The Weekly Grist Of News

Last evening at the G. A. R. rooms Maj. Soule gave a very interesting account of the capture, by the boys in blue of Spanish Fort and the olher forts and batteries in and around Mobile, Ala. The final assault and capture was made on April 9th, 1865, the very day on which Lee surrendered. This news did not reach them until seveial days thereafter. The Major's account of the slaughter of two green companies, I and K of the 47th 111. Iufantry, and also of the final charge of Gen. Steele's troops, who never stopped for breakfast, or for anything else, but in the early gray of that April niorning made a qnick march from the transports which brought them there to the front, and kept right on going uutil they had captured Spanish Fort and two other ones, was quite thrilliug at times, and alfecting. It was an evening weü spent. The City Treasurer's Salary- It is understood that the question of increasing the city treasurer's salary will be submitted to a vote of the people at the coming election. It is a difficult thing to secure a proper compensation for an official in that way, because there are 80 many Cheap Johns who are ready with this glittering argument: "What's the use of giving any more ? I am willing to tak the office at the present salary," or, "There are plenty who would be willing to take it at inuch less," and so on. The treasurer is a poorly paid officer considering the amount of responsibility and of work connected with his position. He has to give enormous bonds and the worry is often distressing to him. No treasurer can realize much more than $400 for himself after paying the necessary clerk hire and assistance that he" is obliged to have for nearly five months in the year now. Would it not be a wise thing to do to make this a salaried office, taking away allfees? The salary should be at least $1,200 per year. It is worth even more than that. If the people do not carry the propositiön this spring they will be doing a rank injustice by a hard working official. It's Second Annlversary - The second anniversary meeting of the Young Men'sChristian Association, took place at the M. E. church Sunday evening, was an interesting affair, and was listened to with much pleasure by the andience. President Charles W. Wagner presided, a chorus choir of young men furnished the musical part of the program, and General Secretary B. B. Johnson gave an account of the work of the Association for the year. The work accomplished by this organization is certainly well worth the effort and mouey it has cost. The result, if only one boy instead of many, was saved every year to right living and pure thinking, would be .worth the effort. This associatiou is doing nobly. If there is uiy good, conscientious, Chrjstian labor being performed in Ann Arbor to-day, this body of laborers is doing it. The field is a large one. They have only started in it. More laborers and more givers both, are needed. Join the ranks, can you not? An Aeolian ConcertThe management of the May Festival could add to the attractiveness if not to tihe value, also, of the course t obe glven in a few -weeks, May, 21, 22 and 23, by giving the Aeolian attachment a chance tío entertain the. people for an hour or bo, eay on Fritlay or Saturday forenoon. "We understand the owners of this ingenlous pleoe of mechanism would be willing to contribute the entire proeeedis that mlght come {rom the concert, and the novel ty of the thing would be an additional attraction. Then again it would 6how the people what the Columbian Organ could do. Many who have come from abroad to hear the organ have been considerably dhsappointed, as no one person could possibly bring out its uil power. This machine would tlwr.-oug-hly satis. y tlieni. and aside {rom that it would entertain theni. Why not add an Aeolian concert to the course ? Ordination of Lawrence Cole - On Sunday next at St. Andrew's tíhurch, the ordiriation of Lawrence Oole to tlie ministry, will occur. Bishop Davies will conduct the services, which Includo the holy communion, and Bev. W. O. Waters, of St. Andrew's parish, Detroit, formerly aasistant to tlhe rector of this partóh, will preach the sermón. It is a pleasure, and a very great pleasurO for the many friends of Mr. Oole. to know that they will be able to see him ordained. He Is one of the sons of Ann Arbor on which high hopes .