Whose Squirrels Will Be Taken

WHOSE SQUIRRELS WILL BE TAKEN

A Vigorous Protest Against Albion's Request

PROTESTS ON NEW YARDS 

Which Will Take the Noise, Smoke, and Dirt into a Residence District

Editor of the Argus:

A request has been made to city council for three or four dozen squirrels for Albion. There are probably 100 other towns in Michigan that would be willing to accept a similar gift, to say nothing of places without the borders of the state. A similar modest (?) appeal from other towns would therefore call for 3,600 to 4,800 squirrels, and we can be sure that the squirrels would be acceptable in so many places for frying purposes if for no other.

Ex-Marshall Gerstner estimated the number in the city as 700, which is probably too large by half. As a matter of fact, therefore, if all of the Ann Arbor squirrels were taken, we could supply only 7 or 8 such modest (?) requests.

Now, Mr. Editor, whose squirrels are to be taken? Are you going to trap them in my yard? Are you going to take those that, people in other parts of the city have fed and cared for during the long winter months? Is there anyone who has the company of these little pets who cares to be deprived of it?

The first squirrels were tamed, the writer believes, by the family of Peter Woodruff, something like 30 years ago. It has taken a long time to develop this feature of our city, and our town is entitled to the uniqueness of it all. There are portions of the city even now where the squirrels are not found, though their territory is gradually being widened. Until we have all the squirrels we want ourselves, our council should go very slow in disposing of them.

Now while writing about this matter of local interest, I will add a few words about another. The railroad yards of this city have been principally along the line of Allen's Creek: everybody has been accommodated, and neighboring property has been adjusted to the situation. The Ann Arbor Railroad is now about to discard, for good, it is understood, many of the sidetracks running through the valley. Mr. Ashley has stated that some of these tracks would never be relaid. As the business of the road must be accommodated, it has therefore thought to shift the side tracks almost wholly south of Madison St., this takes the yard work almost wholly into the neighborhood of a residence district. The ringing of bells, the tooting of whistles, the shunting of cars, the making up of trains, the noise, the dirt, and the smoke are to taken close to one of the best residence neighborhoods of our city. To make certain that there shall be no "hitch" in the matter, the connecting side tracks are laid across streets without the consent of the city council. The writer believes that it is within the province of the council to decide whether a district may be so given up or not; it can decide if the railroad company can go into this neighborhood to locate dirt and smoke or refuse to do it. It is a pity that we have not an unbiased city attorney to give advice in this emergency.

In this connection, it may not be amiss to refer to a promise of Mayor Copeland and City Attorney Sawyer that the railroad company will lay out this summer from $80,000 to $100,000 to the great benefit of our laborers. Whoever wishes may take notice that the labor at present is being practically all done by a great gang of Dagos who live in box cars and eat Bull Frogs.

Query - How much good will the laborers of Ann Arbor get out of this alleged improvement, which before we finish will cost the city so roundly.

-- CITIZEN.