The principal occupation of politiciaus ...

The principal occupation of politiciaus iu Michigan cities since the electiori, Reems to have been the circulation of petitions, to secure the appointrnent of themselves or their friends to the poistinastership of their several burgs. Uovernor Pingree conld save the state much money if be would induce his new legislafcure to adjourn by April 1. If the legislativo session conld be shortened, more good men wonld accept legislativo nominations. Men who wonld deliberately prolong sessions for $3 per day are not of the calibre wanted in onr state legislatores. It eeems to be practically settled that an extra session of congress will be called immediately after the fourth of Marob. This is all right if the new congress will do what it bas to do qniokly and go home. But elections and congressional agitation do muoh to injnre business in this country. It would be a good thing to have presidential elections not oftener tban onoe in six years and to limit the sessions of congress. There are more recounts being made in Michigan this yeai than ever before and nnmerous small errors are found, there being no snspicion of fraud or unfairness on the part of the inspectors. This fnrnishes a strong argument in favor of the voting machine, the mechanical connting being absolutely accurate, the resnlt, which cannot be altered, being declared immediately on the close of voting, before the returns from the other voting precincts can be received and tabulated. In these days when everything is being done by machinery, we might as veil use it to secure aceuraoy and speed in counting. With Pingree in the governor's chair, Miohigan will furnish the country with plenty of news the coming winter. Tba new governor will get right down to business on Jannary lst. He will strive to push nis pet reforms throngh the legislature in the face of vigorous and hearty opposition from his own party legislators. And he wil] not hesitate to let the opposition know what he thinka of them individually and oolleotively. PiDgree is accnstomed to being the whole thing. He nndonbtedly will attempt to be as much of an autocrat at Lansing as he has been in Detroit, and if he is not allowed to have his way, he will be like a mad ■bnll in a China shop. The governor has sorae real reforms on his program which the people hope he may get throngh, tbe buDcorube reforms being allowed to drop by the wayside. There are still many new flelds for electricity to oonquer. Edison states that within three years the blind will be enabled to see by means of the X rays, exoept wheie the optio nerve has been totally destroyed. A nnmber of electricians are already experimenting with this end in view. Already experiments have been made, by which persons totally blind bave been enabled to distingnish objects through a two inch board, wbile not being able to so distinguish them without the interventioo of the board. Edison himself bas caused persous, totally blind, to distinguish the X ray light, and he is extremely sanguine of being ultimately able to accornplish tbe object of his search. We are living in an age of jnarvels. One new discovery follows anotber so rapidly that it would be hard to astonish the people of this generation with any new developrnent of Bcieose. Electricity is still in its infancy, and it yet offers great opportunities for the original investigator and the inventor. The council, as will be seen in another column, has appointed a oornmittee to select cases and have the supreme court determine the exact right of students to vote in Ann Arbor. The law on this sabject bas been well settled by the conrts of the country. But different election boards in the city have differently oonstrued it and it is well that we should have a recent deoision by our own supreme court so that uuiformity in rulings may be seoured by our local boards. There is really no question of politics in this, further than the jright of students to interfere in the local elections in thia city. The con stitution does not contémplate that any one shall lose his suffrage Every voter has a riglit to vote somswhere, the qnestion is simply can a student, mar ried or single, it matters not, gain a right to vote in Aun Arbor while at teudiDg the Univeraity, in the face o: a provisión of the constitution which says he shall not gain or lose a residence wbile doing so, and oan he gain such residence duriug the vacation3 01 the University.