The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-09-27
AT LITTLE HOBsON HALL.
Mayor Taggart, City Attorney and
Others speak.

The Democrats of the Eleventh ward
crammed themselves into the little Hobson
Hall, over a saloon, at West and Merrill
streets. last night, and the windows were
kept shut. The windows have wooden bars
across them on the inside, for a dance is
given there every week. A crowd of men
and boys gathered in the saloon and on the
outside before the meeting began in the
hall, and there was a great uproar of voices
and wild wrestling IN the street. When a
crowd had gathered in the hall a grinning
young man yelled, Lets have a little
speech from Mr.. Deery while were waitin'."
Mr.. Deery did not respond. Honest TO
Gcd, he don't move" cried the grinning
young man. The older men took front seats
and the young 'uns piled on the bench
around the sides of the hall.
When Mayor Taggart appeared someone
cried. "Hurrah for Bookwalter!'' The mayor
smiled and said, God bless 'imr' He then
proceeded to shake hands with every one
within reach. A smile went with every
handshake. When Mayor Taggart was in
troduced the hall was full and overlooking
down the stairs. His speech was the same
that he has made since the beginning Of the
campaign-he told of the good" he had
done for the city in the way of street.
car service. gas rate, parks, street cleaning
and improvement and garbage collecting.
He 'joshed' the men TO their faces and
told them he knew the ward would turn out
a handsome Democratic majority. In
speaking of the progress the city would
make under the Democratic administra-
ton OF the next two years. he said: May
be you think I'm a little positive"
Az Harston, Democratic councilman-at-
large, who was secretary of the notorious
Cleveland Club. who was connected with
Fred Heier's gambling house. interrupted
the mayor in the middle of his speech by
yelling: We want him now and We want
him for Governor next time!" The senti-
ment was loudly applauded.
John w. Kern, city attorney, followed
Mayor Taggart with an address full of hot
stun" which tasted very good to the gang
He told how Tom Taggart had come TO this
city as a boy and had sold sandwiches and
worked himself up to his present height
They laugh about that smile and thai
handshake," said Mr.. Kern, but 1 want &c
tell you that l knew Tom Taggart when he
was a boy at the Union Station, and he had
that same sweet smile aud that same hand.
shake and that same warm Irish heart thaf
worked on down the line of what the city
has to thank Mayor Taggart for, and finally
came to the administration of the laws
He said there were three ways of enforcing
the laws. The first way he pointed out wa;
to prevent the BARRIERS from shaving theil
patrons on Sundays. to prevent the icemar
from delivering ice on Sundays, TO preven'
the liyerymen from renting rigs on Sundays
so that you cannot go out into the coun
try" Then Mr.. Kern said the preceding
administration had tried that way Of en-
forcing the laws and had been shown tina
II was not what the people wanted. He sai'
the other extreme of lawlessness had beer
as gracefully avoided by the Democratic ad
ministration as the first extreme. and tina
Mr.. Taggart had seen and followed a middle
course that was satisfactory TO everyone.
Mr.. Kern stole from John w. Hoffman
the idea of the expose of the conspirac,
between the gas companies and the Repub
lican party. Mr.. Hoffman has feature,
this idea in all his campaign speeches, Blu
he omitted to copyright IL, and. as a result
Mr.. Kern turned plagiarist and exploited i
last night. First he pointed out that tn
Democratic platform denounced the gas
meter plan, while the Republican platform
was silent on the question. Then he brough
in the expose, originally worked by MI
Hoffman, and said the Republicans wer
seeking the gas companies votes.