-ire built, and for him to receive his ordination here in the church where he has worshipped all his life, must le no less pleasing to him. The services commence at 10:30 a. in. The seats in this church are all free to those who wish to some. It should Ik remembered tliat the sermón is tho first thing in the service after the processional, and all should be on time. It Will be a fine Affair- The coming military ball to be given by the Aen Arbor Light Infantry on April 8, is to toe a brilllant affair, and the new armory will be dedicated amidst great splendor. GovRicli and staff will be present and help the guests. The reception committee for the occasion will be composed of Col. Henry S. Dean, Col. John E. Tyrrell, Maj. Martin X,. Belsr, Capt. C. E. Hiscock, Edward M. Duffy, Samuel W. Beakes, Capt. Ross Granger, Ivieut. Willlam F. Armstrong and Lieut. H. O. Walters. For the ball the patronesses are Mesdames A. J. Sawyer, J. E. Tyrrell, W. S. Babbitt. J. T. Jacobs, Seymour Howell, S. W. Beakes and Reuben Kempf and Miss "Emma E. Power. All of the prominent military men of the state have eignified their in - tention of being present to take part in the festivltie. The Chequamegon orchestra will fur. nish the music, Hangsterfer will cater and Staebler have charge of the decorations. A Mach Needed School - Before the coming eletcion is held there should 'be an effort made in every election precinct in the eounty to instruct voters 'how to prepare their ballots. At every olection since the new law was passed, there has been a number 01' ballots thrown out in nearly every precinct in the eounty, and others have been so marked that the inspectora have had a good deal of wramgllng over them. There are votere who are not able to i-ead a ballot, but who do not care to show their ignoranco before a crowd of men by asking a member of the board to go into the booth with them and Instruct them how to vote, who if once sfoown before they go to the polls would be able to fix a ballot just as they want it. This instruction should be at public expense, too. If the state cnacts such Intricate laws, the state should make provisión for the education of the people so that they can fulfill the law and nat be disfranchised by it. A friend at our elbow says, "stuff and nonsense. If there are those bo ignorant that they can not understand that law, they ought to bo disfranchised." We are not exactly in sympathy with that feeling, from the fact that we have seen men who are well educated, and also good, Bharp business men, so puzzled over the iequirements of this law, that they would have lost their vote had they not made inquiry about it. ThO schools of instruetion whlch were held in this city when the law was first enacted, did a wondeiful sight of good, and they ought to be repeated a ïew dayts previous to each election. Life and Activity Needed - Tliis is an age of progress and innovatloos, especially innovations. Oi late it has been noticed that In severa! cities In the west, committees bave been appointed trom among the best known citlzens, for the purpose of securing conventions and annua] meetings of societies, orders and organizatlons of varlous kinds. At the first Wush the thing looks absurd. But when the idea is looked into it will be found that there is no absivrdity about it, but straight forward business. As au instance in mind. .t the recent meeting of Poresters in Iansing there were some 250 or 300 deleent. They remained in that city two or three days, and some probably a longer period. At a moderate estimate each one expended on an avei-age $5 a day. There was $1500 brought into the city, all in a lump. That is only one of a great mirnber of such meetings which occur some wliere in the state annually. Tlie city that secures the most of them is the most fortúnate. Aun Arbor in the past has had ite share of conventions and meetings, but the great trouble has been that they have quite largely been of the kind that did not pay. In most cases the delegates have been entertained by out cltizens. At one time this sort, which Ann Arbor people have always made welcome, carne a little too frequently lor the convenience of those who are sufficlently generous to open their houses and entertain. To secure the paying conventions is wliat Is deslred. and is what many cties are working for, and why should not Ann Arbor ? ■Vhere is our Business Jlen's Association? Is it still sloeping ? If it proposes to keep on sleeping, then let something be organized to snpersede it. "Wliat Ann Arbor needs just now is sometJiing to wake her up. She has been slowly dropping into a lethargie condition for the past tour years or more. . The Association referred to took hold of the work energetically at first, and the city experienced good resulta tíierefrom. But after the first spasm of push was over, then it set back in an easy chair to watch the result, and bas forgotten to ever rlse up agam. It is sitting yet, sitting still. ' Why should this inertia. continue? "OTiy'not ïire out the old Business Men's Association end organize something new ? 