The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-02-27
THREE MEN STILL BALK
WISHES OF THOUSANDS
City, Badly in Need of Bridge Fa-
cilities, Not Relieved-Dem-
ocrats Spoil Plans.
FOR STEEL STRUCTURES
Hopes Expressed that September
Meeting VIII Have Different
Results-Mayor Talks.

I'm so disguised with these Democratic
county counciImen that I'm not feeling
very Democratic to-day"
This statement of city Controller J. p.
Dunn. made TO the Journal yesterday aft
ernOOn, probably expresses the sentiments,
not only of himself. but of every other
Democratic official in the City Hall.
With the Republican members believing
that the people of Indianapolis are back
of them I'm their stand for stone bridges,
and refusing TO compromise on that point,
and with the Democratic members refus-
ing TO back up the movement for stone
bridges. the County Council adjourned yes
terday morning without doing anything TO
relieve the city in its present need of bridge
facilities.
Councilman Johnson, leader of the Demo-
cratic minority. moved to reopen the bridge
question, and presented a resolution for
compromise appropriation of S550.0O0 in
place of the appropriation OF $4,000 sug-
gested by the Republicans Thursday, and
specifying at the same time that the bridges
should be OF steel, with the exception OF
the Emrichsville bridge, which should be
OF stone.
The estimate of the cost of the bridges.
in Councilman JOhnson's resolution, was as
follows; Morris-street. S125. 100; River-ave-
nue., s1150c0; Michigan-street. $4,000; EN-
richsville: s155.oO0: Delaware-street, over
Against this resolution, providing, as it
did, specifically for steel bridges. the Re
puolic@ns stood solidly, stating that they
believed that the people OF the city demand
more permanent structures than those of
steel construction, and that at the same
time. the Council had no right TO limit the
non 4ugtn a. III Of
bridges that should be constructed.
IN arguing this point the question Of the
duties Of the County Council was raised.
and the Republican members held, as on
the day previous, that the Councils only
right and duty Is 10 vote funds for the use
OF the. commissioners. and that the spe-
c1fc disposition Of those funds is left by
the law 10 the discretion and judgment OF
the commissioners.
SUBSTITUTE FAILS
After the failure of Councilman JohnsOn's
substitute resolution, Councilman Gardner
moved to make the appropriation originally
suggested, that OF $4,000, leaving the spe-
cific kind of bridges to the commissioners
TO decide. This proposition failed to car
~, with the three Democratic members
voting against il. Council then adjourned,
closing the special session and putting an
end TO all hope Of a solution of the bridge
problem before the regular meeting of the
County Council next September.
From the almost desperate situation by
which the city Is now confronted there
seems to be no escape. and city officials are
at complete loss to know what is best to
be done. The city cannot build the bridges,
and has no recourse except TO repair the old
structures for wagon traffic. There are
grave doubts in the minds of the engineer
whether several OF them can be repaired so
that vehicles can safely pass over them
without reconstructing their stone piers at
an expenditure OF the city's funds out OF
all proportion to the benefits that would
The River-avenue, Morris-street, Michi-
gan-street and Emrichsville bridges are all
closed except TO pedestrians. Repairs on
them have been delayed i'm part because the
city officials fear that the next high water,
which II seems altogether probable will
series of ice jams. will undo for a second
time the work OF repair. or perhaps de-
molish the bridges completely.
1t Is expected that at the regular Sep
TENDER meeting OF the Council the Repub-
lcsn members will pass their resolution
providing funds sufficient to build stone
bridges, but even with that the completion
of the bridges will be delayed until 1906 al
the earliest
MGREGOR TALKS.
County Commissioner McGregor COM
menting on the action of the Council yes
terday afternoon, said:
Il feel sorry for Mayor Hoffman. There
was no politics in this matter; II was abso-
iutely plain business proposition. And it's
a pretty serious proposition when three men
can defy the wishes Of 10000 people"
Asked for his opinion on the turn of af-
fairs, Mayor Holtzman said:
I'm sorry the Council didn't do some
thing on the bridge proposition. What more
IS there to say %
The mayer and City Engineer Jeup were
In consultation for a long time yesterday
afternoon on the whole question but seemed
at a loss to know what could be done They
expect the County Council to appropriate
funds for good bridges at the September
meeting, but must in the meantime solve
the problem of putting the bridges now I'm
use In NJ condition. If possible for vehicle
traffic. The cost of these repairs il was
suggested by the mayor, might be so great
as TO call for the issue of city bonds.
The ever-present American sense of hui
NOR has not failed TO find a ridiculous side
TO the state OF affairs continued by the ac-
ton OF the Democratic county councilmen,
and all kinds Of suggestions are being made
10 solve the problem.
I'm going TO organize a stock company .
said Deputy Auditor Fred Shepherd "and
construct rapid transit lines across the
river at the bridges Wen run big baskets
over on cables, like the baskets that carry
packages In the stores. where you pull a
string and shoot the basket up to a line and
then watch il go to the cashiers desk. Well
make the baskets big enough to carry thir-
ty-five or forty people. There aren't going
20 be any bridges for three or four years SO
think theren be good money in the