Indianapolis Journal, Indianapolis, Marion County, 2 October 1897 — Page 4

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THE DAILY JOURNAL SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2, iSi'T. Vastaington Office— Uo3 Pennsylvania Avenue Telephone Calls. Business Office 238 i Editorial Rooms...A 86 TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION’. DAILY DY MAIL. „ Pally only, one month * -'0 Dally only, three months 2.oj> Daily only, one year..., Dally, including Sunday, one year 10. W Sunday only, one year 2.w WHEN FURNISHED BY AGENTS. Daily, per week, by carrier If c * B Sunday, single copy “ c ls * Dally and Sunday, per week, by carrier 20 cts WEEKLY. Per jear ILO9 Retinoeri Hates to Clubs. Subscribe with any of our numerous agents or send subscriptions to THE nUIANAPOUS JOURNAL, 1 ntllanupolls. Inti. Persons sending the Journal through the malls In the United States should put on an eight-page paper a ONE-t E.VI postage tamp; on a twelve or sixteen-page paper a TWO-CENI postage stamp. Foreign postage is usually double these rates. All communications intended for publication in this paper must, in order to receive attention, be accompanied by the name and address of the writer, if it is desired that rejected manuscripts be returned, postage must in ali cases be inclosed L or that purpose. THE INDIANAPOLIS JOURNAL Can be found at the following places: NEW YORK—Windsor Hotel and Astor House. CHICAGO—PaImer House and P. O. News Cos., 217 Dearborn street. CINCINNATI—J. K. Hawley & Cos., 154 \ ine street. LOUISVILLE— C. T. Deerlnc. northwest corner of Third and Jefferson streets, and Louisville Book Cos., 2)6 Fourth avenue. ST LOUIS —Union News Company, Union Depot. WASHINGTON. D. cT—Riggs House, Ebbitt House, Willard's Hotel and the Washington News Exchange, Fourteenth street, between I’enn. avenue and V street. Last year we paid $85,900,€00 for sugar, but European farmers produce* half the sugar of commerce from land not so good tts two-thirds that of the United States. If there is an out-and-out Democratic partisan in Indiana Mayor Taggart is one. so do not be fooled with the impression that because a man smiles he is nonpartisan. Thirteen delegates constituted the attendance at a state convention of the so-called American party, held at Cleveland, O. As the number seemed unlucky as a basis of state organization, the convention adjourned sine die. The latest reports from Cuba from the most reliable sources are not favorable to the insurgents, and their condition has not improved during the summer. The Key West dispatches are not of the most reliable nature. What has become of the silver “push?'’ Before the nomination of Mr. Taggart it was demanding that he dismiss the gold bugs in office about him. lie has not dismissed one of them, but there Is reason to believe that they are the mainstay of the Taggart canvass.

The volume of business last week, as measured by bank clearings, was not quite so large as the week previous. The falling off is due to decreased activity in the stock market. In this city the banks cleared 52.8 per cent, more than they did in the corresponding week of last year. Governor Mount was reported as expressing the opinion, a short time since, that pardons are liable to be granted when they should not be. Such is the danger—a danger because It Is liable to create the impression that committing great crimes against life and property are not serious offenses. If Mr. McLean is really out of the senatorial race In Ohio, as is announced, it means that he sees no hope of success. If Geneial Warner takes his place in the field it may be inferred that the Bimetallic League, alias the silver mine combination, desires a candidate in the name of the head of its Washington lobby. Spain, It is confidently asserted, is not a factor in European politics. It has no power, is bankrupt and is decaying. Ere long it will be a pawn in the European game of politics, a little more important than is Greece. Even Germany is said to be indifferent to the fate of Spain because it defaulted a lot of its securities sold to Germans. Who has the care of the costly asphalt streets? Is there a corps of inspectors? If there is, why do they not attend to their duty? In every part of the town these streets are being torn up and are not put down with care. Do those who tear up these pavements have permits? If so, whydo not some of the inspectors see that the breaks are made good? Perhaps the inspectors are too much engaged in working for the re-election of Mr. Taggart to look after these matters, but will do so at a more convenient season. There is no more remarkable feature in the development of the new South than the rapid growth of cotton manufacturing. Before the war there was scarcely a cotton mil In the South; now there are 482, and they use more than u million bales of cotton a year. During the last ten years the South lias made much more rapid progress in cotton manufacturing, relatively, than the North has. In 1887 Southern mills used 401,452 bales of cotton and Northern mills 1,710.080, while in the year ended Aug. 31, 1897, Southern mills used 1,04? 671 bales and Northern mills 1.804,680. At t;. rate cotton manufacturing in the South will soon surpass that of the North. Ex-President Harrison, who is now in New Y'ork city, is reported as saying that be thought it not only possible but probable that if General Tracy should be elected first mayor of Greater New York he would be the next President of the United States, “i believe further,’’ he is reported as saying, “that it will not be an uncommon thing in the future to see the mayor of Greater New York go direct to the presidential chair. ' If that is to be the case both parties should be careful what kind of men they nominate. General Tracy is good presidential timber, but It is safe to predict Tammany’s candidates never will be. However, the United States is larger than even Greater New York. The month of September, just closed, was the second since the Dingley tariff went into operation and closes the first quarter of the current fiscal year. As the fiscal year runs from June 30, 1897, to July 1, 1898, the annual statement will include nearly an entire month under the Wilson bill with its large deficit, besides the great falling off in revenue caused by excessive Importations lor several months prior to the passage of the Dingley law. But, notwithstanding these drawbacks, it is becoming apparent that the first year of the new law will make a much better showing than was expected. The September monthly statement of receipts and expenditures shows a material decrease of the deficit as eoauMU-ed with August. Th

