The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1908-06-20
Voice. of the People

that I may answer the Hon. A. +.
Knots, or perhaps better known as
Harbor Knots.
In reply will say it was the Ham
| mond city council and myself who
was opposed. not to the Wolf Lake
harbor, but opposed to one of the most
vicious pieces of legislation that ever
was attempted in the state of Indiana
| by any man who pretended to repre-
sent the people of the north end of
Lake county.
1t is impossible for me at the pres
ent time to go into details on the bill
/ that Harbor Knots at the time intro
duced in the legislature, every citizen
or taxpayer who read the bill at the
time denounced it as a most vicious
piece of legislation, and denounced the
Trainer of the bill in terms which
would not be well to be read in print.
AS he said himself, he came home and
| called q mass meeting but could not
get a corporaPs guard together to up
hold him in his hellish scheme to rob
the taxpayers of the city of Ham
mond.
At this late day 1 cannot go into
details of the wording of the bill; the
bill will speak for itself. The Hon.
Richard Schaaf member of the council
! at that time, and the representative
| from the fourth ward, and backed up
by the people he represented, and by
myself and the balance of the council,
bitterly opposed him in his attempt to
impose on the people this high
piece of legislation, and thanks to that
council that they stepped in and put a
0top to what would haye been a bur
den to the present and the coming gem
Grafton.
The ffty-year franchise that Harbor
Knots betrayed the people of the city
of Hammond in giving to the Ham
mond, Whiting & East Chicago Elec-
trio Street railway would only be a
drop in the bucket compared to the
vicious piece of legislation he had at
tempted to get through. After months
of work with his so-called referendum
committee he pulled the wool over
their eyes between himself and a few
more slick schemers settled on the peo-
pie the fifty-year franchise which the
city of Hammond is reapinge the fruits
of today, and will continue to do so
|, until half Of this generation has passed
away.
In my estimation Harbor Knots has
at time done anything for the up
: building of Hammond, but on the other
hand has been ready at all times to
cast some reflection on the city and its
people.
$ In his communication he speaks of
= redeeming his election pledges the
ffty-year franchise is one of the
/ pledges he redeemed and If he had
not been stopped by the Hammond city
council and myself going before the
committee, God only knows what other
: pledges he would have redeemed in
t this vicious manner. Pick up his bill
and go carefully over it and watch the
taxing powers of the bill of property
3 within a certain zone for the construc-
) ton of a harbor with hope that the
D government might take it off HarboI
p Knots hands in the next generation
Harbor Knots says he came back te
Hammond from the halls of legisla-
ton. called a public meeting in the
: Holman opera house, where he tried
n to arouse the taxpayers of the city and
get them to indorse his plan, but the
a taxpayers were onto his little scheme
and did not respond in the spirit that
he thought they would, so he says that
the taxpayers of Hammond were Their
as lacking in public spirit as they seen
to be now.
I would like to ask the Hon Harbol
q Knots how long since he got public
: spirited. or what he has ever done in
/ a public way to benefit the city OF
Hammond on the other hand wha
public-spirited citizens have done fol
the upbuilding of Hammond has beer
done cheerfully. and thanks to then
q and not to Harbor Knots.
V If you will watch carefully the drift
of Harbor Knots he is always ready
at an opportune time to rush into pub
lie print and tell what he might have
done with big IT and a little you
all he might have done, all he could
have done, all he should have done
. and all he should not have done
would make a mighty big book anC
: might be handed down by him to hi!
; ancestors.
a If you will remember few months
V ago be doomed himself wonderful,
e as a candidate for governor, but h
seen the hand writing on the wall ant
e got out from under very quietly. II
a made a grandstand play once and h.
e won, and the taxpayers know the re
: suit of his grandstand play and h
Is will have to go away from home t
J. get recognition hereafter from thos
E. who foot the bills. It is not my wisl
Y or my desire, Mr.. Editor, to take VI
your valuable time rushing into prin
on something that is ancient history
r but when the honorable council an
myself was brought into question b.
- this blatherskite I thought it no NOR
= than proper that the public and tax
payers should know the facts in tn
= case.
Respectfully,
p REIIIEY