The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-06-14
REACHING PEACE BASIS
EpwORTH TENT WILL GO UP ON THE
COURTHOUSE ARD
Mr.. Lasby and Others Turn Their
Batteries on the Governor
A Conference.

terday afternoon to see the County Com
niissioners to-day. The County Commits
sioners said yesterday there would be no
objection to the tent being located on the
courthouse grounds If they were assured
n damage done to the lawn and the trees
would be repaired. The trees are so small
that it is likely they will be boxed in and
rot removed when the tent Is pitched. II
was remarked yesterday that the site Is
better than the Statehouse grounds, because
1t Is just across the street from Tomlinson
Hall. The tent will be go by 100 feet in
dimensions. Thus, 1t is believed. trouble ends
and the convention arrangements will pro-
coed peacefully to their Mr..
Lasby seemed considerably Modified though
he said. 1T will do TO choose some other
location to fall back on and continue the
fight for the Statehouse grounds" The ad-
vice of calmer members of the committee
and the Commercial Cluo prevailed. how
ever. and the state officials will not be
troubled further.
The settlement was effected at the "tent
conference in the assembly room of the
Commercial Club yesterday afternoon. The
conference had not a dull moment. Those
who attended 1t were the members of the
assemblage committee of the Commercial
Club and the members of the executive COM
mittee of the Epworth League convention.
John S. Lazarus was chosen chairman of
the meeting. From the first Mr.. Lasby
acted as a sort of ''suggester." He told of
the trouble that had come upon him and
his colleagues. The meeting had been called
TO consider a critical condition, he said. He
and his committee had attained flattering
success in the arrangements for the con-
-.--@sN. A,t - a. - ---.--. 49,. -
been told they could not use the Statehouse
grounds. The Statehouse grounds, he de-
clared. were essential to the convention. and
without them the pledges made could not be
fulfilled. The city was bound by every law
Of honor TO fulfill the pledges 1t had made
to the Epworth League. and If it could not
avert the impending. lamentable loss of a
downtown site for the convention tent, the
convention must be warned away from In
.dianapolis. The decision must be made
within forty-eight hours.
LAY 1T ON THE GOVERNOR
Mr.. Lasby called on Mr.. Van Arsdel and
Mr.. Van Arsdel went over the tent trouble.
The Governor claimed. he said, that Custo-
dian Vest was ~pre-eminent in authority over
the Statehouse and the grounds; that the
law made him pre-eminent. 1t was the first
instance he had heard of. he said. where the
creature was greater than it's creator. He
alleged that no member of the executive
committee of the Epworth League conven-
ton. including Mr.. Lasby. the chairman.
had the least doubt that 1T was the Gov
ernor and not the custodian" Why the
Governor was so set against the convention
Mr.. Van Arsdel did not reveal. He was not
the only member of the committee who
could not fathom the great mystery alleged
to hang about the tent question. When Mr..
Van Arsdel had finished, Mr.. Lasby called
on Mr.. Palmer. the secretary of the COM
mittee. to tell how efficient the committee
had been. Mr.. Palmer declared the style in
which the committee had arranged for the
t tea Sad moS was In magnnoigin1 he a ! oI bnown
that ever existed in Indianapolis. Mr..
Lasby then called on Mr.. Layton, OF the
convention had been advertised FAR and
wide.
way in which they were working up the
convention plans. Mr.. Lasby arose TO re.
view the situation again. Tn reports or
had been faithful to their trust. Those who
had stood by him in the work were certain
~ efficient, he declared; las; ae t wo,hd went So f or
Indianapolis. He had said that 1T would
probably leave $4,000 in the city. In his
talk Yesterday he raised II L dlL a III
dollars that the Epworthians would drop
into the lap of Indianapolis. But he would
be compelled TO have the convention held
elsewhere If suitable tent arrangement
were not made. When he had done talking,
Chairman Lazarus called on Mayor Tag
CART.
Commercial Clubs committee had been lis
tening closely. ii seemed, to all that the
EpwSrthiaHs had %a said i IN th nnIe,, Si1 Ter. i
understood that the Statehouse grounds can
Mr.. Lasby hurriedly broke in: WELL. we
don't know what the courts would do. We
do not grant that we are beaten
THE MAYOR TALKS QUIETLY.
The mayor explained that he asked
whether the state officials persisted in their
determination not to let the tent be pitched
on the Statehouse grounds. IL that were
true. he continued, he saw no use in making
further attempts TO secure the Statehouse
grounds. The state officers, he had no
doubt, had conferred on the question and
for reasons that seemed best to themselves,
had decided not to allow the grounds to be
used. He advised against troubling the
state officers further about the matter, but
to look for another site. He suggested the
courthouse yard. Mr.. Van Arsdel said he
mind If proper pressure were brought to
bear. This was the sense OF the Epworth
committee. The members thought If the
Commercial Club and the Board of Trade
would demand from the Governor the use of
the grounds. he would give In. MI. Van
Arsdel thought the newspapers had patted
Custodian Vest on the back until his head
was swelled and that If the Governor could
be brought around he would give the
'necessary orders to the custodian, NJ
Lasby and his committee had been made to
look like vandals, he said. He. laid all
blame on the Governor and said he sup
posed Mr.. Vest was under orders. Some one
asked him what was the real objection to
using the Statehouse grounds. Then Mr..
that could not be penetrated. ne said. There
were some, he said. to whom stepping on
the grass was dissertation. There was some
power behind the opposition, but no one
was able 10 discover what the power was
or TO explain the opposition. Somewhere.
somehow, there was something Interior. The
day before Mr.. Lasby had averred il TO be
his belief that the breweries and the base
ball element were behind the opposition. He
did not advance this belief at the meeting
yesterday. Chairman Lazarus named the
committee to handle the matter. II consists
OF Messrs. Taggart, Van Arsdel, Coffin,
Malott and Woollen. Everything seemed 10
have been settled, but there was yet more to
come.
Albert NJ. Gloss Bremen. who was a men,
brought from another room a picture of the
Statehouse grounds during the G. A. X con-
vention. He held IL up so all could see that
the model of the Kearsarge was on the
grass. Then he proceeded 10 speak. He said he
had always thought the legislature su-
duced the resolution providing that the Ep-
worth League convention might use the
Statehouse grounds Finally he became
warmer and shook his fists in the air, urg-