The Students' Vote

Neyer has tb ere been a greater unanimity of public opinión in Ann Arbor than exists against the proposed constitutional amendment iiiU'Oduced by Represen tative Sawyer, permltting students to vote in Ann Arbor. Mr. Sawyer when at home Saturday, saw this and carne out in a column and a half cominunication in the Times to deny the authorship of the amendment which he introduced and to deprécate any fault tinding with him as to the introduction of the amendment, as he claims never to have read it before introducing it. ÍSTo one can state better than Mr. Sawyer does, in his communication, the evil etïects of introducing bilis which the mernber does not desire to father. Ilaving done penance for the offense, the Argus is inclined to believe that his constituents will forgiye him, i'f he does not fuither offend tliem by pressiug the proposed amendment. The only defender of the proposition so far is the Courier, and a very lame defense the Courier makes or it, claiming that it will add but 2ÜÜ new voters to the city. The Argus simply desires to cali attention to the Courier's ridiculous mathematies by which it arrivés at this resulti The Courier says. "The Argus gets up a great scare about its adding 1,500 votes to the city. This is absurd, because: First, Onêquarter of all the students are women. Second, Of the remaining 1,000, over three-quarteis are ander 21, the usual time of etitrance being 17 or 18 years of age. This leaves practical ly only a part of the seniors, the smallest class in college. Third, Of this remaining 500 ovei one-half live in Michigan, supported by pareuts, living outside of Ann Arbor, while most Of the remain der are similarly situated at homes in Ohio, Indiana or Illinois. Summing this up it looks as though there would not be 200 students who could avail tliemselves of this, but they should be allowed to vote somewhere." The Argus replies . that tbere are 3,000 students in the Üniversity. The Courier deducts one-quarter of these as women and says that the remainder is 1,000. In other words the Courier says that three-quarters of 3,000 is 1,000. It then further states that over threequarters of the 1,000 remaining after taking out the women students are minors and that this leavesSOO remaining. Cousider this proposition. Taking three-quarters of 1,000 away trom 1,000 you have SO0 left. Then to cap the climax, the Courier goeson: Of the 500 remaining. over half live in Michigan and of the other half the most of them are supported by parents in other states [uothing about this in the proposed amendment but this makes no difference to the Courier]. Deducting these, 200 are left. Reduce this to a briefer mathematical formula. From 500 take one-half of 500; from the remainder take the quarter part and you have 200 left. We suggest that the author of the Courier article apply for admission into one of the ward schools and that Prof. Ferry put him in the fourth or flfth grade until he can brush up on his arithmetic. The Register gives a very fair idea of what it terms "the cyclone of adverse public sentiment" and announces thsjt the bill was prepared by Prof. E. F. Johnson. Prof. Johnson claimed that the bill would simply make it possiuie 101 marneu suiuenis, wno brought tbeir families here, to vote. 1L Prof. Johnsou were not a lawyer, and the Register correctly quotes him, this would be termed "pettifogging the questiou." There is notliing in the proposed amendment whlcb distinguishes between married or single students or for that matter between students who support theuaselves and students who aresupported by parents. The constitution now is that 110 one "can gain orlóse a residence while ;i student of any seminary of learning," The change is "no elector sha.ll gain or lose a residence by reason of his being a student." Any one who can underBtand English will recognize the fact that the proposed amendment practically puts every student on the same plañe with every other elector. No difference shall be made "by reason of his being a student." This being so and every one of the students residing here over six months and domicile not being determined by any question of support it will be seen tliat 1,500 students will be added to our voting population and the University deprived annually of $15,000 foreign tuition fees.