Free Delivery

The matter of a free delivery for Ann Arbor, to which we are now entitled If we desire it, is receiving considerable attention and disnusion by the merchants and citizens. There are two sides to the matter - one of the reside nts of the Fifth and Sixth wards, to whom the delivery of the mails would be a convenience; the otlier is of the merchauts ;who pay the taxes and do most of the business of the city. Petitlons on both sides have been circulated on which are the names of these two classes nrrayed accordingly as thelr interests go. The residents and students who now have to come down town on purpose for their mails and are not in a hurry to receive them mtnediately upon their arrival, say that it would save them the trouble of walking or drivingdown town. Tuey could then purchase their goods on State street or in the Fifth ward and not have to come to Main street more than once a week. Tliey say, too, that it would make us more like a city to have a free delivery. On the other hand the merchants have generally signed the petition against it, because their business would be injured by not having the people come down by their stores. Already our citizen9 purchase largely in Detroit as is shown by the vast number of packages coming through the mails and express. This Jatter is shown, for instance in the recent placing in seryice of a second express wagon to help their rapiilly growing business. Now, if postal facilities are enlarged by mails being brought to the door iiiucli more will be ordered froni out of town and sent here to the loss of tliose cngaged in trade who rent the stores and pay taxes. A large part of our population- the student porüon is continually moving about and thus much confusión cannot but arlse in all the mails by so large a transitory population. Another objection Is that the principal mails of the day come iu the evening, too late for distribution that night, and as any one whose eorrespondence isworth anytbing, wants it at once, he would not be benefited by having to walt for it to be brought uround the middle of the next forenoon. On the whole, it is difflcult to see how the city itself can be helped by a free delivery, for no one would make more by it, nor would any outsider or nianufacturer be induced to move here simply for that reason. It Is a low rate of taxation which makes a favorable opening for manufacturera more than any other thing. Bat it ccrUinly would greatly hurt business on Main, Hurón, Ann and Washington streets. The merchants signed tlieir petitio n not because they (lid not care to help their neighbors of the Fifth and Sixth wards? bul to protect tlieir mvn business, just as the latter signed tlieirabocau.se it would be more convenient to them. So it is a queslion mainly of a little convenience to house-ownera or of piotecting the trade of our merchante. The Detroit Free Presa a few days since mude the aS9ertion that the brewers and liquor dealers had agreed among themselves to vote for the proliibitory amendraent believing that such a course would be for tlieir best interests. While we do not doubt tliat there are those among the liquor men wuo will do so, yet as a body they will most certainly oppose it. It does not stand to reasou that they will vote to approve the absol ute prohibltion of tlieir business, tliouh the laxlty of public sentiment would allow them uurestricted llcense. Michigan haf 54 logging roads, to say nothing of the log-rolling at Lansing.