the resolutions an expression OF the Iutlnty
of the action of the reformers. The new
committed selected by the chair in accord
ance with the selection of the COMPRESSION
al district caucuses the evening before, Is as
Carnihan, Daviess county F. c. Collins,
Orange county; ]. Mohrer, Jennings county;
]. b. Fellinger, Vermillion county. j. Z.
county; j. II. Hunter Elwood; b. G. Sher-
rick, Hamilton county; L. b. Kent, WnlIe
county; T. A. Flynn, Cass county II. Essel-
man, Lagrange county; J. j.; Bapcock'
Kosciusko- county. B. c. Sherlock was chos-
en- chairman.
The resolutions reported by the committee
selected for that purpose declare that 1T
is as absurd for the Commercial Ciuo ana
the Bar Association to attempt to control
the interests of the townships as 1t would
be for the inhabitants of the township to
attempt to control the administration OF al
fairs in Indianapolis. They set forth that,
in the estimation of the trustees, the scheme
is a selfish one, emanating from people not
directly interested. Another resolution APP
proves the continuance of the present plan
- al, n faN0rS
the compulsory education law, the super
vision Of road Improvement by trustees, the
present system of governing the public
schools by township control instead OF by
that of the cities or State, and opposes the
encroachrnent upon the trustees time due
to the present law. which compels him to
handle the textbooks of the schools in his
township. It adVocates instead that an IN
crease of 10 per cent. be made in the price
of the books in order that book dealers
might be induced to relieve the trustees of
this responsibility by the profit therein, The
resolutions also approve of vocal music as
branch in the public schools and urge an
amendment in the dog laws whereby the
excess over $50 may be turned into the
tuition fund
year, held in the afternoon, resulted in
again selecting B. F. Johnson, of Fowler,
county, and George Griswold, of Beagle,
being placed in nomination. The other Off
GERS were selected by unanimous vote as
Vice Presdent-B. M. Morgan, of Marion
county.
secretary-s. B. Ensmnger, of Hen
bricks county.
Treasurer-W. f. Males, of Vanderburg
county.
Executive Commttee-Thomas Nugent,
of Daviess county; A. G. Pershing, of
Delaware county; Tyre Pickett, of Ran
dolph county; John Jenkins, of Miami
county.
The former legislative committee, through
| its chairman Mr.. Clark, submitted a report
| of the funds collected and disbursed in the
| fight to prevent curtailment of the trustees
| terms of office by two years; 49, 1873. AZ had
been collected and of this 81, 225 had gone
for attorneys fees, $7S580 for postage and
printing the remainder defraying the COM
mittees expenses. The committee was then
discharged.
Township Systems of Caring for the
| Poor" was the subject of a paper read by
| G. S. Grout, secretary Of the State Charity
| Society. The seven points he made sum
married. were a thorough investigation of
| every appeal, recording for the use of sue
ceeding trustees the action taken in each,
an application of the work test" an en-
| deavor to see that children of destitute per-
sons were kept in school at work the
suggestion of the stone pile to the profess
sOnal tramp, absolute refusal to issue trans
portation and the advantage of interesting
in the charity work the citizens of the town
| ship. After passing resolutions thanking
committees and officers of the association
for their work in the interests of the trus-