The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-02-27

To the Editor Of the Indianapolis Journal:
Permit me to enter a protest in the name
of vested rights and a respectful regard Tor
the personal pride a citizen may have Tor
his reputation as an Individual and for the
firm Of whose business he may have the
management. Then, too, an individual may
have a family very dear to him, and friends
likewise true and confiding. So, also, the
members OF the firm attacked may nave
friends, and so the circle widens. L refer 10
the liberty of expression through the public
press, INDUCED in by some public men, some
newspapers and some newspaper CORE
spondents recently touching the supJect OIL
county and township reform.
The first to open the way was the chalr-
man Of the state committee of the Repub-
lican party in his interview published in the
Indianapolis News of Nov. II, wherein he
SAYS: THE bridge fends are the worst men
we have to contend with" Now, there are
some very good men, and some very en-
tbusiastic and helpful Republicans en-
gagged in the bridge business in Indiana;
some of these men are large taxpayers ana
their firms employ large numbers OF men,
There NAV be some bad men among them,
as there, perhaps, are among the protes-
sionaI politicians and the legal fraternity
but the sweeping statement OF the CHAIRMAN
leaves no room to doubt that they are an
"hends." A hend is a mallgnanI dnq rn ula
of the Republican central committee Is sucn
a being? He is a director In a prloge COM
pany. - 4ho nth and
saws: ct is learned that the bridge bullulng
companies which have been getting so many
contracts in this State during the Iast rev
wears are fighting the reform bills. Iney are
all tarred with the same suck. IL lne
Journal is correct In its assertion II pues .mo
Ls..o - fha pnT1Ihl1pQn central COM
mittee in a very bad light. But j incline 10
the opinion that both the chairman ana the
JqM1rgRRffi we WeiG have Rnssel M. Seeds core
spondent, direct from the Capitol, OF Sundry
county papers and says, peaklng o. ID1
fate of one of the reform bills, In the
beginning, before he was elected speaker,
Mr.. Littleton promised Chairman aern6y
mendations. but after he was elected it was
found that the composition of the committee
on county and township business mad Deen
dictated largely by the Indiana and Iatay-
cite Bridge companies, of Muncie and La
fayette." Now, l do not want TO say unkind
things of Mr.. Seeds, but as he has used the
public prints to maltgn the character OF the
firm for which / am the general manager,
and put it in a bad light before its friends IN
Indiana, L may be excused for saying Just
as publicly that, so far as the Indiana Bridge
Company is concerned, there is not a word
Of truth in his statement. 1t is manufac-
tured out Of just such stuff as spooks are
made. No stakeholder or director of the
Indiana Bridge Company, other than the
| writer anu the SECRETARY hIOWS NACN6H
about the business of the company to pre-
sumo to speak for it upon any subject, and
the two above named have never discussed
committees at all, and measures only incl
dentalIy. The writer does not know the
speaker Of the House, and is acquainted
with but one member of the ommitte ana
he is perfectly willing that that member
may repeat verbatim every word the writer
has said to him on the subject of any Dill.
The writer does not know personally any IN
dividual member of the Senate committee
having in charge reform bills, and has only
| spoken once to the chairman on the subject,
and then in the presence of four other gem
tlemen, any one of whom Is at liberty TO
repeat the conversation. The Indiana Bridge
| Company has neither directly nor indirectly
used its influence in behalf of any person Tor
nor indirectly used its influence to alter or
change the mind of any legislator t0uchlng
the county and township reform bills now
before the Legislature. / do not speak for
other bridge manufacturing concerns, be-
cause l have no right to do so; but II Is my
belief there is no effort being made IN the
above direction by any bridge company or
its agents. 1t has taken twelve years OF
hard work and much outlay OF money TO
| establish the Indiana Bridge Company s
manufacturing plant at Muncie. 1t has a
reputation of which its owners are very
proud, and the citizens of Muncie are like
wise proud Of 1t. Therefore, it seems TO me
individual or newspaper TO cast reflection on
the good name of this company or its em-
plOyes. without being reasonably sure that
they are correct.
1 quite agree with the Journals recent
editorial in its own defense, that calling
anybody vile names, or argument by
! epithets" or lying about indianapolis pa