The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1911-12-22
CAN'T CONFINE ELECTION
TO THOMPSON FRANCHISE
AND Gilman AMENDMENT
Council Must Include Civil Ser
vice Plan and May Tack On
Other Charter Changes.
WOMEN TO PARTICIPATE.
Those Owning Property and of
Legal Age Are Entitled
To Ballot.
WOMEN TO PARTICIPATE.

Wnetner the date, Jan. 70, recoin-
mended by FIVE OF the ten members OF
the committees on franchises and city
and charter legislation of the common
council, stands as the date OF the spe-
cial election on the Thompson street
car ordinance and the Gilman munich
pal ownership plan, Is still a matter
or considerable doubt, but one thing
seems certain: IL both propositions
y are TO be submitted at The same time,
the council will insist On submitting
numerous ether charter amendments
along with the street car matters.
There is he Vernon civil service
amendment, for instance. was
passed by the council several weeks
ago and the resolution adopting IL
called for its submission at the nrst
special or general election The Din
has been approved by the governor
and now reposes in City Clerk Nichols
SAFE. so there would seem to be MOTH
fne else TO do, under the resolution,
buf submit II along with the Thomp-
son ordinance and the Gilman meas
ure. ,,
Then there is the amendment dlvlu-
,pr the Seventeenth ward, the amend
ment now on the table, increasing
,ha loyced paying limit from $.OO.OOO
40 $500 900 per year, and, what the al
dermen regard as OF great Importance,
AID McCarty's amendment TO make
me terms OF aldermen elected hereat-
ter. four years instead OF two Inc
last named measure does not come
OF the table until Jan. 10, unless
special meeting is called Immediately
after the 3O-day period expires, Jan.
10. ar,i il this will not allow the city
clerk sufficient time to advertise II
and have ii printed on the ballots so
that ii may be submitted, Jan. 70, the
aldermen may insist on the date De
ing postponed until around Feb. /.
Aside from all these other matters,
there is some question in the minds
or several of the aldermen as 10 the
right OF the council 10 set date fer
the election until after the Thompson
ordinance has been taken from the
table.
Incidentally, it develops that all
women OF legal age, who own property
and pay taxes, will have right 10
vote on the Thompson plan and all
charter amendments. This fact will
tend to make the women take great
ton And AFFORDS another reason for al
n loxiIie ample time for the studying OF
q the proposition.
OF course, the advocates OF the /
Thompson plan in the council wall no
doubt make bitter fight against the
submission OF any but the two propo- !
sittons agreed on by the joint commit |
tee, OH the advice of Corporation |
Counsel Hally Yet, as matters now |
stand. the submission of the Vernon |
civil service plan, no matter how dis
tasteful the course may be 10 the |
mayor and his advisors, would seem |
TO be mandatory on the council. The |
language OF the resolution is clear, /
and there is no way the council can I
get away from submitting il, appar-
emily, without resembling the resolu-
ton.
The Vernon amendment would nat
uraliy open the way for others, else |
the CRY OF discrimination would be I
raised The result is likely TO be that |
by the time election day rolls around |
the voters will be confronted by a |
half-dozen different propositions. |
Mayor Thompson and Mr.. Hally con-
tend that this would confuse the issue |
and would not be giving the Thomp- /
son-Hally plan a fair deal. Some OF |
the other officials in the city hail do |
not share this view.
II think II Is an insult to the intel |
ligence of the voters to assume that |
they will be confused by the submis- |
sion of six or seven different PROPOSE |
tons said Republican city official |
-The average voter has more intelli- |
* gence than he Is generally given credit |
for. and can see no reason why he !
shpald be confused by few charter |
amendments, plainly stated II man !
can 60 into a booth and in five min,
uteE pick IL names out OF list OF |
= 40 or more candidates for the legisla,
ture guess he wouldn't have much |
trouble making up his mind how to |
vote on the simple propositions in
volyed in these charter amendments"
One OF the arguments heard In sup |
port OF the submission OF several |
propositions at the same time, is that
Il would be more difficult, under these
circumstances, TO manipulate the cleo !
ton. II confined to the street car Is
sue alone, IL would be simple mat.
ter for, friends OF the ordinance. or
enemies OF 1t, for that matter, to bring
about desired results I'm certain pre-
cincts.
Aid. Gilman, father of the Gilman
plan. still believes that the municipal
ownership amendment should be sub
mitted alone and in advance OF all
other propositions, but he has given
mp hope Of putting such a plan
through.
But II they are going to tack on
the Thompson ordinance, why, we
might as well go a little farther and
submit everything that is ready TO
submit and make Il a good one"
added the alderman.
4 am not In favor OF rushing a vote
on this Thompson plan, either. I The
mayor and Mr.. Hally claim to have
burned a lot of midnight oil working
on this plan. II was such big fob
that the mayor had to go on a boat
trip up the lakes for a little recreation
after reaching an agreement with the
ID. u. r. Now they ask us to rush II
through here and submit II to the
people a. soon as possible after II
has lain ON the table the required
number OF days. The mayor has com.
Dl1ined that the street car question
has been q political Issue for the lsst
20 years. II looks 20 me as though he |