deficit in September was about $3,0)0,000, and that for the quarter ending Sept. 30 about $25,000.C00, of which about $25,000,000 occurred in July and August. Treasury officials confidently predict that before Jan. 1, 1898, the revenue will fully equal or exceed the expenditures of the government. VOTE AND WORK FOR HARDING. There can be no reason, not even a pretext. why any* man calling himself a Republican should vote for Mayor Taggart unless he indulges the hope that he may be put upon one of his boards as the Republican member. He is a Taggart Republican, w r hich means that he is a Democrat when he receives a consideration. There can be no reason for a Republican supporting Mr. Taggart because he has not been a “fairly good mayor,” as one of his organs states. If he had been a Democrat and a mayor who had conducted the affairs of the city in the interest of the taxpayers and those who are interested in the city, if the police had been kept in a condition of efficiency, if even the gambling establishments had been closed and If strict business principles had marked the Taggart administration, a Republican might find a good reason for voting for him. His administration has not been marked by any conspicuous business methods, by' any reforms or any vigor. It has been a succession of smiles and of attempts to draw public attention from the main issues. Never have the revenues of a city been more shamefully diverted from legitimate purposes than the money wasted upon Pogue’s run and upon the streets just before Democratic primaries. No man who knows the facts and has regard for his statements can deny this. This money has been wasted to keep up the Democratic machine once more in the hands of the old managers. Can any Republican think it good -Republicanism to assist in strengthening the Marion county Democratic machine? It is the duty' of every Republican and of every other voter who desires the redemption of the police, the fair enforcement of the laws and more economical methods to vote for William N. Hapding for mayor. If both men were starting afresh, Air. Harding is better qualified for the office than is Mr. Taggart. Now that Mr. Taggart has shown his inability or unwillingness to serve the city faithfully and in singleness of purpose, Mr. Harding is vastly preferable, leaving politics out of consideration. Not only should every Republican vote for Mr. Harding, but he should put. forth efforts to induce his friends and neighbors to do the same. This done, Mr. Harding will be the next mayor of Indianapolis. WHY NOT BE EXPLICIT? Mayor Taggart has made several speeches, or, rather, one speech several times. The word speech is used from a sense of the courtesy due the official head of the city. If a less conspicuous person should be repeating it, we might say that it was, very wishy-washy. It need not be so. There are topics enough. There is the park system. He should know enough about it to give a half hour’s explanation. He could, in the first place, give the boundaries. Some time ago they were printed, but it is a matter of dispute now what the lines include and what they exclude. How about the territory north of Wards one and two —has any action been taken to purchase J? Many people would ike to know about that. Two pieces of land not connected with the park system were purchased—why' was this done, and for whom' was it done? He might, at the same time, clear up some of the doubts regarding the inducements offered the king of Haughville which led him to cease opposition to its annexation? There are other topics which the Journal will suggest to the mayor for other evenings when he shall have exhausted those above indicated. These topics are suggested because, in common with others, the Journal feels that the Mayor is not doing himself justice in uttering such prattle as he has when there are so many topics pertaining to the affairs of a city of 175,000 people which are of vital interest. If he has far-reaching plans for the making of the park, he should lay them before the people at the present time. It is not enough that he declare that he favors the construction of the park by money obtained from a long-time loan, when at most the city' cannot borrow over $250,000 more without passing the constitutional limit. That amount is not one-fourth of the sum required for the construction of the park unless it is to be limited to a driveway along the White river and Fall creek bottoms.

THE RIPLEY COUNTY DISGRACE. The recent lynching in Ripley county has developed a surprising lack of sensibility to the heinousness of the crime and the disgrace it has brought upon the State, and that, too, in quarters where it would be least expected. Apologists for the crime have talked about the reign of terror that a few ruffians are said to have exercised over the entire population of the county, as if revolution and assassination were the only remedy, and even a preacher of the gospel has tried to draw the mantle of charity over the lynchers. Something of this feeling seemed to crop out in the exof Judge New and Attorney Wilson during their recent visit to this city. To begia with, they did not go near the Governor. Leaving aside all questions of personal courtesy or propriety, there were overruling public reasons why they should have called upon the Governor. They were fresh from the scene of the most disgraceful outbreak of lawlessness that has ever occurred in the State, and Judge New was officially connected with it. He had been holding official correspondence with the Governor concerning it and should have been anxious to have a free interchange of views on the subject. The interests of justice, whose minister he is, demanded that he should. His failure to do so suggests some motive, and one cannot help thinking it appears in the indifference he showed regarding the failure of the grand jury to find any indictments. When asked what further steps could be taken in the matter he answered: “None that I know of. v The grand jury made a thorough and, I believe, conscientious effort to discover the lynchers and failed. They faiUd because public sympathy was with the lynchers and nobody would testify against them. When they made their report I questioned them again and from their answers I was satisfied they had done the best they could." There is an undertone of indifference in this that comes very near expressing approval of the action, or the nonaction rather, of the grand jury. There is certainly no suggestion of indignant protest or fiery indignation. Attorney Wilson voiced the feeling more strongly when he said; “I do net see what the Governor hus to do with the process of the courts.” if he will run his eye over the Constitution he will find a clause which says: “He (the Governor) shall take care that thalawa be faithfully axecuted.” There

