The Re-incorporation Bill

The bill for re-incorporating cities between 10,000 and 50,000 inhabitants, which would take Ann Arbor in its graBp, is before the legislature. There are a great many things in it that are goodjSome things that are doubtful, and some that aresimply passable. The main objection in a tax-payers point of view is the faot that it would allow this city, for instance, to incur some $300,000 of indebtedness for water works and n street lighting plant. Ann Arbor so far lias ke.pt out of debt except the small anuount that has been necessarv for sewers, and if slie is wise she will continue to keep out of debt. Then the bilí makes provisión for a Recorder's or Pólice Court, in which case it legislates tlie justices of the peace out of existence. As the justiees of the peace aro placed in the constitution this provisión would have to be changed to make the law constitutional. There will be no president of the council. The city officers to be mayor, city clerk, city treasurer, city assessor, two justices of the peace, and one pólice justice w-hen provided for eacli to hold office for two years. The following officers are appointed by the mayor with the consent of the council: city attorney, eilief of pólice - in cities where there is no board of pólice commissioners - a chief engineer of the fire departinent, and a controller, where the same is provided for, the appointments to be made on the first Monday in May. The office of supervisor is done away with entirely and the senior alderman of each ward made a member of the board of supervisors. Aldermen are to be elected as at present. Cities having boards of public works, fire commissioners, pólice commissioners, etc, may retain the same, but the appointing power is in the council, not in the mayor. In this way it niixes up the responsibilities and makes the mayor only half an offlcer instead of a whole one. The only true way is to make some one person responsible for the affairs of a city. Let the responsibility be in a common council, and when anything goes wrong each alderman shifts it ofl' on bis neighbor. Xo one is responsible, and each man is like Paddy'sflea: "When you put your fiuger on him he isn't there."