Our City Funds

The present couneil tlnd the city flnanees In van ba.l simpe. Tliey nnd the several stree.t finida entirely exhausted in advauee fir the coming year. Tbej llnd the general fond sd iii-arly exhausted In advmuv that Dpi moogb reinal ns to pay one-lourth 01 the obligalions already lncurreü fur the coming yiar. Never siuce the city was organtzed ha a coiincll been so liberal In spendlng other people s money as the one lust explred. If the Uijuor lund Is dlvlded witu the county, or all jald lnto the county treasury lustend of the city treasury, as seems llkely, the city will be praclloally bankiupt as It 1h theroetlcally bankrupt already. Inauy event city tii.atin thls year must be lareely increased. Uur new mayor has a good reputatlou for economy and thrift :uid we hope he wül see to it that DO contracta are made obli){aling the city to pay money In violation ol tlie law- that no money s given away for any purpoHe, and that the councll does go off on juuketlng excureions at the expense of the lux payers.- Aun Arbor Democrat. Lets look iulo tliis matler a little, and see how imich worse oíí the city iiiiauces were at tlie beglnnlng of the present fiscal year than at the beginning of tlie year previous. The followinf? tablo taken froin the annual report of the City RecorJer gives the amount on hand Feb. lst, IShG, the amount on liand Fel). lt, 1887, and tlie expenditures mude during the year from tlie vnrious funds : .„ , Balance Balsnce Disb'rstana. 18g8 1S87 ceipts. nieuis. ContiDgent. 8 971Í 55 ) 6048 84 317717 07 S21380 78 General B 18 1226 90 80(10 00 7468 28 Oen. Street 1B1 99 151 (ff iïffl (XI 821194 lstward... 1118 (: 1109 20 10Z7 Us 1(7 ia 2d ward 880 M llliill 10OU 00 7 SS .)d ward "s9 L'l 1023 4 (i 10U0 00 586 78 4th ward. 5(5 86 3&I 12 1771! 80 1918 04 .Ithward 368 51 311 4'2 60() (XI I (thward M 258 54 17:M 6-i H7ii7l Welin.Tax.. 854 33 H00 39 79 30 136 41 City C'em'ry 2 87 26 87 DoffTax...... 100 00 100 00 101 76 lol 78 Wali-rwerki. 4OÜ0 Ü0 8288 33 4000 00 4711 711 C'ourtII.id 8889 00 88 00 Total S189C1 75 1SMI -AT llNSl 70 f15061 01 Ove'dr'wn HM 20 927 aü Balance. 117918 56 115023 97 ?Orerdrawu. These figures re made larger than the receipts and expenditures really were by including tlie transfers to anil from tlie various funds to help them out, a custom which has been followed for many years, without exception. By the above tigures it will be seen tliat the funds on hand at the beginiiiii-r of .tlie present lineal year were onlj $2,891.59 less than for tlie year prcviou?, or a little more tlian tlie minuut paid for the O'Xeill property. A little fnrlher: The Democrat favored water works. For the lirst time in its history the city has been obliged to pay water rates. These rates for the year amounttil to $4,711.76, quite a nicc little suni tli.it no other council eyer had to pay. Again, the Democrat favored the clectric lif?lit system, which is more expenpive than the old asoüne and gas system- and so miich better tlmt all cioaking has heen sllenced. The Democrat favored the M. C. R. R. brklge, costinj; $5,000, besides mnny inc dentáis, and also Mpetfitating the on tl a of $2,500 for the O'Neill property. All these things being facts the Detni crat ought not to '"kick" very niucl Cities that keep advancing n populatloi ia weallh and in enterprlse, and that kei pace witli the times must ezpeot tliat ox pend: tures wil] Incrcase in proportlon. The couhcil of three yeais ai;o, wlic Judge Ilarriinan was mayor, invited th American Association for tlie Advance ment of Science to hold its sessions in this city, and the succeeding council wa called upon to pay $500 for that invita tion. The same council ordered a fin engine for tlie 6th ward and a thousam feet of hose, hut the suceeeding counci had to pay for them, something over $1.300 altoiretlier. Thus vou see some councils try to Lve tliemselves reputa tilín tor shrewduess and ccononiy ut the expense of other councils. By comparitie; Ilic balances giyen above it will lic seen tliat the General Tand, the General Street Fmid, the Sd Ward Fund, the 3d Ward Fund and the 6th Ward Futid are all In lictlcr ihspc lli;m tliey were the vaal previous, the General Stiect Fimd liavilili il b.il;Uire tliis ir nslead of :in ovenlntlt as heietcifore to cominencc Ilic y-ar uitli. The oiily funds haviDg leís on hand :ire tint Contingent and 4th Ward Funils. Consideritig the larpely Increased pxpendlturei it wu obligad i" meet; t lait council its 8 remarkablj' económica 1 council. The Democrat is