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The only thing which may defeat Clevelan...

The only thing which may defeat Clevelan... image
Parent Issue
Day
4
Month
March
Year
1892
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

The only thing which may defeat Cleveland's nomination is the ambition of a lot of small fry politicians to get complimentary votes in the national convention. The people should see to it that their will is not defeated by the complimentary vote process. The severage question is not by any means settled. It is true that on Monday the proposition submitted to the people was defeated on a very heavy vote. But the 803 voters who voted against it were not all opposed to sewerage. A variety of causes combined caused the defeat. The advocates of the proposition very unwisely sent out a plan for putting in laterals by a foot frontage assessment, which while it bound nobody yet created the impression that it had been authoritatively adopted. The smaller tax payers objected to it on the ground that a poor lot of eight rods frontage would have to pay doublé what high priced lots four rods frontage would. They claimed that the business property, on Main Street, the frontage of which is small, would pay a very small lateral sewerage tax compared with residence property, which would not be benefited as much as the business property. We do not undertake to say that such arguments as these should prevail, but simply give them as a sample of the arguments which defeated the sewerage proposition. The Times claimed the credit of having this plan concerning the laterals given to the public as the one which would be adopted. If so, the Times may largely claim credit for defeating the project. The foot frontage plan might easily have given place in practice to the assessment district plan, when property along a certain street would pay for the lateral on that street according to benefits assessed or according to the valuation of the property. But the small tax payers didn't take it this way. The heavy tax payers of the city were almost unanimous for sewerage. Men who would have to pay $25 to S500 extra taxes next year had the sewerage tax carried generally voted for it. Men who would only have liad to pay from $1 to $5 extra generally (voted against it, as well as many who paid no taxes at all. The sewerage question will be brought up again probably in a modified form, after a few months' rest, nd let us hope that the next time the proposition will be such as to commend it to the sober judgment of the people, who, we think, really want sewerage. It is a question whether or not a petition which is circulated among the public really represents the opinions of those whose signatures are subscribed to it. Often it is the case that the petition is signed merely to accommodate the circulator or to assist the person in whose interest the paper is Besides this, the person who has charge of the petition, carried away by his own enthusiasm, too often makes statements which if those who are asked to sign would stop long enough to probe, they would find only half true and only a biased opinión of the men whose time is generally paid for by som e ested party. It has often been said that a goodsized petition can be secured " to hang almost any man in tovvn." While this is an exageration, petitions can be secured for or against almost any project, no matter how worthless or how beneficial it may be. Ann Arbor has a specimen of this at present. The congressman from this district is making an effort to secure for Ann Arbor a government building and he has good prospects fot success. The common council passed a vote of thanks to Congressman ("rorman and ürged him to use cvery possible raeans to secure the passage of the bilí. A government building is needed here, as everybody who has occasion to visit the post-office any evening between the hours of six and seven will admit. A government building will not only beautify and adorn our fair city, but will prove a pecuniary benefit to our laboring men, as a large share of the $60,000 appropriation recommended by the sub-committee would be paid out for labor. Ann Arbor has everything to gain and nothing to lose from the passage of such a bilí, and when the subject J was first suggested it was far from anybody's thought that there would be the slightest objection. Nor does the Argus believe that there is any real objection except in one quarter, notwithsianding the fact that it is reported that several hundred of our citizens have signed a protest against such an appropriation. The only possible person to object is the owner of the building wher'e the office is now located, who will lose a good tenant. But should the entire city be discommoded for this reason? The present post-office is a good piece of property, standing as it does on one of the principal corners and facing the court house square, and will always remain a good investment to its owner, whether the post-office headquarters are moved or not. It is said that the question of location was the chief lever used to get the signatures to this protest, but had the subscribers stopped to think á moment they would have seen how ridiculous were the statements made considering location. 1NO man knows where the building is to be located nor can anybody even rnake a vague guess with any degree of certainty. The location of a public building is chosen by the representatives of the post-office department, and the building, if these representatives should consider it the best, is qüite as likely to be near the present location as anywhere else. Another statement which has been attributed to those who have charge of the protest in order to get signatures is that "President Angelí is trying to get the appropriation through, has written several letters on the subject, and his plan is to have the building located near the University." Whether it is true that these gentlemen ever made this statement or not, it is so absurd that it is unworthy of a secbnd thought. The question resol ves itself to this: Do the citizens of Ann Arbor desire a public building? If they do, they can have it without the cost of a cent to the city. All that is needed is a united support of the bill now before' congress, and the chances are that the building will be forthcoming. A citizen's duty is not to himself nor to his personal friends, but to the best interests of the entire community.

Article

Subjects
Ann Arbor Argus
Old News