Mayor Arthur Brown

Monday's voting decreed that Arthur Brown shall be the city's chief executive for the two years to come. That, too, after a campaign almost, if not quite, the warmest in the history of the city. Mr. Brown is no new man to the good people of this city. They know him and understand what to expect of him. He is a young man of more than ordinary ability, experienced in municipal matters and not afraid to let any and all know where he stands on issues. He is not a sidestepper in any sense, but always ready to be counted on the side of any and all issues relative to which he is called to take a stand. He is a successful man of business and the Argus believes he will handle the affairs of the city, in so far as he is accountable therefor, as successfully as he has his own. Such a man as Mr. Brown is sure to have his warm enemies as well as his warm friends, but any man who has opinions and the courage to fight for them in public matters, or private either for that matter, will have his enemies. But the affairs of the city are safer and will always be better handled by a man with opinions, backed by good business judgement and courage, than by a man without these positive traits. The public business is greater than any private business and there is bound to be strong differences of judgement as to the handling of that business, so that a man with the best of intention but without the strength of will to carry out those intentions is sure to prove ineffective and many time dangerous. The right performance of any public duties requires decision of character and that the new mayor undoubtedly has. The Argus believes Mr. Brown represents and stands for the principles for which it fought during the canvass and has every confidence that he will give the city a safe, conservative, but progressive administration, and therefore has no apologies to make for its course. There is undoubtedly some advantage to a man in being the favored of a high-up official, but such a relation also has disadvantages. General Wood is by some regarded as the pet of President Roosevelt and he undoubtedly stands well with the president. But because of this supposed relation to the president powerful enemies are raised up against him. Just now it is being said that one of Gen. Wood's panegyrists in the press of Cuba is a notorious character with a criminal record. But it is freely admitted that the writer who has been lauding General Wood at the expense of General Taft of the Philippines has not been proven to be the notorious Ballentine with the criminal New York record and the fact that these suspicious have been given publicity without Wood's detractors having the facts to substantiate their suspicions, shows that the belittling of Wood is the first important point they have in mind. But it is pretty certain that Gen. Wood stands well with the American people as well as with our strenuous president. His record is such as to give him a right to expect good standing with the people and he has it. The envious spirits in the army who greatly dislike to see any man come up from below and pass them by would not hesitate to hold Wood back, if possible, but they will undoubtedly have to produce some better evidence against the rough rider than they have yet shown to hold him down. In the death of Jefferson S. Conover Michigan loses an upright and honorable citizen and the Masonic order a member of whom it was, and had reason to be, proud. In his daily walk and life he practiced the tenets of the great order of orders to which he belonged, and any man who lives up to those principles will be a good man and true. Three crushing defeats in one day, Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti and Chelsea, this is the score against Judson. Apparently he did not gain 700 friends for every one lost in the Wedemeyer-Green defection. His peculiar generalship was never more in evidence than during the campaign just closed. If it be within the bounds of legality, let the city council pass the warrants for money due and make those warrants interest bearing. It is but simple justice. The strenuous life which President Roosevelt is leading these days is calculated to test the vitality of even so hardy a man as he is.