Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1920-11-17
CRUMBLING OF
JEWETT POWER
MADE EVIDENT
Department Heads and En-
plOyes Becoming indie
pendent in Views.
MAYORS DREAMS FADE2

E becoming SO SflueuI 81 the HhAl bHdi
4 members Of the official family even are
beginning to wonder whether the chief
executive has given up all political am
4 billions for the future With department
heads and various employees, important
and unimportant, drifting one by one
4 from urder the discipline of the CHIEF
executive, so that they are becoming in
u creasingly independent IN their views and
official actions, those who still adhere
n closely to the mayor question whether
4 the governmental organization can be
welded together again in time to accom-
d plish the tremendous program which
must be com 1leted pext year II pre-
election promises are to be carried out
Those who are earnestly eIdeavoring to
N hold the refractory forces in line are
somewhat exasperated 1T the continued
lack OF leadership on the part Of the
mayor, asserting that beyond talking for
publication they don't see how he ever
Il expects to accomplish anything II be
3 doesn't get back on the fob"
A MAYOR SAID.
LETS GET BUSY"
The mayor, however, stated f few days
4 after the election that eve must get busy
\ now and get something DONE and this is
. being repeated by those who really wish
s to see The administration complete the
track elevation project. build the munich
pal yards and the nurses home. eOT1plete
4 the street resurfacing program and do
e other things which have long been prom
a ised. 80 an Indication that things may
be expected to happen before lcng. In
y ss{.- OF this, however. the spec. , Of u
A disrupted organization stalks thf'd;l tu1
dreams Of these vel. wishers OF The ad-
minis ration.
To make clear the extent Of the lack
Of cooperation In the city hall, 1t is
s necessary TO picture the excellent control
of every department excepting the city
council. which the mayor held during
+ the FIST year Of his term
It was the custom IN those early days
10 hold meetings Of ell the department
heads and sometimes OF their assistants
IN the mayors chambers. These meetings
were called cabinet sessions" Policies
g If every department were gone over by
the whole assemblage and plans for the
3 future mapped out, sometimes IN minute
detail. The mayor frequently attended
s meetings Of the board OF works and board
Of safety and sometimes OF other boards
4 Always he had his hand on the helm and
q things went as he and his intimate coun-
sellers decreed, excepting when they
3 bumped into the city council. The mayor
a has never had the cooperation Of the ma
& jority Of the council. Today he has lost
a even 'he ~nod wishes # part # the
minority which used to fight to the last
ditch for him.
MAYOR CONES
& INTO POWER.
Through the first and most Of the sec
ond years of the administration the
MAYOR. or the forces which work through
and behind the mayor. really ruled. II
was In the middle Of the second year.
1919, that the executives hold began to
clip. George Y. Coffin, chief Of police,
was removed practically by the board
az pubIic safety over the mayors siren
uous objections although the public was
told he had resigned.
The ice had been broken The mayor
q could not even keep his own chief OF po-
lice IN office against the wishes OF A. L.
Tagrsrt and Felix McWhirter, members
d the board Of safety. and others began
10 gather nerve to oppose the executive.
The rush was general with the forma-
ton Of the "anti" movement which gave
8 the Jewett- Lemcke wing Of the Repub-
s lican party the hght Of its life TO retain
control Of the Marion County organiza-
ton early this year before the primary
election.
About this time Mayor Jewett became
more interested in the breeding Of top
s. notch hogs at his Arlir gton Place Farms
northwest Of the city. and tbereupon
Samuel Ashby, corporation counsel. be-
came the real mayor of Indianapolis. Tine
d mayors hog-raising interests and Occa-
S sionally interest in the presidential cam
paign to the extent Of sounding the
Harding sentiment IN other States" car
s ried him far afield. so that day after day
he was either not at his Office in the City
q Hall at ali. or was there for only a very
q few minutes.
WHAT THE
q CITIZENS FOUND.
Persons on private, civic and political
! business came 10 the executive chambers
were told the mayor might be in after
while. waited long and unsuccessfully
and went away Disguised. Those who
had business which needed immediate
attention and knew something Of affairs
At the city hall went to the CORPORATION
s. counsel and sometimes got something
done, depending on how far that busy
official was covered up with his double
duties.
Meanwhile the mayor continued losing
e the slender hold be had on the city
council Dozens Of ordinances ordering
< the board Of public works to resurface
g important streets over the remonstranceS
81 OF property owners died In the council
The board Of works protested In vain
b The four members Of the council known
g as administration men before this time
s. namely Russell Wilson, Jacob p
= Brown, Sumner A Furniss, cOlored and
. Jesse E. Miller made an apathetic hght
for some Of the most important streets
q but finally gave up the battle alto
g gether.
q From this time on the four admins
tration cOuncilmen began TO waver II
9 their support OF the mayors pet meas
81 ures The detection Of Russell Wilson
a who had been regarded as the admins
q tration leader as opposed to Gustav q
y Schmidt, leader Of the ants, becsn,
z more ana more apparent. Mr.. Wilson
S and some Of the other '1oyalists" begar
II to vote with the ants on some meas
& ures, and Mr.. Wilson began openly q
= question some Of the administration or
dinances.
y AND THEN MR.. BROWN
Jumps OFF.
81 Jacob P. Brown hoped OF the Jewett
band wagon when the women OF tn,
s south side, confident in their possession
s Of the ballot, began to demand the es
adjustment Of the Fountain square mar
= ket in the Shelby street barns The ad
g ministration did not desire to vacate Ri,
s. Shelby street barns, and does not now
u because additional expenses would b,
+ added to the already heavy burdens o.
= the taxpayers, or so It was stated, bu
q Mr.. Brown was Just as vociferous IN hi
demands that the south side women ge
s what they wished as was Mr. Schmidt