THE INDIANAPOLIS JOURNAL, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1897.

is a law In this State against participating In a riot. There has been a riot in Ripley county, resulting in the murder of five persons, No person has been arrested or indicted for the crime, and the whole State, outside of Ripley county, is smarting under the disgrace. Yet an attorney, a sworn minister of the law, says he does not see what the Governor has to do with the process of the courts. Nothing could better show the utter demoralization of a community' which Justifies lynch law. Whatever the outcome of the matter may be. public opinion will heartily approve the Governor’s action in directing the attorney general to employ special counsel to investfgate the matter on new lines. The evidence to Indict the participants in this disgraceful affair exists and could have been brought out before this if an honest, determined effort to do so had been made. The Governor should exhaust every means in his power to uncover it and to bring the lynchers to justice, no matter who they are. He has said he will do so, and the Journal believes he will. Meanwhile official apologists for murder should keep silent. Representative Overstreet has succeeded in having the Democratic chief clerk of the pension agency suspended for offensive partisanship and a Democratic clerk for intemperate habits. The suspended chief clerk can now give all his time to those Democratic committees which he delights to serve. And yet there are others; in fact, all of them who were put where they are for partisanship and who have rever passed an examination should be set aside, and those who take their places should take the examinations. Until the rules shall be so changed as to insure such an examination for all those whom Mr. Cleveland confirmed in positions for which many of them are not qualified, the system will be subjected to severe criticisms which will cease when that shall be done. The rules should be so changed that marshals, pension agents, internal revenue collectors and others responsible for public money shall be permitted to select their own confidential clerks. Those who pretend to know say that Mr. McLean, of the Cincinnati Enquirer, has retired in disgust from the senatorial campaign. His scheme was to make a campaign against the Republicans, saying as little as possible about silver and the Chicago platform until after election. But General Warner, the noisy Thurman and the Democratic candidate for Governor would not agree to this line of policy. The silver banner must be hung on the outer wall and an aggressive fight made for the Chicago platform. These and other radicals have not only' refused to listen to Mr. McLean’s policy, but they have made things in Ohio as unpleasant as possible for him. Weary of this treatment and foreseeing nothing but disaster for the party, Mr. McLean is said to have retired. But Warner may be McLean in disguise. The Louisville Courier-Journal publishes a letter from Hon. John W. Caldwell, for many years one of the leaders of the freesilver movement in Kentucky, in which, after reviewing the history of the movement from the beginning, he declares his belief that it Is a lost cause. He says; I now believe that the gold standard will become universal before the close of this century. I believe now, as much as I ever did, in the wisdom of bimetallism, but recognize that unless some great unforeseen upheaval comes the free coinage of silver in this country is not a question of practical politics, and will not be the issue in 1900. • * * I think I know a financial corpse when I see one. The letter is of general interest as showing the trend of thought among intelligent men, heretofore advocates of free silver, who recognize the logic of events and are wise enough to accept the inevitable. Unfortunately, however, there are many persons who do not know a political corpse when they see one. One-fifth of the deposits which the Bank of England is required to carry in gold and silver is less than $25,000,000, less than the United States was compelled to coin in silver in each year under the Allison-Bland law. That is the amount of silver the Bank of England has proposed to carry if France and the United States will open their mints to the free coinage of silver.

A ease has arisen which seems to call for the exercise of interstate comity. A gentleman of this city is the possessor or present custodian at least of a parchment copy of the ten original amendments to the Constitution of the United States, of which one was sent to each of the thirteen original States for ratification. The amendments were adopted by Congress and sent to the various state legislatures for ratification in September, 1789. The present holder of the parchment copy referred to bought it shortly after the close of the war from an Ohio soldier, who said he took it from the Capitol at Raleigh, N. C. No doubt he was one of Sherman’s boys, but he was considerate enough not to take the Statehouse. The present holder of the document prizes it very highly, and it certainly is an interesting relic. The secretary of state of North Carolina having heard of it, has written asking that it be returned to the State to which it originally belonged. It seems to the Journal that his request is reasonable and should be complied with. Strictly speaking, the present holder of the document has no title to it, because the person from whom he bought it could give none. But. waiving that point, the proper place for the document is in the archives of the State to which it was originally sent. It has no real money value, and its historic value is connected with the State of North Carolina, which, as history tells, ratified the amendments on the 22d of December, 1789. Many relics, trophies and articles of value have been restored to their former owners in recent years, and in the case of an historical document like this, personal considerations should yield to those of public propriety. The* old North State should be remembered for her noble record in the cause of independence, not for her mistaken, course in the war of the rebellion. Kansas Cuy papers note the presence in that city of Bluejacket, the last big chief of the Shawnee Indians. He is eighty years old. and is on his way to Kansas to locate the grave of Prophet, the Shawnee chief, who died in that territory in 1839. This Prophet was a brother of the famous chief Teeumseh, and succeeded him as the head man of the tribe. After Teeumseh's death he led the Shawnees in the battle of Tippecanoe, in this State. In 182t> he moved to Missouri, and two years later moved to Kansas. Washington gossip has it that the recent transfer of M. Patenotre, for some years French minister at Washington, to Madrid, is intended as an expression of disapproval of his having married an American lady, it being against the policy of the French government for its diplomatic representatives to marry into foreign families, if that is true it is a narrow view of a broad question. President Harper, of the University of Chicago, says that any member of the football team caught in the act of forgetting that he is a gentleman will be ex-

