The daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1904-1905, 1904-03-30
POLITICAL GOSSIP
The Situation In the Eleventh Dls-
trict Attracts Attention.

/ III 0AIlCu OtdlGS oG0dIOT III case a
successor is to be chosen to Charles
w. Fairbanks? This question just
now is receiving a great deal of at
/ tention from politicians In the minds
OF most local followers of the political
| game there is little doubt that Senator
FairbHnks will be the nominee for
vlce-Dresident. This being the case
they are anxious to size up the can
didates for his seat in the senate. AL
ready many names have been mention
ed and while Maj. Steele has never
| been pushed prominently to the front
as possibility in the past considera-
tion of candidates it is felt in many
quarters that he will be a power to be
reckoned with If new senator is to
be chosen. The fact that he has just
met with defeat in his own district
would seem perhaps to put him out
of the running, but it is believed that
the case is otherwise. Some shrewd
politicians here believe the long con-
ference between Steele and Fred Ian
dis at Logansport Monday night was
in regard to this very subject. That
an agreement whereby the Eleventh
district is to be lined up solidly for
Steele was the result of the meeting
is generally believed. If this plan is
carried out it will also mean the
burying of the Ratchet by other politi-
clans and that Lands and Steele will
work to capture the gubernatorial
nomination for Warren Sayre of Wa
bash. This would bring all former
factions into a combine to secure Lam
dis continuance in congress, Steele
for the senate and Sayre for governor.
The cause of civic Improvement
in this city has just been given a big
boost by the declaration of Vice-Pres-
ident Davis of the water company that
in the repairing of the canal bed which
was drained through the breaking of
the aqueduct few days ago the COM
pany proposes to take into consdera-
ton the question of making the canal
region a thing of beauty as well as of
service. The company will dredge the
bed deeper and wider and the dykes
will be widened. These dykes will
then be beautified by turning them
into glass plots ornamented with flow
er beds and dotted with trees. In the
past the canal region has for the most
part been anything but beautiful. 1t
ran through d poor part OIL the CITY
where small cabins of negroes were
located to a great extent and where
filth and squalor prevailed. Since the
company Will be compelled to make
a considerable outlay on repairs it
will go further and spend several
thousand dollars to make it beautiful
at the same time. With the incentive
given by the action of the water COM
pany the civic improvement associa-
ton is hopeful of securing the cooper
alton of many other citizens. AS
many people will be forced to make
extensive repairs to efface the marks
of the flood they will be asked to take
additional steps at the time such work
is being done to add to the beauty of
their homes.
A situation that promises to bring
on a warm legal struggle has develop
ed in this city as result of the recent
flood and as there are issues involved
that are of interest to every city in
the state where there has been any
street paving done a good many peO-
pie will eagerly watch the outcome.
The pavements here have all been
laid with a guarantee by the compa-
MES to keep them in repair for speci-
fed terms which usually range from
five to ten years. In the flood of the
Washington street district last Fri
day blocks and blocks of wooden pave
ments were washed out by the waters.
The city has notified the contractors
who put down the streets that they
will be required to repair the damage
as the guarantees have not expired.
The companies will resist making the
repairs and a legal fight is likely to be
the outcome. The companies will con-
tend that their guarantee is not meant
to cover anything like general wash
out of the pavements owing to a flood
and will fight the effort to make them
do the work. In some cases the re-
pairs to single street would probably
cost $4,000 so that enough is in
volved to make the fight mean some
thing.
In the report on the conditions OF
state banks which has just been COM
pleted by Deputy State Auditor d. J.
Mendenhall are to be found some in
teresting statistics. In the last year
twenty-seven new state banks have
been started bringing the total up to
148. There has been notable in
crease as well in the, capitalization and
in the amount of deposits carried The
capitalization is now nearly million
dollars greater than in March year
ago. At that time the figures showed
5000. 700 while this year it is $6,009,-
$50. The increase in deposits which
go to show the condition of the people
to great extent has been even great
l,o tc nm nj tn &o2.