The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-22


1t, he said there was no doubt, but there
is a serious question as to delegated power
and that point is pending in the Supreme
Court now. The bin says assessments can
be made on property back coo feet. Under
the city law an assessment can be made
on abutting property only. Mr.. Taylor said
it was the curse of the old law that people
living in poor properties in the neighbOr-
hood of the bouevards had to pay for half
the construction and half the cost of the
land, while those with carriages who were
| able and would enjoy the boulevard, had
the other hale of the cost divided among so
many that they practically paid nothing at
all for it. Those who would enjoy the
boulevard, he said. lived two or three miles
from it. THE bill as drawn" continued
Mr.. Taylor, says you can take a mans
land and assess him 80 per cent. of the cost
for taking it, and then assess him 80 per
cent of the cost of the boulevard on his
The attorney general declared that the
law as to streets could not De taken as an
example, for a boulevard will not be
terminus or contiguous, as are streets. The
abutting property owners ought to help pay
for it, but their assessment should not be
so per cent. If the boulevard" said Mr..
Taylor, should be run through a lot APP
praised at 800, the owner of that land will
lose that which the boulevard occupies and
will be assessed 500 10 help pay for it.
Then say the cost of the construction of
the boulevard for that distance is 500, this
bill assesses him one-half of that and there
is another $780, He will lose his lot, worth
$40C, and it will cost him $500 cash to do
500
lSY IllS time the 1Il6HOS OIL the Dill were
up in arms and they denied Mr.. TaylOrs
statements as to assessments. lie
claimed that those provisions We're in the
bill and examination of the measure re-
Vealed the fact that great errors have been
made in the copying of the bill sent to the
T,eeyisIature MANY features which the COM
mittee decided not TO have in the bill and
which were rejected for the very reasons
that Mr. Taylor had advanced, were found
to be embodied in the measure before the
committee. 1t was also found that some
sections of the old law which the comnittee
had rejected were in this bill and 1T was
not at all as the committee agreed upon
or intended. The committee was greatly
chagrined that sueh mistakes should have
been made in copying II ana Immediately
a protocol was signed.
1t was found that the only contention Mr..
Taylor and the gentlemen lie represented
had, after the provisions of the measure US
it was intended were explained. was on the
assessment and Mr.. Taylor thought IL per
cent. was nigh enough. The committee was
inclined to agree with him and the gentle
men from the Commercial Club and other
friends of the bill retired to !urrher discuss
the matter with the opponents with bright
prospects for reaching an agreeable I'M
Outstanding.
Before they retired Mr. Jordon said there
should be some provision for damages and
cited the property along Fail creek as That
which should have this provision made for
1t. He said the plan of the boulevard con-
templated that it should be far above the
level of the surrounding grOund and that
the expense of filling IN this ground suf1i-
GENTLY to build houses thereon would be
great. IL HOUSES 5uOulu ne DuDl Dis II il
at present, the boulevard would be Il line
with the second-story windows Further
more, he said, 1t would prevent The owners
from securing the revenues they new re-
ceive from the sand and gravel from Fall
creek. This provision was not in the bill
and he thought it should be. The fIiends
of the bill stated that such provision was
in the bill they intended TO present. 1t was
! another mistake in the copying of it, they
said
Those present who own property in the
Fall-creek valley were lheTeupon satisfied
and joined the others in a conference and
explanations. The House committee will
meet again Tuesday evening at 80 o'clock,
when it is expected to ratify the treaty Of
yesterday.