pelled. In other words, the young men must loam to slug in genteel If not gentle fashion. BUBBLES IN THE AIR. A Play Rlßht. Simmons—Did you ever try your hand at writing a successful play'? Timmins—Not yet. 1 made one once—2oo to L It Mnot Be. Weary Watkins—Some of ’em says that all this here what is called genius is no gift at all, but just bein’ able to do hard work. Hungry' Higgins—But ain’t bein’ able to do hard work a sort of gift? It ain’t natural. Too Mach Competition. ‘‘l wonder,” said the matinee star, “if I am growing passe. The women didn’t pay half the attention to me that they usually do.” “You needn’t worry',” said his manager, soothingly. “There was a bargain advertisement printed in the programme.” An Awesome Occasion. Barnes Tormer—l went to England last summer and I stood in the room in which the immortal bard was bom. I was filled with awe. Wickwire—l should have thought you’d be filled with fear that the ceiling would fail down. “JOE” REILLY SUSPENDED HE MADE THE PENSION AGENCY A DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE ANNEX. George W. Slinffer Is Dropped for Drunkenness—Representative Overstreet's Trip to Washington. Joseph L. Reilly', chief clerk, and George W. Shaffer were suspended from the clerical force of the pension agency' yesterday morning, Reilly for offensive partisanship and Shaffer for drunkenness. The suspension of Reilly was made upon a message from Pension Commissioner Evans. The charges of partisanship were filed against Reilly' some months ago, and last Tuesday Representative Overstreet went to Washington to press them. The order of suspension was the result of his efforts. The department has set Oct. 6 for a hearing of the case. Pension Agent Leighty yesterday declined to say anything concerning Reilly’s successor, though it is understood that he hds his mind made up as to who will be appointed. He must be taken from the eligible list. The charges of partisanship against Reilly rest upon, his use of the clerical force of the agency in doing a vast amount of clerical work for the Democratic state committee in the campaign of 1894. Reilly served as chief clerk of the agency under Zollinger from 1885 to 1889, and while serving as such was also secretary of the Democratic state committee. The agency' was practically an annex of the committee while the campaign was in progress, all the circular work and that sort of thing being done by the agency clerks. When Taggart was made chairman of the Democratic state committee in January' of 1894 he reappointed Reilly secretary of the committee, and a month or so later he was made chief clerk of the agency again. A month or two later, as soon as all the Republican clerks that could be ousted had been disposed of, the pension agencies of the country were placed under civil-service rules, but Reilly continued to be the secretary of the Democratic state committee until the reorganization of January, 1896. While the campaign’ oT 1894 was on he devoted not only his own time to it, but he used the clerical force of the agency just as freely in doing the committee’s work as he had during his former term. The clerks did this work of addressing envelopes and folding circulars for the committee sometimes in the office of the agency and at times worked after hours in the committee rooms above until midnight. The places of Reilly and Shatter may not be filled for several days. Mr. Leighty stated yesterday that their successors must be chosen from the list of those who had passed a creditable examination, and he could not announce his selections until they had been approved by the commissioner of pensions. Mr. Reilly declared that he had been “out of politics” ever since 1892. When asked who was secretary of the state committee in 1894 he replied that he did not know, but “guessed” there was none. He said he had no copy of the charges and had not been notified where the hearing would be held, but that he would be prepared to meet the charges.

FOLEY AND TAYLOR GET NO PAY'. Not Legally in Employ of Government Since June 14. A special to the Journal from Washington states that Controller Tracewell decided yesterday that he could not set aside a ruling made by his predecessor, Judge Bowler, in the cases of Jerry C. Foley and Charles C. Taylor, office deputies in this city under Marshal S. E. Kercheval. These deputies are claiming pay as deputies from June 14 until Sept. 24. They have been paid for their services up to and inclusive of June 14, upon which date the new marshal took possession, but, though retained in their positions from June 14 and performing service until Sept. 24, they were not resworn into the service of the United States and therefore Judge Bowler, ex-controiler, declined to allow their vouchers. Marshal Kercheval has written to Controller Tracewell requesting authority to pay the claims of these men, whether resworn or not, basing his request upon a provision in the last general deficiency bill. He explains that these men served faithfully anu most efficiently from June 14 to Sept. 24 and should receive their pay. Ex-Controller Bowler held that as they had not been resworn when Marshal Kercheval took charge they were not legally in the employ of the government and no vouchers for compensation could issue. Controller Tracewell to-day decided that he could not set aside the decision of his predecessor, and now Messrs. Foley and Taylor, it would appear, can only find relief through Congress. A special bill will have to be passed, or else their claims may be incorporated in the next emergency or general deficiency bill. W. A. M’GILL’S DISAPPEARANCE Money Sent to Him at Cleveland In Returned. The police have been asked to try to locate W. A. McGill, of 530 South West street. He left home about six weeks ago. He is a paper hanger, and was out of work. He started out to go to Eastern points in the hope of bettering his condition. He kept his wife informed of his whereabouts until he reached Cleveland, from which city he wrote home for money. His wife sent it to him, but the letter was returned by the postmaster. She thinks he has been murdered. The police of this city are of the opinion that he is sick somewhere ia Cleveland or is on the road to tnis citv. The idea that a moneyless man should be murdered does not seem reasonable to them. SON WITH A CRUEL HEART. The Scene When Edgar Perkins’s Mother Called nt the Jail. Edgar Perkins, aged sixteen years, was •arrested yesterday for stealing SSO from his sister. He had squandered the money, and had only 40 cents when taken to jail. A pathetic scene followed his mother’s call at the jail to see him. The mother burst into tears when, she saw her son behind the bars. "What the h— did you come here for?” asked the son. and then when the mother asked if she could not give bond for him the hardened boy replied: “I don’t give a d— what you do so that you stop your blubbering.” The boy was not released on bond.

