Mayor Brown's First Message

Mayor Brown's first message, read at Monday evening's council meeting, was characteristic of the man, clean cut, pointed in its recommendations and forceful. Very properly the first question treated in the message is taxation. And he proceeded to plant himself squarely in line with public sentiment on this important issue and declared for reasonable and proper economy in taxation and the consequent necessity of economy in expenditures. To these ends he pledged his administration. He gave his predecessor credit for a reduction of the overdraft from $28,000 to $13,000. He stood squarely by his predecessor also on the parks issue. 

He advised the council before making up the tax levy for next year to sum up with much care the fixed charges which the city lias to meet so that it may be known how much latitude it will have in the matter of expenditures for other things and still keep the tax levy within the limit. The mayor is not in favor of trying to wipe out the remainder of the overdraft during a single year. He desires the city to be in condition to make necessary progress and improvements and at the same time avoid increased taxation. This is undoubtedly wise, and careful handling of the city revenues will enable the city to continue in the line of progress and at the same time reduce the overdraft. 

The new mayor referred to the condition of the streets of the city in anything but complimentary terms and said he hoped the council! will during the coming year take hold of this important matter and give the taxpayers some improvements for their money. In this connection he advised that the matter of providing means for the careful cleaning of the city's paved streets be taken up and suggested that a sprinkling wagon and teams and wagons for collecting the sweepings of the streets be considered and provided, if the street committee thinks advisable.

There were many other timely recommendations in the message which appears in full elsewhere in this issue. All of these recommendations go to show that so far as the mayor is concerned in the advancement of the city's interest Mayor Brown will be found in line with progress. None need have any fears that the new administration, while opposed to bonding for current expenses, is not equally committed to progress. The personality of the new mayor and his well known methods of doing business is guarantee that improvement will be the watchword during the two years to come, improvement which will at the same time conserve the interests of the taxpayers. 

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Walter Wellman is sending reports from Washington to the Record-Herald to the effect that now the administration has won its big suit against the Northern Securities company it has an elephant on its hands. That the administration does not know what to do with its victory. It would seem as though it was up to the other fellow to tell what is to be done. Of course it is not desired to bring on a panic or anything of that sort, but has the [business] of the country got to that pass that the huge Iaw-breaking trusts must be allowed to go on in the Iaw-breaking courses in order to prevent bringing on a panic? In other words, is the enforcement of law simply a matter of how much money there is concerned? If the criminal be immensely rich, is the criminal law to be suspended in his case? Great wealth should not place any man or combination of men above the law. The Northern Merger people will have abundance of time given them to adjust their affairs to the decision of the court and they should begin to set their house in order accordingly. The other criminal trusts should begin at once to get in line also. If they do not they should be prosecuted and compelled to. 

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The opening of the bids at Washington for an Ann Arbor postofflce site, shows that there are an even larger list of properties available for such site probably than most people had thought. Out of the long list submitted to the department to choose from, it will be possible to select one that will be a good location. It will not be possible probably to please every one in this selection, but that is to be expected. However, the main point to be pleased over is that the government has the chance to get any one of several sites which will please the majority of Ann Arbor citizens. It ís to be hoped the site will be selected which will satisfy the largest number of our citizens, a site which when adorned with a public building adequate to the needs of our growing city, will aid in beautifying and servIng our whole city to the highest degree.