'Get a. new set of officers, put Ufe and vigor into the work, and (secure for Apa Arbor it's share, if nothing more, of the plums tliat aro 'beins paased about the state ? Tliis suggestton is one that might be wise for the cltlzene ; Ann Arbor fhe taxpayers especially, to act on. Woiking an Unjust Scheme- Editor Courier : Dear Sir:- It seems to me that there ís a certain road district- the number of which I will not give-in the township of Ann Arbor, that has an ingenioua écheme for -working out its road tax. This scheme which is now in operation, is unjust to the taxpayers of those districts that work out or commute in f uil their road tax. In 1893 the district referred to above, whlch is on the Pontiac road, did not work or commute a single day's -work, neither -was their road tax spread upon the tax roll in the year 1895. A resident of sald road district, at the annual township meeting made a mcrtion, whicb was carcarried, to raise by tax upon the whole township, $50, whioh was to be applied and worked out in that district. I am also informed that the asseseed road tax of 1895 was not worked out in full, and that thej mtend to ask Tor $50 more at the coming township meeting. For one I do not believe in allow ing anything to vbe raised ror anj district until they have worked out ivhat has already been raised. All interested öhould investígate and be ready to vote understandiugly when election comes. TAX PAYER. Are Teachers Free Men ? - Editor Courier: Dear Sir: - I have noticed that peopl having a desire to express an opinión about questious of interest in the com munity have a way of writing wliat tliey think to the Courier, under a nom do plume, and I have a little something '. shouhl like to say, availing myself o a like privilege. I have occasionally heard criticisms upon the propriety of those who are con nected with the institutions of learuing the public schools and the university taking part in politics. At a small gathering of republicans a few eyenings since, I am told that a member of the school board announcec bis intention of having every man connected with the public schools, who took an active part in politics, dismissed from their position ; further, that if he had it in his power to manage things that he would do the same thing at the University. Lest there should be amisunderstanding as to the authorship of tliis article I desire to say that I am only a common citizen, and am not now nor have I ever been connected with the schools or university in any capacity. But I am in favor of the greatest freedom of political belief and action of every other citizen, in whatever capacity he may be employed. I represent no trifling nuunber of the people of this city when I say that for any member of a school board, or any member of any board of control of any institution, to interfere with the poitical rights of any person who may be employed by such board, is to perform an act of tyranny and oppression, an act not warranted by auy law, written or un written, of this state or nation: If any such official does such a deed he is a dangerous man, and the sooner he is replaced by another who shall be broad enough to tolérate differences of opinión, the better for all concerned. A man who sells his services, either to the state or the city, in any capacity whatever, either as a teacher or as an official, does not sell his birthright at the same time. It would be most dangerous to ourfree institutions were such the case. The rock on which this nation is founded is the freedom of the individual to think and act as his conscience dictates in political and also in religious matters. When this right is denied any citizen a crime is comroitted, not only against that citizen but against the common law as well, which aims to protect every individual in this respect. The man who made this assertion could not have given the subject any thought whatever. He must have made it on the spur of the moment, without giving the consequences of such action due eonsideration. Let him excbange places with a teacher in the public schools, for instance, and have his own ruling applied to himself. Would he submit to it, think you? Not for a second. Then he should not lay down rules for others that he would not submit to himself. For one I believe that the men employed in our schools and universities are just the ones who ought to take part and an active part, in politics, outside of the school' and class room. They are too often silent and passive because of the unkind and unjuat criticism of some ward politician. I have never known one of these men to be opposed to good moráis or good government, or to work ia opposition to good men. They are sure to favor that which is clean and best in all things, and are quite as safe to trust with the [Contiuued on 8th pagel THE WEEKLY GRIST OF NEE (Continued from lst Page.) ballot as any class of people in the community. I fully appreciate, Mr. Editor, the delicate position in Wbich tliis eonmiunication places you, as a member of the school board," but the Courier I take it is eminently fair and liberal, and allows the freest range of expression npon all subjects of public interest. The writer of this bas the kindliest of feeling toward each meinber of the board, and has never before feit like criticisiug any of them, but this seems like too serious a matter to let pass unnoticed. Very truly yours,