The Indianapolis journal., 1903-09-24

from 1891 to the time of his election the levy
ran from 60 10 73 cents on the 800 and six
years of that time the levy was only 90
cents. So that the taxpayers here have
been paying $l5 on every $l,000 of taxables,
more than under the highest levy of any
former administration since the charter
and during the two years the mayor has
been I'm office he has collected over 100000
more than any of his predecessors and yet
he has repeatedly pleaded a lack of funds
as an excuse for neglecting ordinary and
important city work.
RELIEF IN SIGHT.
"The mayor. however. says that there is
relief in sight for the overburdened tax
payers of this city and said in his speech
that he would reduce the tax levy from s4
cents TO ~ cents, or in other words. a re-
duction of cents on the 500. He has since
then recommended a levy of rs cents but
as a matter of fact the tax levy is not 81
cents, as represented by him, but IS cents,
and a reduction of cents as recommended
by the mayor would reduce it to 50 cents
instead of q cents and even then it would
be 9 cents higher on the 800 than in any
year prior &c his going into Office.
1T can be easily shown that the absolute
relief promised is no relief at all, because
the increased valuation of taxables on
which this levy will be made will still
bring into the treasury and take from the
pockets OF the people about $500 more than
was realized under the IS cent levy so that
in fact. while there is a reduction in the
levy, there is an increase in the taxes, con-
sequently an increased burden upon the
taxpayers.
He also claims that his has been a debt
paying administration, and says that he has
paid SS2, 100 out of the current revenues, but
he failed to say that $4,000 of the $50, 100
paid by him came to him from the special
sinking fund tax of cents, a special tax
created by law before he came into office
and which could not have been used by
him for any other purpose, so that out of
the current revenues available by him for
other purposes he paid in fact only So 100
on the citys Indebtedness and as against
that he has added to the permanent in
debtedness of the city by the issuing of
bonds about S300.000 as shown by the rec
ords of his office.
I'm fact. the payments on the bonded
Indebtedness were made because these
amounts had become due and had to be paid
or the city would default its obligations
there is no evidence whatever that this
has been debt-paying administration and
the records conclusively prove that it has
been a debt-creating administration.
He also claims that there was less than
$4,000 in cash on hand when he went into
office. and that he completed and paid for
out Of the current revenues of the city
the engine houses in Cerealinetown. on Eng
lish avenue and on Ashland avenue, which
he says had been left incomplete by his
predecessor, although the money had been
the same thus leaving the inference that
his predecessor had, in some manner. got
away with these funds.
THE CITY HOSPITAL
''He also says that the City Hospital re-
ceved an ornament in the shape of a mort
gage, and that the money derived from
such mortgage spent, but the addition
to the City Hospital was unfit for occu-
pancy and from the current revenues of
this administration. he SAYS, We have
paid for the completion of these institu-
tions.
IF this statement is true that the en-
gine houses and City Hospital were COM
pleted and paid for out of the current reve-
nues. then will he kindly explain to the
citizens of Indianapolis what became of the
S5o,3S2 In the fire department and City Hos
pltal funds which the public records of his
office show were on hand when he went
into office, in addition to the $4,000 men,
toned by him. This he failed to speak of
account for.
THE mayor also says that when he went
into office he found an indebtedness, on ac-
count OF temporary loans, to the amount
OF SlyoVvo. tie had pledged himself not TO
make any temporary loans to meet cur
rent expenses, aud far as 1 can learn,
this is the one and only pledge kept by
him, and he kept this pledge by making
rary loan ot $195,co0 out of the current reve-
nues, just as his predecessor had antici-
pated doing, and in December OF 1901, when
II became necessary TO make a loan to
meet current expenses until taxpaying
time in April following instead of making
a short time and then paying the same
from his increased current revenues, he is
sued what Were termed emergency bonds
in the sum OF Sl95,00, thus adding $l95. 900
TO the permanent Indebtedness of the city.
and thereby adding over $500 to the bur-
dens of the taxpayers in annual interest
charges.
"As stated before. the mayor has received
during his term 100000 in excess of the
amount received by any OF his predeces-
sors and the people have the right to know
what has been done with that money.
Here is his way OF accounting for some of
the money received by him. Let me quote
from his speech"
Mr. Holtzman quoted from the mayors
speech the references 10 Improvements un-
der way i'm the city. such as the terminal
sta ton. market house. boulevard system,
and answered this by saying that the ad-
mlnistration was entitled TO no credit for
these things.
THE mayor was pledged to track eleva-
tion," continued Mr.. Hotzman, land that
no franchises would be granted without
adequate compensation to the city We
find him violating both of these pledges
LOGANsPORT FRANCHISE
'The Losansport & Chicago railroad was
given franchise worth hundreds ef thou