Sewerage

The petitioners to the common council asking that a special election be called this month to vote $20,000 to be raised on the tax rolls of 1892, may or may not be friends of sewerage. Many of them undoubtedly are, and signed the petition without looking at it. If the council granted the prayer of the petitioners, and the election should be held at the time petitioned for, and the electora should vote favorably, the tax could not be spread on the tax roll of 1892 without re-submitting it to the people in thatyear. If defeated the cause would have received a set back. Why should friends of sewerage wish it to be needlessly jeopardized. It is too late to submit the extra tax and get it spread on this year's tax roll. It is impossible under the charter to vote it now to raise it next year. The only sensible thing to do is to submit the question after the beginning of the next fiscal year. If the people want sewerage they will then say so. If they do not they will say so. I3ut we warn the so-called friends of sewerage that they must not be arrogant in the expression of their views if they desire to carry the election. There are people who honestly differ vvith them in belief. There are those who do not think a sufficient outlet for sewerage has been provided. There are others who do not like the system proposed. The only way thatsewerage can be obtainetl in this city is for its advocates to approaich the subject in a spirit of conciliation and mutual concession. To denounce every one who opposes the plans of Messrs. Allmendinger and Dean as an enemy of sewerage, as has been and us being done, will defeat sewerage iffthe course is persisted in, unless the real friends of sewerage think so niuch of sewerage that they will be patiënt and long suffering under abuse. The Argus, for instance, believes a sewerage system desirable. It indorses the separate system of sewers as proposed by Prof. Greene, but it does not believe that in the hot summer days there is sufficient water at the place where the main sewer is proposed to be emptied, to carry off the sewage. That belief is f ounded upon personal experience. But that by no means constitutes this paper an enemy of sewerage as bas been proclaimed by those who will listen to no suggestion, will hear no argument, but assume the arrogant position, "We know it all, you know nothing." Jiow, granting for the purpose of argument that the Huron would not carry off the crude sewage of the city, we think it will be granted that a friend of sewerage would at once inquire how it could be treated so as to rob it of its noxious proporties. Ile would not assume for a moment that that ended sewerage. The Argus believes that Ann Arbor will have sewerage, that the sewerage system will be properly put in, and that everyone will in the end be glad that hasty steps were not taken. That is usually the history of Ann Arbor improvements.