The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-02-18
POLICE PENSION BILL.
Mr.. Swift Gives Reasons Why 1t
Should BE Vetoed by the Governor.
To the Governor Of she state of Indiana:

To the Governor Of the State of Indiana:
Sir-As a taxpayer and a citizen of Indian
apolis 1 protest against Senate bill No. 2S,
| providing for pensions for the police of this
city, and for the following reasons respect
fully urge you to veto the same:
First-The bill provides for the accumu-
lation of a pension fund largely by taxa
ton. The firemen of this city have a law,
passed in 1885, similar to this, and under II
the amount in their pension fund Jan. /,
1898, was $29 4.79, while on Jan /, 1899, the
amount had increased to $3S,049. %. During
1898 taxation contributed $ll, 49l20 TO the
fund, while the firemen from their wages
contributed only $l,302. 46. No limit is placed
either by that law or by this Dill upon the
amount Of the fund which may be accumu-
lated. At the present rate the hremen or
this city in a few years Will be one OF the
most favored classes The provisions OF the
present bill are even more favorable for the
accumulation of a fund. The United states
is the most liberal payer of pensions In the
world, yet no fund is accumulated. Inc
federal government does not accumulate
pension fund, but pays it's pensioners upon
annual estimates and appropriations. 10
paw $3.50 00O 900 of federal pensions annually
from interest would require fund or TWO
billions and a half at per cent. IL is
patent that such a fund would be a menace
to good government and to the morals OF
the people In the same proportion a pen
sion fund such as this bill PROVIDES TOT
would become in time a prize TO be 1ought
for, and would encourage an eXtraYagant
and demoraliZing system of pensionlng:
There is no more reason for pension tuno
than there is for a street-sweeping tund or
a fund for any other public expense. Inc
safeguard of annual estimate and appro-
priation ought not to be broken down
Second-The bill provides for a perpetual
tax upon the property of the city. 1t would
start with taking about $4,000 annually
from the city, the amount increasing Win
the increase of the assessed Valuation. me me
leave this city in control TO levy us own
tax. but it levies the tax and makes II per-
petual Judging from the rapid increase &c, OF
the firemen's pension fund, the 1uno pro-
Vided for by this bill will in comparatively
short time amount to hundreds OF thousands
of dollars, nearly all by taxation, with no
limit set to further accumulation. This per-
petual drain is wholly unnecessary rms Is
taxation in it's most vicious and tyranmcal
form We are now attempting TO secure d
reform in county and township government
and vet this bill embodies the worst primer
pies of that government Pensions are en-
titled to no special exemption from Soo{1
business methods. The same rule Whlch
justifies an annual submission OF eStlmaIes
for the pay of policemen irreslstlbly de-
mands a submission of estimates for their
Third@The bill provides that when any
policeman dies $50 shall 9e P i5a fer nai aid
ia his wife SIS to each of his children, ana
from 500 to $50 to each dependent parent
This provision is simply q reckless dlsre-
gard OF the peoples interest. The man may
not have been in the service or the clty d
month. He may have been Killed III a RAJ,
have been drowned while fishing; he may
have died of disease contracted peIore ne
entered the service: his death may have
been due to one of hundred causes in no
way connected with his service In such case
there is clearly no duty to Penfl9In t on c iS
might be compelled to pay whole nest OIL
Fonrth-Rv this bill 4the board is compelled
to grant pensions upon the examination or
the police surgeon. The surgeons posltlon
has always been treated as political place
and the appointment is usually an act or
favoritism upon the part of the mayor. The
possibilities here for collision by which the
pension list will be padded are eminently
great, and this would be no more than Inc
Usual pull which operates in politics.
Fffth-Tf raising a fund is to be tolerated
the burden is not equitabiy dlvlded DetWeeIl
the taxpayer and the policeman, The en-
ployes of this city are enormously ana re-
peatedly assessed for partisan purposes
are therefore practically blackmailed In the
best service everywhere employees are now
protected by law against this, and If this
bill affords such protection the amount
which policemen should pay into the pension
fund could be heavily increased. The tax
payers are entitled to the benefit of this.
which can be paid to civil servant. With
this the question of the future is with him
at rest But the pension is public burden
which must forever be carried. Before the
public is called upon to carry this burden
it should have the assurance that 1t is not
to be called upon to pension the week.-mrs.
either lightweight or heavyweight and
who We're weaklings when taken into the
service 1t should have the assurance that
the door IS not wide. open Tor the entrance
into its service of those broken physically
or those with lesser intelligence. 1t ought
to have the assurance that 1t IS to nave IN
its employ the best obtainable, both phys
icaliy and mentally, to the end that intelli-
gent and enduring service may render the
best compensation for what the city pays
This bill provides no such protection to the
taXpayer, nor is such protection afforded by
any law. Appointments to, tho police force
in this city are made solely by taVorltlsm
and usually by the will of the mayor. When
the present city administration came in it
turned out twenty-nine policemen and filled
their places. OF the new appointees an in
vestgation made and published at the time
Among the new appointees was one who
under a charge Of levying blackmail on
fallen women; another who had been re
fused an appointment formerly on the
game and who had been arrested for as
sault and battery; another who had been
arrested for assault and battery; another
who was known as a drunkard; another
who, while on the police force, had been
charged with borrowing money from a
keeper of a house Of ill-fame, and who had
afterwards been dismissed from the police
force for INSTRUMENTATION and for leaving
his post when on duty; another who had
been dismissed for sleeping while on duty;
another who is ruptured and is physically
unit to be a patroman, and others still, the
reason for whose appointment can only be
for the election of Mayor Taggart."
This rlotous system of appointments
brought its Inevitable result. In 1896 out of
1856 policemen IS were charged with drunk
enness or similar delinquency, and As We're
convicted and punished. In 1897 out of 1853
Al were accused and 81 were convicted and
punished
When this has been urged before the an
swer has been made that such statements
men are drunkards, and this answer winds
up with denunciation, while the record of
puntshments of 1898 is pointed out as snow
ing a great decrease in punishment and
therefore corresponding perfection is proved.
This diVerts the attention, but it does not
meet the objection raised which is that
when this administration went in the serv-
ice was riotOusly treated as is shown above,
and that the same thing may be repeated
any day. Among our policemen are a large
number Of faithful and efficient men, but
the twenty-nine above mentioned and their
places filled as were the twenty-nine Vacan-
cles. A pension system under such circum-
stances is but adding spoil to spoil. If we
are to pay pensions entrance to the service
cannot be too rigidly guarded.
/ have been able TO obtain no answer TO
any of the foregoing objections except that
this bill is drawn like pension laws of other
cities Then, so much the worse for the
other cities That plea would Justify all
other States IN accepting our pauper-breed-
ship system. You will be called upon by
swarm Of advocates OF this bill and hope
that they viii be required 10 answer speciti-
caly the foregoing objections. ask this
because / do not believe that they can be