Going To Detroit

We are, we are, wc are the board of pullic works. We are, w i re the board of public works. We are the board of public works. Wliat the do 1 care. What the do you care, Wlial the do we care, We are. we are, we are the board of public works. The above ís soinewhat of a paraphraae of a student song.f;'.It eau now be suug with great unctiou by the inemoers of the board of public, works. Mes;rs. Bnllis and Clark are again ah „id, ' and the recommendation of Mayor Walker to have the charter ameuded by inoreasing the membership to five was voted down 10 to 5. The meeting was a solemn one. President Hiscock's countenance was siorrounded with nis most severe.dignified smile. He was very prompt and the aldermen seemed to feel that the meeting was a memorial service, and the speeches made and actions taken might be eulogies on future political preferment.i.'S The large number of distinguished citizens present, such as Messrs. Bullis and Schuh of the board of public works, Prosecuting Attorney Randall, Sedgwick Dean, John Duffy, J. A. Brown, M. M. Steffy and others showed the interest takfn in the aldermen. When President Hiscock was ready to cali the meeting to order it was f ou nd that Aid. Taylor was absent. The marshal was sent for him, and it was 8 :15 when ttie meeting] opened .with every man in his place. The cali for the meetiag was read. I Aid. Ferguson moved that the charter be amended as shown by ajproposed bill. There was silence in the couuoil chamber.1 Pres. Hiscock remarked that as the ïnotion was not supported there ■was nothiug before the meeting. Thereupon Aid Suyder supported the inotion and the President suggested that a vote be taken. The clerk was asked to read the bill which -left the duties of the board of public works the same as in the present charter bnt increased the membership to five and made the ap! pointment of the street commissioner and city engineer subject to the approval of the council. No two of the rnembers of the board were to reside in the saine ward. The time of the appointments were to be the flrst Monday in June instead of May and they were to hold their offlees during the pleasure of the board. By request, City Attorney Kline explained the proposed changes. The members of the couucil then divided into little knots and discussed the bill. Some slight changes were made on the suggestion of Aid. Brown am' others who afterwards voted against the bill. Aid. Prettyman said he was opposed to a change. They had held four or five meetings to revise the charter and the board of pubic works had been left alone. This had been done advisedly. To start now to make more members of the board was a start in the wrong di rection. All political writers now j agreed that it is the best policy in municipal alfairs to make concentrated responsibility and notdividedresponsibility. Every adderman can see monuments in his ward to the old plan of doing work by the aldermen themselves. There was still a little execntive work left in the eouncil and they could see how the respopsibility was j shirked. One of the most flagrant cases j was the cutting down of Broadway liill which should have been done years ago. ; Another was the placing of the bridges over the Huron river and the Michigan Central railroad. The council was responsible for these. One cause of dissatisfacton with the present board of public works was that as soon as there was a chnck nole before a man 's door he wonld cali up the street coniinissioner. A board of three rnerubers could be got at. so easily that all respon - sibility was thrown upon them. He objected to the the t-'treet commissioner being confirmed by the council. A step was takeu last winter which pleased everybody and he favored it now. It was the giving the mayor power to appoiut the pólice. It placed the rsposuibility upon the mayor. The th'mg proposed in the last forty eight hours was a pretty radical change. The people did not deniaud it. It was the worst time now to reorganizo the board right in the middle of au expenditure of from $50,000 to 1100,000. Tkey had found the present board at work in season and out of season. The whole thing looked towards the removal of the members of the board of public works. They 'lid uot want to do it. It simply meant to compromise the city's honor. Aid. Snyder asked Aid. Prettyman if the old couueil had uot recommended the doing away with the board of public works. Aid. Pettyman said the reslntioa hn 1 been passed by a minority of the comicil. Aid. Taylor found the resolution in the minutes. Seven members had voted for it. Aid. Brown said he did not see what ■was gained by the change in the nmnber of the members. No reasons had been given. It "was currencly reported on the streets that the mayor had diffloulty in flnding one man to go on the board. Three men would inorease the dilficulty. Certainly nothing was gained by having five men. Detroit, a much larger city, got aloug well with a board of three men. Aid. Ferguson : ' ' Have you heard f rom there lately?" Aid. Brown:: "Yes." If he could seo any reason he would not oppose the change. It w.ts certainly a very hasty change. The proposed amendments did not seem very clear to the gentlemen who proposed them. Aid. AUniendinger said he would give his reasous. He had attended a meeting of the board of public works when only two members were present. Suppoe one of these were sick. When the president brcught up anything the board passed it. It did not look to him like business. More members should be present. Aid. SDyder said there would be more harmony on the board with five members. Aid. Taylor tl'Ought the meeting had been called to amend the charter by making the board consist of one member froni each ward. He did uot know that five merubers would be auy better thitu the present nurnber. Aid. Maynard said he did not kuow exactly'why he had come to the meeting. He thought that the present board with two men working together and one away was not the way to do business. He did not beheve they would get good resulta until they had three men that would work together. He was satisfied with Mr. Clark on the board, although Mr. Clark had done some thiiigs he did not approve of. He had made some inistakes, but he uow had bis eye teeth out pretty thoiioughly during the past thirty days. Upcm the motion of Aid. Prettymaix the eitizens present were invited to speak but none of them responded, and the vote was taken on the proposed charter amendment, whioh resulted as f ollows : Yeas - Aid. Allmendinger, Koch, 8nyder, Laubeug lyer, and Fergnson - 5. Nays - Aid. Moore, Maynard, Brown, Taylor, Shadford, Prettyman, Coon, Butterfield, Cady, and President Hiscock - 10.