It is claimed tbat the carrying trade of...

It is claimed tbat the carrying trade of the United States amounts some years to the enormous sum of L200,000,000. Practically the whole of it is done by foreign vessel owners. Why is not this ocean-carrying done by our own people? It would seem to be worth an effort to keep this snug sum at home, but the damphoolishness of protective legislation prevenís our being in a i position to do our own carrying. For five weeks the finance committee of the senate juggled with certain tariff schedules of the Wilson bill in such a way as to give opportunities for scanda'lous speculations. Caustic criticism of the committee's action came from all parts of the country, but not until the names of certain senators were used in connection with the speculation in sugar did they give heed. And even then when goaded by these diastic criticisims, they, after the cali had been issued for a meeting of the full committee, allowed rumors to get out relating to certain changes in the sugar and whiskey schedules which gave the stock gamblers one more opportunity with the"loaded dice." Private interests1 rather than the national good seems to have been the mainspring of all their action in delaying the tariff bill. The state treasury of Ohio is empty and the g. o. p. officials of that state are doing some mighty tall hustling to keep the machine running. State officers are "stood off " in the payment of their salaries and every possible effort is being made to meet current expenses. This condition of things is no surprise. Everything financial which Gov. McKinley touches comes out in the same way. He has been utterly unable to manage his own financial affairs, and were it not for the generosity of his friends he would be a pauper today. He also undertook to do some financial engineering for the United States treasury with the same inevitable result, a bankrupt treasury. The great state of Ohio is now passing through a bit of the same experience. His administration of its affairs has been one of the most reckless in its history. The governor's forte is not and never has been to manage state affairs in the interest of the people, but in the interest of protection parasites who put up the "stuff" for his political advancement. It seems after all that the governor, notwithstanding his sprightly denial of the same, has been in the habit of signing pardons and other important papers in blank and placing them in the hands of clerks to fill out. This is but another piece of gross negligence so characteristic of the present incompetant, extravagent and careless administration of our state affairs. It is in keeping with the utter failure of his excellency to stand between the people and the extravagant and vicious legislation of the last republican legislature. It will not do to plead in defense of this wholesale signing of blank pardons as some of his organs have done, that it is perfectly proper since the board of pardons has control of the matter and is responsible; for it is not true that the pardon board is responsible. lts functions are only advisory and the governor alone is responsible. That Gov. Rich should manifest so low án appreciation of his obligations and the plain provisions of the law is astonishing. The inevitable tend'ency of such gross carelessness is to invite fraud in every department of the administration and that the present state ficials have not been slow to avail themselves of the prevailing low sense of their obligations to th people is already too painfully mani fest. The whole gang of "practical' politicians now infcsting the capita at Lansing should be turned down before the fair name of Michigan i subjected to farther obloquy anc reproach.