RECORDS OS TAGGART > CIRCUIT COURT DOCKET SHOWS UP THE BOG LAND SCANDAL. ♦ “Bert” Spencer Certified on April () that the Swamp AVas to Be Taken in Park System. _* DEMOCRATS TRY TO HIDE IT 0 THEY CLAIM ALL ACTION WAS RESCINDED TWO MONTHS AGO. Expose of Difference in Dates Convicts the Tawart Clique of Attempt to Hold Up the City. In recent speeches Charles A. Boolcwalter has charged that one of the subjects dis cussed at star chamber sessions of the Board of Park Commissioners last winter and spring was the purchase of swamp land belonging to Mayor Taggart below the Belt Railroad and just east of White river. This is true. Mayor Taggart said in his speech last Monday night: “Charges have been made that land belonging to me has been included and purchased for park purposes. This is absolutely false, as the charges have been disproven by the president of the Park Board and its members, by the assessors appointed by the court, by the board's engineer and by the records of the park commission.” He said nothing about the records of the Circuit Court which show beyond question that Mayor Taggart’s land was "included in the park system.” Mayor Taggart, with the assistance of Charles Herbert Spencer, keeper of the secret archives of the Park Board, has been able to suppress the real facts and give out only such information concerning what they disclose as was deemed safe and advisable, but neither Mayor Taggart nor Mr. Spencer, nor anyone else that has reason to distort the facts can suppress nor conceal what is shown by the records of the Circuit Court. They are open to all men at all times, and prove beyond cavil that Mr. Bookwalter's charges are true, and that there was an intention to take Mr. Taggart’s bog lands for park purposes. Steps in this direction were taken April 16. Saturday morning, Sept. 18, the Indianapolis Sentinel published what purported to be a complete epitome of the park record which was furnished to the paper by the mayor. Although the record published by the Sentinel is very full and complete. covering many months, the one important date on which Taggart’s land was taken into the park system—April 16 —was left out. The facts of the Taggart deal are not given in the Sentinel’s record, but they are supplied by the Circuit Court records.

THE SENTINEL OMITTED IT. Tho Sentinel, in its review of the Park Board’s work, first sets out a list of all the tracts that were first considered, including the mayor’s bog lands between the Bluff road and White river. Then follows a letter from E. F. Clay-pool, chairman of the board, to Frank Wolcott, chairman of the Council finance committee, under date of Feb. 8, 1897. Mr. Claypool referred to the fact that the original tracts, including the mayor's, had been appraised at $451,000. In view of the fact that the controller had cut the estimated appropriation from $500,000 to $850,0t0 Mr. Claypool informed Mr. Wolcott that a number of tracts had been dispensed with by the board, including the mayor s bog lands. The property dispensed with, he said, amounted to $103,150. which would bring the total appraised price of the remaining land down to the appropriation recommended by the controller. The Sentinel then refers to the passage of the appropriation ordinance March 1, 1897, and says that since the passage of the ordinance other proceedings which are set out at length under various dates were had. March 31 the board decided to purchase Sections 1,2, 3 and 4in the Fall creek system. Then on April 14—mark the date, April 11— various tracts were assigned to Messrs. English, Holt, Perry and Lieber to look after. They were to confer with the owners and ascertain what prices would be asked for the Davidson, Dean, Bobbs, Ballweg and Sanders-street properties. The next entry in the Sentinel’s record is under date of April 27, eleven days after the action had been taken to include Mayor Taggart’s lands, as shown by the records of the Circuit Court. If the extracts published by the Sentinel had been a true and complete epitome of the Park Board's records the action that was taken on April 16 would have appeared. Either the Sentinel was imposed upon or the facts were willfully misrepresented. The Sentinel said, at the conclusion of its alleged review of the board’s action with reference to the various tracts that were to be included in the park system: “The land between the Belt road and White river (Mayor Taggart’s land) has never been considered tor purchase except prior to the time of the board s communication to Mr. Woicott Feb. 8, 1897.” RECORDS SHOW ITS FALSITY. This is absolutely false as is shown by the records of the Circuit Court, published in full below. Further action for considering Mr. Taggart’s land was taken April 16. Whether or not the minute boqks of the Park Board show what was done on that date could not be learned by a Journal reporter yesterday afternoon, as Charles Herbert 1 Spencer was not at his office and other employes of the board said that the records were locked in the safe. The records of the Circuit Court are open to inspection at any time. They back up in an unanswerable way what Mr. Bookwalter charged, that the board had intended to buy the mayor’s land. Steps for this purpose were taken at a meeting held Friday, April 16, 1897, in Room 619, Indiana Trust building, Messrs. Perry, Lieber and English, of the board, being present, as shown by a report of the meeting published in the Journal the next day. After remaining in session behind closed doors for some time reporters were admitted and they observed what followed, but not a word was said to them as to what had transpired while they were excluded from the room. Such things happened repeatedly. Long, secret sessions were held. When the board adjourned members hurried away from reporters who tried to find out what had been going on, and they were directed to get information from the clerk. The meeting of April 16 was no exception. Reporters were not informed that several tracts had that day been included in the park system,” among them Mayor Taggart's. In fact his ownership was carefully concealed from reporters and his land was referred to vaguely when it was mentioned at ail as the "Bluff road" tract, or “Braden’s addition.” In the court records Taggart's name was not mentioned, hut his land was described by meets and bounds so that a casual inspection of the entries did not disclose the deal that was on. That the Taggart deal was on the afternoon of April 16 appears from papers now on file in the Circuit Court. They have been duly entered on the docket and cannot disappear as other park papers have—notubly the original petition for the annointment of the park assessors. The papers bearing on Taggart’s bog-land transaction are neatly typewritten and folded in a yellow cover that bears the indorsement on the outside: “In the Marion Circuit Court—Request of the Board of Park Commissioners tor the appointment of appraisers. Filed April 20, 1897, James W. Fesler, clerk.” An indorsement shows that the subject matter was entered in Order Book 129, Pages 1 to 3. and in Order Book 1233 (anew book

