The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-11-22
SCHOOL TAX LEVY.
A Bill Cow I'm the Hands Of Represent
alive Joseph II. Morgan.

A bill has been drafted and copies sent
10 the members OF the Marion county dele
cation in the State Legislature, providing
for the additional tax levy for school pur-
poses desired by the Indianapolis School
Board. Representative Joseph r. Morgan
will father the measure and introduce 1t
In the House early in the session.
This bill, which has the approval Of the
School Board. contains two features of i'm
portance. The first is the provision for
addition to the tax levy OF 10 cents on
the 500. cents being allotted to the fund
for buildings. grounds and repairs and
cents 10 the special fund. The special
fund is available for all school purposes.
including the cost Of new buildings, pro-
vided there is money in IL to use. The
second feature is the one providing for "a
rotation OF the names of candidates for
school commissioners upon the ballot. so
that the name Of each candidate shall APP
pear at the head OF the column as often
as that OF any other. This does away with
the undue advantage hitherto enjoyed by
those candidates whose names were near
element OF chance from the election. The
whole additional cost of rotating the names
and thus securing absolute fairness as
between candidates Is estimated at less
than $40 for the entire election.
There are other minor provisions. name
~. the requiring OF 900 signatures of house
holders TO nominate, instead Of 200, the
requiring of the School Board to pay the
cost OF printing ballots, the city to bear
the rest of the cost of election and the
requiring OF nominations to be filed forty
days before the election, instead of thirty
days, as heretofore. In other respects the
old law remains unchanged.
THE REASON EXPLAINED.
Vice President Sweeney, of the School
Board. has explained the uses to which
the board will put the additional funds de-
rived through the increased levy, stating
that more buildings will be erected, more
room provided at the Manual Training
High School. the condition of inadequate
and poorly lighted and poorly ventilated
rooms at the Shortridge building relieved,
the manual training course extended
through the grades, the salaries of a GER
tain class of teachers raised and the
teachers better equipped with textbooks,
supplies, etc.
In addition TO this bill the Marion county
delegation will ask for the changes in the
charter OF Indianapolis that have been
discussed In the press of the city: will pre-
sent bill legalizing the Juvenile court and
Will advocate a measure providing for the
establishment of a control board from the
various medical schools of the city that
will receive and distribute bodies for dis
section among the colleges according to
their needs.
The Iast-named measure is largely an
outgrowth OF the recent scandal connected
with the grave-robbing exposure and IL is
asked by the medical fraternity as a means
OF doing away with the work of ghouls.
The bodies TO be handled by the board or
commission will be only such as are re-
ceived in a legitimate manner from the
hospitals and various institutions
II has been rumOred, with more or less
persistence, for the past several DAYS that
the Marion county delegation, or part of II
would go before the LEGISLATURE with an
other propOsition-one that would doubtless
raise considerable stir, namely, a bill ex-
tending the term of the mayor Of Indian
apolis from two to four years. 1t is difh-
cult to trace this rumOr to it's source al
though three of the representatives or SEN
ators from this county said yesterday that
they had heard OF the proposition i'm an in
definite way. They said that they knew
nothing about such movement beyond the
report that had reached them and that
tney had not been consulted in regard to
the advIsability of such a step.
KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT 1T.
Mayor Bookwalter said last night that he
knew nothing of such movement and that
he did not believe there was anything in
the rumor.
Il think that report is merely an echo of
the story that was circulated two years
ago as TO what the Democrats would do in
case they carried the Legislature that year.
1t was reported then that in event the
Legislature was Democratic an effort