The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-01-12

mept proves a success, after the money in
vested. with only moderate rate OF In
terest, Is returned to the donors. the plant,
with all Its belongings. shall go to the city
free OF cost That is why we cannot sell TO
the city. We have nothing to sell; all that
is valuable belongs already to the city. and
that suggestion was the cheapest bit OF
demagogy of this expiring century, and the
man who made it ought to go head With
out question.
By the way, come to think of it. this whole
thing may be illustrated by the meeting
house business in more ways than one.
sixty Dad years ago. when kev. Lewis
Hurlburt, afterwards the father-in-law or
Governor Cumback, was on the Columbus
circuit, one of the preaching places was
a log schoolhouse in the "Hawpatch.
The class leader owned a large farm and
yet lived in the cabin he began house
keeping in, fifteen years or more before.
The members wanted to build meeting
house. but the class leader would not give
a cent. The schoolhouse was good enough
for him. But Mr.. Hurlburt encouraged the
other members, and during the summer
of 1886 the house was built without any
aid from the wealthy class leader, who
was in debt for another farm that he
might raise more corn to fatten more hogs
to get more money to buy more land thav
he might raise more corn to fatten more
hogs to get more money to buy more land
with. But the class leader easily took his
seat in the same corner every time and
readily awaited himself of the better ac-
commodations his poorer neighbors had
provided He was a great singer In MS
way, often doing also the shouting for
the whole class. One of his favorite songs
was I'm Glad, Salvations Free, on
which at times he became powerful one
day Mr.. Hurlburt INTERCEPTED side re-
mark that others enjoyed more than the
leaaer did, for it was made with emphasis.
"les," cried the preacher, just as the
leader was greatly enjoying himself In the
thought of free salvation. "Yes, 1t costs
and
that" for the aIways-in-debt man never
paid arrearages. If he happened to be pres
ent when quarterage was paid he was good
for a quarter, but if not present he never
sent his contribution.
/ have noticed that the most clamor-
Gus patrons of the trust are men OF
large holdings who would not venture a
dollar in the costly experiment, though a
hundredfold more abe than many who
ventured largely in proportion to their abili-
ty. They not only oppose meters, but they
want to tax the original contributors to
make them furnish gas to waste. Finding
the can not do this, their next scheme
is to get the city to own the plant; then
the taxing will come of itsei-. 1t would be
the easiest thing in the world TO levy tax
to put in new mains and new pumps and
to squeeze the exhausted Trenten rock
until Ii would yield gas at ordinary rates
or less. This is the milk in that innocent
cocoanut. / am sure the city will never
own the trusts plant, for the conditions on
which 1t is to fall into the citys hands are
now almost sure never to happen, and the
association do not say the corporation,
for it is in no proper sense a corporation,
has nothing to sell. 1 do not believe they
can tax us individually to make us do the
impossible; and the c.,y can not get the
plant by a quasi purdure. OF course, no
meter system is possible at present, but
something will be done some day to util-
ize economically what little gas is left;
Indianapolis Jan IL