The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-08-23
AN ORATORS ARGUMENT
THE DEMOCRACY SHOWN UP IN t
TRUE LIGHT.
Speech by Charles A. Bookwalter Be-
fore the Marion County Leg
~is1atiye Convention.

tle hdrlOH county LEGISLATIVE COhNeieiOh,
yesterday afternoon:
1.-THE Democratic county convention held
some weeks ago in Tomlinson Hall was a
most characteristic gathering OF the local
Demo-Populistic party. The turbulent spirit
OF the delegates most httingly found voice
In the remarkable address OF the presiding
officer. Never before in the same space
of time and in such few words were
crowded so many false and inaccurate
The first sentence of the chair
mans speech, in which he said the local
Republican party had been in power for
eight years. lacked just three years and
three months of being correct. Every other
proposition was characterized by the same
reckless use of the truth. After many
charges of acknowledgement on the part OF
the Republican commissioners, all being
made In most general terms without the
presentationNof a single figure to prove any
one OF them, he asked: Can they point TO
a single act which has reduced county In
debtedness?' This question the Republic
an party stands ready to answer by pre-
senting the record of the Board OF County
commissioner since December. 1895, when
the management of county affairs for the
first time in ten years passed into the
hands of a board of commissioner having
a Republican majority.
After ten years of Democratic misman-
agement the Republican Board of Com
missioners III the county treasury prac-
tically empty and a floating debt accumu
lated during Democratic control of over
$500. 600, in addition TO which 500, 600, In
round numbers, which had been raised by
SptCidl levy lOT the puIpOSS VI paying
bonds issued for the construction of the
county Jail had been used in violation of
law in payment of general expenses of the
county. How familiar, my friends. sounds
this story of the use of special funds to
pay current expenses. How like the mis-
management and extravaganza of the pres
ent city administration.
I'm the ten years from December, 1885,
to December, 1895, all under Democratic
boards of commissioners, not one dollar
was spent for permanent improvements
without a hnn6 iCCtrn ~ rho QnOun1nlQfi nn
of a floating debt. True, the county Jail
was built. but bonds were issued to pay
for it: true, bridges We're constructed, but
a floating debt of $307, 600 was not only ac-
cumulated but, as | have stated, in addi-
ton they collected from a special tax
levied to pay the jail bonds over 100000
poses. This is the record, my friends.
which the presiding officer found 1t con-
venient to overlook or forget. Much, in
deed, did he say in fiattery of the Demo-
cratic state and national tickets, but not
one word did he dare say in defense of the
record of his party in county or city af-
presided was presumed to deal only with
such questions.
REPUBLICAN PARTY'S RECORD.
my friends, what can be said for the Re-
publican party? How have we discharged
the duties intrusted to US by the people of
Marion county? Have we proven faithful
or recreant to that trust? Examination Of
the records of the county shows that since
Jan. /. 1896, there has been expended for the
construction of steel and stone bridges-all
items of permanent Representations
by the way, which Democratic county and
city administration alike have a weakness
for building through bond issues-the sum
of S239. 200. There mas been expended for
wooden bridges and culverts-all perma-
nent improvements-the sum Of SIS, 400, max
ing a grand total, during the first four
years and six months OF Republican con-
troll, for bridges alone, of $26S, 400.
But what else has been done? We find
that there has been expended during the
same period for additional permanent i'm
provements the following:
Rebuilding County Asylum .......... $1,000
New system of plumbing at work
mouse 1890. .......- .........-....... 9,5UO
New copper roof on courthouse...... $500
Cutting down courthouse yard and
renting basement .......-.......... 24.5oo
Building Marion county cottage at
Lafayette Soldiers Home ........ 1000
Purchase of ground and building and
furnishing home for Board of Chill
dren's Guardians, at Irvington...... $4,000
Remodeling county treasurer's Of
flee rendered necessary by in
creased work of city Department.. $1,000
Purchase of farm, building and fur
nishing Home for Incurable Insane
at Juiietta 127, 900
New heating, lighting and water
plant at courthouse, lnCluQlnS new
powerhouse and tunnel .............. 42,9S7
Boilers, engines, steam fitting and
electric lighting (both Jail and
c~ourthouse) ........ ........ .......... 71,sS7
Plumbing, drainage and water sup
ply ........... .......... ........~-. 1888
New metallic book and file cases in
courthouse -. ...... ............... $500
Total $500. $500. 1855, O57
"A grand total, my friends, of S623, ASH
SnRnf for nQTmanRnt nnrOVRmantS from
county revenue without the creation of a
single dollar of either bonded or floating
debt. How about the bonded debt of the
county? The chairman of the Democratic
convention says we have not paid a dollar
thereon. This is but another of his reck-
less statements. Within the past four years
the Republican commissioners have not
only made the permanent improvements
mentioned, but have also paid, from cur
rent revenues. Jail bonds issued by a DEM
ocratic board TO the amount of $4,000,
nearly $780, 900 of which sum had previously
been collected by Democratic officials and
used for current expenses; they nave not
only paid $1,000 OF the floating debt of
$500. 0O0 left as a legacy of Democratic mis-
management; they have not only paid the
first ipstallment of $4,000 on the bonds
they were compelled to issue to refund the
Democratic floating debt, a r~efunding
which saved to the county treasury nearly
Sc, coo per year in interest charges alone;
they have not only built the new tunnel
and power plan, which seems SO much to
worry our Democratic friends, an i'm
provement which will save TO the taxpayers
of Marion ounty thousands of dollars an
nually in water and light bills and de-
creased cost of maintenance, but they
entered the present fiscal year with an
available cash balance In the county treas
ury of more than 100000, with not one dol
lar of matured county obligations remain
ing unpaid. All of these things lave been
done, my fe~llow-taxpayerS, not by bond
issues, not by anticipating taxes, not by
the creation OF a floating debt, not by tenn
porary loans, but by faithful, frugal.
economical, business-like management of
county affairs-all done without the in
crease of the tax levy to the exent of one
cent.
Twill our Democratic friends say that all
these improvements were I'M
necessary? Dare they denounce us for
| providing a haven Of refuge for the home
less children of the county? Dare they de-
nounce US for providing a safe retreat for
those piriful and helpless wards of the
county, the light of whose reason has been
extinguished? Dare they denounce the con-
struction of q cottage at the State Sol
diers' Home-a place where the gallant boy
in blue, who gave the best years of his
life-yea, who shed his blood-that you
and your children might enjoy the bless
ings of a united country, that old glory
might float in beauteous splendor over a
land of free men, where the old soldier
can spend the last days OF his honorable
career in a home Of his own, provided by
a grateful people. with the woman who
prayed for him while he marched and
| fought on Dixie's soil? Dare they ~criticise
the making OF all those Improvements de-
manded by this prosperous and growing
| community? The Republican party stands
by its record, confident or the verdict OF
the people.
GAS METER QUESTION.