that was started on that day for the separate recording of the park condemnation proceedings.) CAME FROM “BERT” SPENCER. The first document in the Taggart collection is dated April 20. 1897, and is a petition to H. C. Allen, judge of the Circuit Court. It is “respectfully submitted” by “Charles H. Spencer, clerk Board of Park Commissioners,” and says: “Sir—ln accordance with the proceedings set forth in the inclosed certificate (which is filed for your information in the premises) you are respectfully petitioned to appoint three disinterested freeholders of said county to act as assessors in the matter of the assessment and condemnation of the property therein described.” The certificate attached, to which the petition refers, reads: “State of Indiana, Marion County—l. Charles H. Spencer, clerk of the Board of Park Commissioners of the City of Indianapolis. in the State and county aforesaid, do hereby certify that at a regular meeting of said board, held at its office. No. 619 Indiana Trust Building, Indianapolis, on Friday, April 16, 1897, the following proceedings were had, to wit: “The board ordered that the following property be included in the park system—” (Here is set out a description of the Davidson property, the Bobb’s property, the Dean property and Ballweg’s Ray-street property, and then follows a description of the Bluff-road land—one hundred acres, more or less, a large part of which the plats in the assessor’s office show belong to the mayor.) The description of the mayor’s land in the certificates made by Mr. Spencer on file in court is as follows: “All that part of the southeast quarter of Section 14, Township 15 north, Range 3 east, and the northeast quarter of Section 23, Township 15 north. Range 3 east, described as follows: Beginning at a point in the center of the Bluff road at the south line of the right of way of the Belt Railroad; thence southwestwardly along the center line of the Bluff road to the south line of lot No. 5 In the subdivision of the Ebenezer Dumont estate, recorded in land record No. 20, Page 477, Marion county records; thence west along said south line of lot No. 5 to a point in the west line of the west half of the northeast quarter of Section 23, Township 15 north. Range 3 east; thence south along said line to the north line of Rotnaine street as located in William Braden’s Riverside addition, recorded in Plat Book 7, Page 15; thence west along said north line of Romaine street to the east bank of White river, thence northwestwardly. following the meanderings of the east hank of White river to the south right of way line of the Belt Railroad; thence eastwardly along said line to the place of beginning, containing one hundred acres, more or less.” The plats in the assessor’s office show that the Taggart track lies as described by Mr. Bookwalter, south of the Belt road and east from the Bluff road to White river. The remaining portion of the one hundred acres described above are in the Riverside addition. After the description of the lands “included in the park system” April 16. the certificate signed by Mr. Spencer says: "The following resolution pertaining to the above property was then adopted: ‘Whereas, the Board of Park Commissioners. having determined to include the several tracts and parcels of land above set out in the park system of the city of Indianapolis, and whereas, it appears that said board has not been and is not now able to agree with the owners of said land as to a fair cash value for the same, now therefore, be it resolved, that the said board have each and all of the several tracts and parcels of land above described condemned for the purposes of public parks and other uses prescribed by an act of the General Assembly of the State of Indiana, entitled ’An act to establish a department of public parks, etc.’ Approved March 11, 1895. And the Hon. Henry Clay Allen, judge of the Marion Circuit Court, is hereby respectfully petitioned to appoint three disinterested freeholders of the county of Marion, State of Indiana, as provided by said act, to assess all damages occasioned by the taking of said lands, who shall also proceed to assess such amount or amounts so assessed by them upon the property or the appurtenances thereto belonging, by reason of the location of such parks, parkways and boulevards and the change of the course of any stream and by the other proposed improvements and things authorized by said above mentioned act.’ ” The certification is indorsed: “Witness my hand this 19th day of April, 1897. Chas. H. Spencer, clerk Board of Park Commissioners.” Order Book 129, pp 1 to 3, shows that the petition was granted by the court and that Messrs. Flack, Burton and Coffin, who had previously been appointed to assess other lands that were “included in the park system” were appointed to assess Mayor Taggart’s land with the five other tracts described.

