Letters From The People

Editor Courieu:- I am an oíd citizen of Aun Arbor, and have lived here since along n the fifties, and hope to be a worthy member of the Pioneer Society in a few years, if I behave myself well, and Bome physician does not get to experlmenting upon me with some new notion or new kind of medicine, as one did upon a friend of mine a little while ago, to hls great sorrow nnd al most death. My iden in writing to the Courier, does not directly refer to physicians, only indirectly. .Wliat I shall advocate will be tor the good health of the people in general, and so it may be opposed by the disciple8 of Esculapiug, but I trust not. I noticed in your last paper an article in reference to a public park. Wuen I flrst read it I thought it contalned a great deal of chaff ; and tliat it was an article written by the editor slmply to fill np with. The next day I went over to the water works, and viewed the proposed location, and came to tliec nclusion that it was a sensible article, and that its suggestions were wise ones. I came to the further conclusión that there is not a city or town in Michigan which has a more beautiful location for a park. Nature has uone a great deal there that man could not do. The entire hillside, from the Wliitmore Lake road to the wuter worka buildings is grand. The old road bed, winding along its foot could be conyerted into n line drive at a compurative small cost, in fact uil Unit is necded to m:ike it a good drive now is a good coating of gravel, and th:it material is abundant in the vicinity. If a person loves the beauties of nature, a fine Iand8cnpe, for instance, let liim or her traverse the brow of this hillside. I have viewed some handsome landscapes in ray day, but I am sincere in asserting that froin these hills there are views not to be excelled in our western states, and when the mili dam of the Cornwells Bro's is erected, a new beauty will be added to it in the hape of a handsome sheet of water. If the land could be secured, I should be glad to see the city purcluue one liuiidred acres or more for a paiksite. As you say. the land is of but little value in iUelf. It will ahvays be waste land, but fora piirk I can marine no more splendid location. So much has been done here by nature that the outlay neceíaary to transform it into pleasure grounds would be slight. I have ahvays fougbt extravavagant expenditures by the anthorities, whether by municipal, county, state or national offlcers, and shall ahvays continue to. Upon looking into the condition of the city's flnance, I lind theni supplied with upwanls of $10,000 every year accruing from the saloon tax. This is so mucli olear galo, and it Is n constant temptiition tothecommou councll to extravajiance. For one I shoukl be in favor of taking the liquor tax every year and putting ft all into a park. Uy so doiiiff drive conld be coii8tructed and the park cujoyed by some of us old fellow. We like pleasures and eujoyraents as well as you younger people do. We are called upon to pay the taxes, and instead of having this matter draw lts slow leneth alonir through many years, it wonld be better to have It bouht, pald for, and impioved within a few years. It is poaaJbh that the present liquor tax may not lust through a (reneration, and it would seeui wise to take "time by the forelock." By all means give us the park. Take the liquor tax and buy the land. Take the liquor tax and improve It. A park wlll be a blessin? to all alike, rich and j)oor, young and old, good, bad and indifferent. Uullke court house reBèptloni, lt will be free to all. It wlll be "a tliinjr of beauty and a joy foreyer." Verv truly vours.