to be honored for its proiessive position in favoring all these grand city iinprovements which have been made, but t shonld not growl at the liberality with which the council expenda "other pcople's money," in payiug for these improvement. The rate of city taxea this year 8 2 cents higher - 38 cents - on a $100 than in former years, beCMM the people, not the council, voted a $5,000 bonus to the AI. C. R. K. Co., and mie-halfot it was levied In the taxes, the uther lialf coming out of the fumls of the city. A city practically out of debt with DO interest or bonds to pay, with $15.000 in lts tro&sury, and $10,000 or $10,000 more coming in within a few weeks is not in a very lllatiewlllg state of bankruptcy. Wiiere is tlie city in Michigan that can ihow a better financial record ( The Micliigan Christian Advocate devoted mach Bpace to the Couhier In the reeent cunipaiírii for its po.-ition in reference to the prohibitory amendment. The COukikr called n hunl names, nor used h;uh language in replv, ntither does it liold any luit the best t teelin;s toward the Advocate. Kow, the Advoeate of April 38d laya itself open to ciiticism. It quota I'roni the ArkauiM Baptist an offer of a $1,000 wager "for a single iiistanee in (jreek lltaratnre where baptizo uieans to sprinkle." And IM qootrt Hev. Mr. Kiirgin's ïeply otlVringto wuger all heean r.alize by the sale of bis property and all tliat lie can leg or uorrovv, to anyone win) will prodvee a single passage irom the New Tertament in which the word baptizo means to nimerse." Then tlie Advocate offers to rager '-in amount equaJ to the acgregata of botb," on the ¦ame queatton. We oeyer tiet, lirother. The sditor ot Tuk COUBIBB beinjr gometliing of a bibliophile secured Ilie other ilay ut the sale of the HtWklni library several books of rare value. Onr is the lirst eilition of Plato mil prlnted at Florence in 1483, In black letter text. The whole or any part of tb U edltlOD i.pchlom founil for sale. Anotlier Black letter is trom Ventee, 1489, with Itali.in Henalsance ilUiminationa painted by liaiul. Bonnil into tliis cnpy are "enils" of auci-nt MSS. Two books are from the celebratcd AUline prtsseg of Venice, 1511 'ind I84fl ics]i'ctivOy, the last is a Cicero, very rare. A French translation of Homer, of 1710, by the royal Ktanp is knnwii to have belonged to Louis XV. The editor of the Cadilac News wlth ' filioulish glee'' rcniarks: "We have sent in onr pagana as required underthe Interstate eominerce law, and we have also notified the railroad couipanies that we shall pay our fa re to the conductora so that tlicy will be none the better for It. Br Jingo I (¦'11 vt tbe start of ilii'in oue iray or mother." The Association of Su]ierintedents of CltJ Schools will moet :it Olivet on the 8econd Friday of Muy. Members in attendance will bo the guests of the faculty of Olivct College. All trains will stop at Olivet station from noon May 12 to noon M:iv 1 1 and it is hoped that reduced rate can be sccured. An interestinj; [ronrain is in proparation and musio will be furnishcd liy the college. .Many funny stories are told of persons who were interested lu the recent boom at Sault St. Marie, bot tlie best of all is the following: "A cortaii) wortby divine wlio liad caurht tlie fcver, start ed out to preach one morninj: and after the usual sinjiiiiir, opened his scimon as follows: ' Brcthren, you will fliid 1113 text in lot 1. block 3, li];mk's mUlilioii to tlie city of Sault St. Maiie.'" The Byron HeraU tbiu compliment? tlie T. it A. It. K : "The superintendent of tbí T. & A. A. H'y does not seek to ;iet bebind the Inter-state commerce Liw, and cali in all tlie passes issued in the pa9t. Editorial ones are stil I bonored by tlie oondnoton and will be at least till the end of the preseut year." The rush of Irish einljtiants to America is almost unpnc( di'iited in the liistory of that nation. The vessels leaving Queenttowo ure loaded with them to their full oapacity. Thls may he the solving of the Irisli questioD after all, 1. e., leave Ireland without tenants. The ineniDers of the Michigan Press Aseociation tuittut Lanilng and discussed the viiiiou bilis eflfectlnjr thelr interests. They resolved to Stand tojrether to resist the encroacBmente of the nilroudi upon public rigfatti Miss Ilurriet V. Crocker was married yesterday to a lawyer in San Francisco, and lier pa telt so liappy over the event tliat he gave her a check for tor $1,000,000. Such styles of Crocker-y as that are not to be picked every day. The Grand Haven