BOG STILL INCLUDED. Under the park law it was the duty of the assessors to proceed with the assessment and report to the park commissioners, who were to report finally to the court. Until that is done the proceeding is incomplete and the title to the property is not clear or at any rate a purchaser would have notice by tho proceedings in court that the board intended to seize the land and would buy it at his own risk. Lawyers say that until the report is made to the court there is a cloud on the title and that the records show that it Is still the intention of the Park Board to “include in the park system” the lands abov# described inciuding the mayor’s, notwithstanding his disclaimer. That Mayor Taggart was not ignorant of what was going on goes without saying. He was at the meeting of the board repeatedly when reporters were excluded and when the subject of park lands was under discussion. The statement in the board’s resolution—VVhereas it appears that said board has not been and is not now able to agree with the owners of said land as to a fair cash value for the same” indicates that there must have been some discussion with the mayor and others as to what they wanted for their land. Some of the park commissioners realized that it would be a scandalous thing to pay S3OO an acre for land not worth more than $45. Time and again certain parts of the proposed system were dropped and then takU P- Y ne S ase waa with regard to the White river bottom lands, which were dropped out of the system and then “included again to appease Park Assessor Joseph F. F lack and induce him to dismiss h J su it; against the annexation of Haughyille. If Flack’s behest could be obeyed by the board there is nothing to prevent it from again taking up the consideration of Thomas Taggart’s land at his orders “after the election.” The point has been made bv the Democratic papers that the mayor would be subject to fine and imprisonment for trying to sell his land to the city under the provisions of Section 7 of the charter, which prohibits city officials from making contracts with the city. Any-one who knows anything about the park law knows that the board does not have to “buy” land nor "make contracts” with the owners. The board has the power of eminent domain and can take any land without regard to the wishes of the owner. If the board had carried on the proceeding that was contemplated and started well under way the mayor's land could have been taken, and if that question had been raised it would have been a very easy thing for him to say that he did not “sell” the land, but that the board took it away from him by “force and the power of the law.” Beside that it is said that the board did not expect to get to the point where it would come into possession of the land for a long time, possibly not until after the election. In the event Taggart was defeated it would be a very easy thing then for him to sell his land in reality if need be, and in the event of his re-election it was the mayor's plan to huve the board exercise the vast power lodged in it by the park law. This explanation of the scheme leaves the mayor no chance to hide behind the seventh section of the charter. FRIGHTENED AT THE SCANDAL. When the mayor directed the board not to consider his land it was because he became frightened. Members of the park board realized that the discovery ot the truth meant a scandal. About that time there was a determined movement set on foot to have parks located along Pogue's run out beyond Brookside avenue by property owners of the northeastern section of the city. If it had come to their knowledge that the money that ought to have been expended in their part of the city was being used to buy up the mayor s bog :arm they would have been after his political scalp in one, two, three order. In passing it might be remarked that reporters, at any rate Journal reporters, were prohibited from seeing tl.e records of the work done by the park assessors. Every effort possible was made to keep Taggart’s little attempt to sell his bog to the city for more than it was worth quiet. It is presumed by the city charter tnat records snail be kept of all proceedings and that they shall be open to the public. In the park board's oflice this rule was disregarded. People who notified by publication that they were to be assessed tor money to improve the park lands—Mayor Taggart’s bog with the other tracts—could not get information as to how much they would he required to pay. It was by sunpresning the records, holding star chamber sessions, evading reporters anxious to ruiow unu ieport what was going on, failing to enter proceedings on the minute book and pro-

ceeding in hidden and mysterious ways that the Board of Park Commissioners kept fact* like the Taggart deal from being known. A word as to the interviews with Commissioner Claypool and Assessor Flack published in the Sentinel will show that conversations they say they hud with Mayor Taggart, in which he declared that his land. Wits not to be considered, were Intended to establish a sort of alibi, for want of a better word. Mr. Claypool said that while he was absent In California the matter came up before the board. He is quoted as saying that he returned home about April 26 four days after the resolution Including Taggart’s land in the park system was passed. “As the records show none of the lands selected," he was quoted with saying, “as I understand by the board, include any that belonged to Mr. Taggart.” Mr. Claypool is quoted with saying that after his return—two months after the $350,000 wa ß appropriated—the board found certain tracts would have to be dispensed with, as there was not enough money. Nevertheless, according to the Sentinel, no formal action was taken by the board to abandon the plan of taking the mayor’s land, as the organ says the last action was taken Feb. 8. before Mr. Claypool went to California. It was while he was absent that the scheme was concocted. Clearly Mr. Taggart’s appearance at the later date was to deceive Mr. Claypool. His tools well understood this. If there had been any sincerity in his protestations against his land being taken he would have insisted that there be a formal record made. The Sentinel says that there was none after Feb. S. Mr. Flack’s statement is that “after we had appraised his property” Mr. Taggart came and said that further proceedings were unnecessary. Os course. The work had been done. It was an easy thing for him to add that his land was not going into the parks, and when the time came Mr. Flack was ready to help sustain the mayor’s alibi. Mr. Flack admitted in his Sentinel interview that Taggart’s land had been assessed at a higher price than contiguous land, “because his land was worth a great deal mare than other land about there. A levee w’hich had been built at great expense (Mr. Flack might have said a levee built by the city) added a great deal of value to the land, and it was in a better state of cultivation than any other land in the locality.” Be it remembered that the action to include the mayor’s land was taken nearly two months after the ordinance appropriating $350,000 was passed by the Council. Mr. Claypool’s letter to Mr. Wolcott was written w ith a view to hastening the appropriation by destroying all reasons for opposition. Taggart paid $45 an acre for his land, according to Mr. Bookwalter, while the assessors valued it at s3oo—an increase in value of $255 an acre in three years.

