The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-09-08
MAYOR, DEFEATED,
DECLARES HE'S
SATISFIED
I'm Content To Abide By Will Of
Majority" He Says When Count
Shows Owens Has Wrested Nom
nation From Him.
Belated Returns Make Few Changes
In Results Az Announced
Wednesday.

mayor over Mayor Breitmeyer by q
majority somewhere In the neighbor'
hood OF 200. The man whose candi-
dacy was generally regarded as a joke
Is victor In one OF the most remark
able contests In the political annals
Of this or any other city. II Is not a
personal triumph for Owens In any
sense, however. He was practically
party backing, but he got the votes
because Breitmeyer could not get
them. The Republican electors, aid
ed to some extent by the Democrats,
seem to have taken this means OF
repudiating the Breitmeyer admins
tration.
AT first 1t was thought that the
Owens landslide was Democratic
trick. As matter OF fact, however,
Mayor Breitmeyer's losses were heavi'
est in the strong Republican wards.
Until the returns began TO come In
from the outlying districts. In the
Seventeenth and Eighteenth wards,
the mayor looked a winner, but after
hat he lost ground steadily. Late
Wednesday afternoon Owens began 10
forge ahead and he maintained his adj
yantage until the last of the available
returns had come in. The tally sheets
II four or five precincts had been lock-
ed In the ballot boxes. II was discover
ed, but the indications are that these
figures will not change the result
The Republican party Is up In the
air" az q result of this contest, as lar
rs the mayoralty Is concerned. With
owens as the partys candidate, Will
lam b. Thompson, the Democratic
nominee Is as good as elected right
now without ever turning hand.
Mayor Makes Many Breaks.
Several things worked against May
or Breitmeyer's denomination. lie
has made many bad breaks since he
has been In the executive chair. Early
In his administration he put his foot
In 1t" by declaring that the tax rate
was too low. This declaration
sstranged many votes that otherwise
would have gone to him In the prim-
airy. His attitude was the subject OF
severe criticism on the part OF one OF
the German dailies lately, and the pa
per In question Yields no little infu-
ence among its readers. Mayor Brett.
meyers appointment OF Frank IL.
Croul as police commissioner was also
unpopular with the Germans, that Is
the liberal Germans. because Croul
clamped the lid on too tight, In their
opinion.
The failure Of the mayors plans
for settling the street car problem
was another factor in his reputation.
In spite of an overwhelming senti.
ment for municipal ownership, the
mayor has repeatedly declared that
he was not in favor Of il at this time;
that, in his opinion, conditions were
not lust right for municipal owner
ship in Detroit. These declarations,
coupled with his statements, made In
all seriousness, that he is the best
mayor Detroit ever had and has set
tied everything but the street car
question" undoubtedly cost him many
votes.
Then, too, the vote on the mayoral-
ty was very light. II totaled only
about $4,000.
The mayor had a host OF knock
ers." Friends of Former Police Com
missioner Fred w. Smith, whom he
refused to reappoint, were all against
him. Over In the Twelfth and Four
teenth wards, where he lost heavily,
DR.. z. A. McCosh, who claims that
the mayor went back on promise to
appoint him police surgeon, is said to
have turned many votes away from
Breitmeyer.
Mayor Breitmeyer accepts the stu
alton philosophically however.
Accepts Defeat Gracefully.
81 am content to abide by the will
of the majority" he said, late We'd
nesday afternoon, when the last glim-
mer OF hope had flickered out. II have
no apology to make for any act OF
mine since I have been In this office.
I have done by best and have given
much OF my time. my money and my
earnest thought to the different
problems that have come up. | shall
continue to be Just as fond and proud
of Detroit as though l were mayor
again and want to thank my friends
for all they have done for me-"
Five Aldermen Lose Out.
Complete returns on the aldermanic
contests show that Aid. link, In the
Eleventh; Aid. Reinhardt, In the
Twelfth, and Aid. Lempke. in the
Thirteenth, have been defeated for
denomination, in addition to those
named Wednesday as having lost out,
including Aid. Koenig. In the Third,
and Aid. Goeschel, in the Thirteenth.
Wednesday noon II looked as though
Aid. Lempke had slipped into second
place on the Eleventh ward ticket by
four votes. But the corrected figures
gave Charles r. McCarty an advant-
age OF Is. The candidates, therefore.
are ex-Ald. Brozo and McCarty.
Lempke says he will ask for a re-
count.
Complete returns from the Twelfth
ward place Aid. Watson ahead OF Aid.
Reinhardt, which means that the lat
ter Is out OF the running. Ex-Ald.
Littlefeld led in the vote getting.
Aid link was defeated for second
place in the Eleventh ward by Fred
w. Knapp who has a safe majority.
Aid. Theisen was first with S55 votes.
Knapp received 7s5 and link 594
Frank d. Andrus and Herman c.
Robins. the only estimators-at-large
running for denomination, were both
successful. The other three nominees
out of the field OF 13 candidates, we're
Homer McGraw. who led the ticket
with 1902 votes William W. Robin
son and Edgar Wardell.
Mr.. Robinson is at present an esti-
mator from the Eighth ward and has
served on the board for many years.
lie Is soon to move out OF his ward
into new home, however, and for