CoiirierJourn;i] iiames Goveinor Luce for vice-presid;nt on tlie rtpublican ticket in 1888. That inilit be all riglit, but would not he lonk apon it from the statidpoint of an old supervisor? A bilí lias uearly becouie a luw wliich ' iial.es tlie possession of gaiue or lish out f feason prim facía evidence oí the vioI ution of the gama luws. ] The legislature seems;to hnve waked up to the iiocesity of prCtNtlag the people against the gieat insurance monopoly that has fustened itself npou them like a hngaootopot. The fotlowlm U the text of a bilí passed by the senate : "That no Ure, flre and marine, or marine and inbind Insurance coinpany or association not organizad under the laws of tliis State sliall be permitted to do business thcrein und-r the provisions of the act relative to the organlzntion and powers of fire and marine insurance conipanies transacting business in this State, untll in addition to complying with the provisions of said act it bas liled with the eonnnisslouer of insunince and DOderUklng duly executed and authenlicated by the conipany, in sucli forui as the commissioner of insurance shall froui time to time prescribe, that it wil I not direetly or indirectly enter into any contract, agreement, arrangement, or undertaking of any nature or kind whateverwith any othercomp.iuy, companies, associatlon or nssociations the object or edict of whieh is to prevent open and freecoinpetition between it and said conipany, companies, MMCUtton or associatioDS, or the ngtntt of their respective companies or associutions, in the busin6H Imnwictiid in thin State or in auy part thereor.'1 Among other good laws passed by the seimte is one to protect electors wlio cannot rcad, froin fraihl md ilecptlon ut the polls. This bilí provides, that any person w ho shall furnill au elector who cannot. tcad with a ticket nformin hiin Hint Itcontülna name or names diltVreut f roa those which are written or prlnted thereon, with an Intent to induce him to Vota cnntrary to liis inclinatlon, or who símil fiaudiilcntly or deceitfully chiMgfl a ballot of auy elector by wuicli sucli elector shall be prevented from votin; for sucli cnndldate or candidates as lie Intended, shall be deemed suilty oí a miídemeanor, aml apon conviction thcrtif be tined a mud not exceeding one bundred dollars, or imprisonment In the couuty jail not exceeding ninety days, or bot li fine and iinpiisonuient In thu discretlon ot the court. I!ig Itapi Is, like New York, recently elected a lady lueraber of the board or educnUou . We belleve tliat the schools of the stut.wouUl be more ctirefully aupervlsed if thls practice were eoiiimoner. In several dlstrlcu wlicre thls cuslom has prevailed, we know that lt has proved eininenlly sallsrartory. The womeu have the time to glve to vlslllug Ihe schools, and do thelr duty In thls respect, and who shall uay that they are nol capable of lulelllgeat crlllcism as lu mett)od8 ot lnstrucUon und hcUooI inunHgemem?- Michigan School Moderator. A un Albor tried the cxiieriment, but dtdu't secm to experience any pailiuular rcvoliitidii thereby. I fact many ijuo- tiuns came lip bet'ore tlie boanl wblcb vvia not pleasaot to discnss in ladlei' iretenoe. The experiment Ims never jeen repeated. Anotlier newspaper mau n lnck. This time it is Col. D. B. Ainger, of the Charlottu Repablican, on wlioin good fortune has heretnfore suiiled. very brlrhtl v . Goy. Luce must Imve forgivcn all iinkind references to tiis veto of the supervisor' bill by newspaper men, when he appointcd one et thelr numbcrs hs adjutant-genoral in plnce ot the l.imentcd Gen. Itobertson. The appointiuent is a good oue, n flrst-class one, and wilt reMire the commenüatloo of the people of the State regard less of party. Ciipt. 11. A. Ford, of Detroit, wlio heretolore has beeo n strong prohibllion party worker lias concluded to reform politically. A temperaiice woiker trom üis youtli himself, lie says eoncerning the polilical prohifokionists: "They are a pestilent fuction, with the uuconfesied but real motto of' 'rule or ruin.' He thinks tliey oflér the greatest hindrance the country lias to teinperance reform. Private Secretary Campbell iutlmatcs that the country papers won't get a chance to larrupGov. Lucedurlog the next CHinpalgu, as he woa't be a candidate lor re-eleotlon. - Detroit Eveulug News. Sucli being the case Mr. Campbell ought to be put la trai'ilng. The brain thnt could díctate sucli a ílowery Arbor Day proclunatton never ought to be left to blooni alone and unappreciateil In a little IJranch town.