Letters From The People

There ia a tule in the iilTnirs of cities, as of men, wliicti taken at the (lood leads on to fortune. Every twenty or tliirty years come the hurd times.their regularity belng sucli tliat shrewd business men count on the periódica! "panic." Betwccn these timei of depressinn are times of prosperIty. In one of these we now are, statemi'iits from all directions Bgnelng in tlie tlie report, It Ann Arbor or imy otlier towu ib to grow it must do it in one of theM times of prosperity. If Ann Arbor or iny otlier town wishes to giow, in the time of tlie present gcneration of business men, it must do it NOW. To jcain any good thing C06ts time and money. To gain the new court house or the new station house cost money. 80 of the Toledo K. K., of tlie jul, of the tiremen's hall, of the water works. W'ho would see any of tliem removed? A few in. int lis ago citizens conti ibuted $2,500 to buy a lot for the Student' Christimi Asgociation. Now comes the report that au $18,000 building will be built, the fuiuls uil coming from without the towu. Did that uot p;ty ? Later the subscription papers have become more nuinerous. To save tlie fair uruiitids required an outlay of $4,000; to retain the capsule factory has reqnirvd another amount of $4,500; a few days ago another paper was circulattd and $52,000 Mtiiicil in a few hourstiine as a guarantee f ii nel tor the erection of a boiler shop anti starting of work at the foundry. Here are more than $10,000, raised largely through the activity of members of the Business Meu's Association wilhin a few month's time Some liave signed all of the papTs, many have signed two. Shall this continue? Shall certain ones do the labor and expend the money, whlle othrrs do nothing and reap an 1 qual benefit? Tlie members ot the Business Men's Associ:tion are pieased to learu of any advameineiit of the university's interests but belicve the time hns come wheii we shoiild not depend wholly upoti the uuiversity's prosperity. The second, third and titth WKidsot Ann Arbor OU never be materially attVcted by any jjrowth of our educational nterests. Their only hope rests in the establishment of manufactorle. That a little money wisely ex-, pended either as a loan or a bonus will work wonden as the experience of nimiy other towns has adundan tly proven.That the elablishment of such manufactories benefltl all 110 one disputes. Tden let all willinjrly join in the puyment )( a tax ío sinall that it will be burdensome to no tax-payer, heing but one mili 011 the dollar. That the inoney m:iy be sppnt wisely let a oommltte ol our most .coiei vative business men act with tlie council or recommeiid to it proper meaures for ita epeoditure. We wisli it to be guaided f rom extravasa nee by the mean wliicli will most, surely aceomplUh tbe end, tbnugli we have 110 fcars tliat tbe council will misappropriate the lund. Tbat body is nlready entriisted with theexpenditure of froni $0,000 to $30,000, iinnually and to arjrue that it would be unsate to entrnst it with $5,000, is manilestly absurd. Then let the tx be voted. Let progress go on in all directions. Wlien the time comes for building a school of uuisic, we M an association will be found ready to do our part. Let those who are most Illteretted in educational unatters also remcmber that many advantajreg will be gained by increasing the size of the place, by reasou of manutactories or other le){itImste ineans. Ann Arbor is scatteringly built. If the vacant places me built over, taxes for street work, for street lightiiifí, for water, iu fact for all purposrs would be lessened. And if we could say as doea Kalam:izoo ttiat our nianufaclnrlrs bring yearly G,000,000 into the city would anyone dispute thelr addition