The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1911-03-24
PROMISING IMPOSSIBLE THINGS
False Grounds to Draw Votes for Commission Gov
ernment-Removal Of Power From People
Ring Rule Would Follow-Offices Cannot be
Combined or Recall Used Under Laws Of
Michigan.
EDIToR Owosso TIMES:

EDIToR OwoSSo TIMES:
have been reading some of Oliver
Twist Curwoods modern fiction in the
Press-American, but only that portion
in bold faced type, which, however, Is
the major portion of the story and 1
would like to call attention to the fact
that Oliver is still in the realm of
dreams and unreality when writing a
story of Owosso as when writing of the
Wilds of the Great Northwest. OF
course Oliver says he doesn't receive a
cent for what he writes, but he might
continue this swan.song "Till "a the
seas gang dry" and no one would be
able to swallow so large dose.
He starts out with the statement that
the City of Owosso is a five million
dollar corporation. If he refers to the
assessed valuation of the city he has
only exaggerated to the extent of half
a million dollars, but if he refers to the
amount that the city can raise by
taxation each year, for the running
expenses of the city affairs, he has
exaggerated" to the extent of nearly
-four and one-half millions of dollars
1t is only possible to raise for the egener-
al funds of this city each year sixty
thousand dollars, which does not in
clude the ward street funds nor the in
terest and sinking fund. If these are
added, in the neighborhood of seventy
five thousand dollars can be raised an.
nually. call attention to this, Mr.
Editor, because Oliver says the city can
spend one hundred and fifty thousand
dollarslper year and of course it can
not be expected that Oliver would
make a statement that he cannot
verify. Like Artemus Wards kanga
roo, he's an amusin' little cuss y" Most
Of the funds of the city which make up
the greater portion of the city budget
are fixed and certain and incapable of
change; so much so that the City
Council in reality does not have discre
tionary power in the disposition of
more than twenty thousand or twenty
FIVE thousand dollars per annum.
Therefore, rather than having a five
million dollar corporation, in strict
sense of the word, we have only
twenty five thousand dollar corporation
I. Mr.. Curwood also urges very strong
ly, and as usual in bold faced type, the
beauty and efficiency of what is known
as the IRE. CALL" / desire to call your
attention, Mr.. Editor, to the fact that
under the present laws of this state it
is an absolute impossibility for this
city to have the initiative or the re
call made part of its charter The
"Homerule Act" passed by the Legis.
lature of 1909 does not admit of such
provisions in our charter or in the
charter which our friends propose to
revise. Therefore, all of this discussion
about the recall and the initiative
eliminating certain Objectionable fea-
lures of commission government is
entirely beside the question.
Some one has also urged through the
daily press that the offices of City Clerk
and City Treasurer can be combined
and thus save portion of the salary of
one of those officers. However, this
same 'Home-rule Act" distinctly pro-
vides that those offices must be main
tanned and the Office of City Treasurer
and City Clerk cannot be combined as
our enthusiastic friends would have us
believe But some one may suggest
that the Legislature can amend the
"Home-rule Act" True, but they have
not done so yet and in discussing a
question of public Importance. we have
not the right to base our arguments on
what we hope the legislature MAY do.
It has been urged by some that a
general charter revision might be a
good idea although the people are not
in favor of commission government.
j do not believe in general revision of
the charter of the city unless it is abso
lutely necessary. The Home rule
Act provides that the charter may be
amended from time to time without
going to the expense and inconvenience
OF general revision. l maintain that
IL there are any defects in our present
charter they can much better be
remedied by amendment than by throw
ing open wide the doors for general
revision. Our present charter is the
act generally known as "The charter ol
4th class cities" and has been in force
in all cities Of the fourth class since it,
adoption in 1895. The Legislator,
wisely took the position that genera
charter was superior to specia
charter In the one hundred or NOR,