The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1904-04-15
. The New Administration.

Economy and the better enforcement
of lawl These were the two watch
words given by Mayor Parkill in his in
augural address Monday night. They
were in his view the two important
lessons to be learned from the recent
election. They were both demanded by
the people.
The public treasury is too often re-
gardedsas an easy mark. 1t requires
unusual effort /. and determination to
guard it as carefully as a private purse
is watched. therefore the greater need
for care on the part of those intrusted
with it,
The great majority of citizens wish
the enforcement of the law. Mayor
Parkill's belief is that laws are made. to
be enforced anyway, and officers are
elected and appointed TO enforce them
The officer should not wait for the citi-
zen to make complaint. 1t is the Off
GERS business to know that the law is
being enforced and to attend to viola
tors of it. He should never have to be
told to do thing of that sort.
Such is, in brief, the policy which the
new mayor of this city outlined in his
address to the new council Monday
night. The full address which was
short and to the point is made part of
the council proceedings and may be read
with profit. 1t appears in another part
of this paper. Those who read it will
find it modest but manly announce
ment of the intentions of the new may
or. his reliance on the intentions of the
aldermen to work for the same ends
which he presents to them and his be-
lief that they will so work.
The appointments to committees were
carefully considered and for the greater
part are undoubtedly as good as could
have been made, although there are
probably also some disappointed mem
bers of the council, as there must be,
because they did not secure better
assignments. Much of the work of the
council has necessarily to be done by
committees The entire council cannot
ola necessity know all the merits tand
dement's of a particular resolution or
the Justice of all particular bill. A
large measure of responsibility rests on
every committee since its judgment fire.
auently has to be accepted without
much chance for question by the entire
council. 1t is to be hoped, and may
reasonably be expected, that the alder
men are not only fully aware of the de-
pendence placed on them in this regard
by the whole city, but that they are full
" determined to prove equal to the
occasion and give their best service on
the committees on which Mayor Parkill
has placed them.
None of the appointive officers to he
named by the mayor were nominated
Monday night, but enough was done in
a quiet way, In the matter of the or
ganizatlon of the council and the get
ting down to work, to give grounds for
expecting that the city administration
will be in good hands for the coming
year 1t is certainly the duty of every
citizen, and especially so of every tax
payer, to do all he can in the way of en-
couraging all the city officers, council
men, mayor, police, and the other de-
partments lalike, and to miss no OPP
portunity either of giving them any in
formation which may assist them in the
discharge of their duties or of showing
their appreciation for work well done by
them, There is much that can be done
by every one who is on the lookout for
an opportunity to help. Let every cit
izen try to make this year record in
this respect.