Expectorating on Sidewalks

Is Now Forbidden by City Ordinance

Street Corner Loafers

Can No Longer Soil Ladies Dresses—Ordinance Introduced Forbidding Sampling the City 

Chew tobacco, chew tobacco,

Chew, chaw, spit,

Michigan, Michigan, 

Naughty-four Lit.

But if they follow out the injunctions of this yell on the sidewalks, or in public buildings or street cars of Ann Arbor, they will find themselves in the county jail.

The common council Monday evening passed the anti-expectorating ordinance. Ald. Koch wanted to know if a person was compelled to spit what he should do. City Attorney Sawyer said "Into the streets, where there are gutters or in his handkerchief."

Health Officer Hinsdale said that nearly all cities had such ordinances now. In Ypsilanti you will see signs "Please do not spit on the sidewalks." These ordinances are in the interest of public health. Michigan has more consumption than any other state excepting Massachusetts. It is spread largely by this practice. It ought to be a heavy criminal offense for infected people to expose others to the dangers of contagion by this practice. Last year one alderman moved an amendment that large spittoons be provided for each street and this laughed the ordinance out of the council. This ordinance is progressive. As the people become better educated up to the laws of health they will observe it more closely.

The ordinance passed by unanimous vote. It may have one effect not spoken of, viz., it gives the officers a chance to arrest street corner loafers whose principal employment seems to be expectorating tobacco juice.

The ordinance committee sought to put an ordinance against transient traders on its third reading, but City Attorney Sawyer informed them that he had that ordinance printed already just as they had it and that they had an ordinance passing all ordinances as printed. Nothing more was said about this transient traders ordinance, although this must have struck the aldermen as a new way of passing ordinances.

An ordinance prohibiting the sampling of the city with patent medicines or food products was passed its first and second reading. Then a blanket ripper ordinance was passed its second reading, the like of which was never before heard of. It contained just two provisions: (1) That all ordinances not contained in the revised ordinances are hereby repealed and (2) all ordinances beginning with page blank and ending with page blank are hereby passed and adopted as ordinances in this city.