CASE INVOLVED $300,000 * JUDGE BAKER'S DECISION IN THE COLLETT ESTATE SUIT. ♦ Victory for General Harrison*!* Client —Central Trust Company Fail* to Collect It* Notes. 0 Judge Baker, of the Federal Court, yesterday rendered a decision involving something over $300,000, In the case of the Central Trust Company, of New York, against the Evansville & Terre Haute, the Peoria, Decatur & Eastern and the Josephus Collett estate, of Terre Haute. The decision Is upon demurrer made by the plaintiff to answers by the defendants, but the effect of it is that the defendants do not have to pay two notes, one for $200,000, held by the Central Trust Company, and one for SIOO,OOO held by the Continental National Bank, of New York. The decision Is a triumph for General Harrison, who was leading counsel for the Collett estate, the only one of the defendants now solvent and able to pay the debt. The suit grew out of a railroad deal that formed part of the Mackey system of financiering. Some years ago Austin Corbin and his associates built a piece of railroad in Illinois and called it the Chicago & Ohio River Railroad. Later this road was bought by Josephus Collett, of Terre Haute, who associated with him E. O. Hopkins, then freight agent of the Evansville & Terre Haute, who was to be manager of the road. It was their intention to build it on to Chicago and this alarmed the Chicago & Eastern Illinois people. They understood the close relations between Mackey and Collett and brought pressure to bear by threatening Mackey that if this road were extended the Chicago & Eastern Illinois would cancel its traffic agreement with the Evansville & Terre Haute and built a competing line from. Terre Haute to Evansville. MR. COLLETT .UNLOADED. The upshot of the matter was that Mr. Collett unloaded his property on the E. & T. H., then a big and prosperous corporation, for $300,000. The money was raised bytwo loans, one for SIOO,OOO, advanced by tho Continental National Bank, of New York, and the other for $200,000, advanced by the Central Trust Company, of New York. Tho notes for these loans were made by tho Peoria. Decatur & Evqnsvllle Company and and Evansville & Terre Haute Company jointly and indorsed by Collett and E. O. Hopkins. The notes were made in .September, 1892, and shortly afterwards Collett died. In February, 1893, the notes were renewed. Collett’s executors signing for the Collett estate. Later Mackey went to pieces and his roads went into the hands of receivers. The bank and trust company sued all the makers and indorsers of the notes to recover the principal and interest. The case was argued before Judge Baker June 10. The bank and trust company were represented by Addison C. Harris, associate counsel with Senator Fairbanks in the case. The Collett estate was represented by General Harrison, Ferdinand Winter and John M. Beasley, of Terre Haute, and the Evansville & Terre Haute by Ugehart & Taylor, of Evansville. The P.. D. & E. and Mr. Hopkins had not been ruled to answer and were not in court. Mr. Harris argued that the companies were empowered to tnakc these notes, that the contract for the purchase of this other road did not destroy competition, did not raise rates and wac in no wise contrary to public policy. The debt was a just one for full consideration, and all the signers were responsible for thetr payment. Mr. Ugehart. for the Evansville & Terre Haute, argued that the hanks understood thoroughly the purpose of the loan and knew that it was for the purpose of destroying competition and therefore In contravention to both the common law and the interstate-commerce law. The railroad company never handled the money, but it'was appliwl by the banks themselves to the purchase of the securities of the Chicago & Ohio River road. Mr. Winter and General Harrison spoke for the Collett estate. Their defense followed only in part that of the railroad company. They maintained further that Collett got no consideration for bis signature, inasmuch as he was a seller, not a of the C. & O R Railroad Comnatry. and they set up further claim that the Motors of his estate had no power to hind the estate by signing these notes. _ - RICHMOND POLICE BOARD. Ex-Mayor James NV. Moore rneeeeo* A. G. Oghorn. The Governor yesterday received the resignation of A. G. Ogborn. one of the Republican members of the Board of Police Commissioners of Richmond. Ogborn’s resignation seems to be the direct effect of a boycott instituted at Richmond. The board has been keeping a close eye on the saloons and making a close enforcement of the law. Mr. Ogborn is In business, and has been made to feel the force of the displeasure of the liberal element. In resigning he said he thought it due to his partner in business that he withdraw. The Governor appointed as his successor James W. Moore, ex-mayor of the city, excounty clerk and, a member of the old board. His recommendations included twothirds of the taxpayers of the city. * * ii Humane Inspectol*’* Report. The following is a report of the humane Inspector for the month of September: Horses taken from work, 3; horses with sore shoulders relieved, 10; old and diseased horses relieved, 5; horses ordered shod, 9; horses relieved from excessive checking. 2; horses provided with necessary food. 4: cases of cruelty to children investigated and relieved. 4; cases of indigent adults Investigated and relieved. 3; eases of cruelty to calves relieved. 2; prosecutions of cruelty to children. 1; old horses bought and killed, 57: horses killed at owner's request, 5, total eases. 165. . , _ , . „ At the present time the bociety for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals bus no solicitor for funds In the field and no one is authorized to receive or receipt tor moneys for it.