The  city  pavements  were  in  a  deplorable  condition  and  the  charges  for
municipal  lighting  were  outrageous.  The  Fire  Department  was  sadly
deficient,  and  the  Police  Department  corrupt.  The  motto  of  municipal
officials  was,  "  How  much  is  there  in  it  for  me?  "  Such  was  the  con-
dition of  affairs  previous  to  the  campaign  of  1889.
It  was  believed  that  the  city  needed  a  business  administration,  and  on
that  platform  Mr.  Pingree  was  nominated  for  mayor,  and  after  one  of
the  greatest  campaigns  known  in  Detroit,  was  elected.  His  administra-
tion was  productive  of  so  much  good  as  to  result  in  his  re-election  three
times  consecutively,  by  the  following  majorities:  1889,  2,338;  1891,
6,318;  1893,  5,800;  1895,  10,952;  holding  his  office  until,  upon  his
accession  to  the  gubernatorial  chair,  his  office  was  declared  vacant  by
the  Supreme  Court.  His  administration  of  the  office  of  mayor  was
such  as  to  bring  him  into  national  prominence,  and  the  many  reforms,
he  advocated  and  carried  out  have  been  followed  by  every  city  of
prominence  in  the  country.  During  his  four  terms  as  mayor  the  city  of
Detroit  was  transformed  from  its  old  fogyism  into  the  live  metropolitan
city  of  to-day,  known  far  and  wide  as  the  Convention  City  of  America.
Victory  is  nearly  always  tinged  with  bitterness,  however,  and  in  the
case  of  Mr.  Pingree  this  was  no  exception.  Nominated  by  the
prominent  business  men  of  the  city  to  give  a  clean  and  honest  ad-
ministration to  the  people  of  Detroit  who  voted  for  him,  he  early  found
himself  assailed  by  the  same  men  who  had  nominated  him.
