The Argus Democrat..-- In spite...

                       THE ARGUS DEMOCRAT
                                          AND
                      YPSILANTI WEEKLY TIMES

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                                   PUBLISHED BY
                 The Democrat Publishing Company.
       D. A. HAMMOND, President.
         EUGENE K. FRUEAUFF, Vice- President
              S. W. BEAKERS, Secy. and Treas.

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                       PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY
                for $1.00 per year strictly in advance
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            Entered at the Post office in Ann Arbor, Mich.
                       as second class mail matter.

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                              FRIDAY MAY 5, 1899

In spite of much talk there seems to be no manifest gravitation of hizzexcellency in the direction of Senator McMillan.
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And now comes Senator McMillan and says he never told Gen. Alger he (McMillan) would retire in Alger's favor. The president should call a court of inquiry to rehabitate the veracity of his secretary of war.
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Indications are that Ypsilanti is to have a trial thereabouts of free rural mail delivery. Had the advice of the Argus been heeded Ann Arbor probably might have had the same scheme in augurated here. On account of the greater population, the vicinity of Ann Arbor would have been a better place for a trial than the vicinity of Ypsilanti.
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There is another hitch in the paying over of the $3,000,000 of United States money to the Cuban soldiers as had been arranged for. It is now asserted that the Cubans do not want to deposit their arms in arsenals under the control of Americans but in those under exclusive control of Cubans.
Then Gomez is said to be dissatisfied that Gen. Brooke did not approve his idea of a standing army of 15,000 men for Cuba.
The drift of things in Cuba indicate that Uncle Sam may have to do more fighting there yet. The evacuation of the island by the American forces appears not to be an event of the immediate future.
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The petition of the Nebraska regiment in the Philippines to Gen. McArthur, their division commander, to be withdrawn temporarily from the fighting line is a most touching thing.
The regiment is a mot gallant one and has done splendid fighting. For several months it has seen continual service at the front.
It has but 300 men fit for duty having lost since the 2d of Feb. in killed and wounded 225 of its members. One hundred and sixty of its members are now on the sick list. The men say they are willing to fight but are in no condition to do so.
Here is genuine patriotism for you and it is most inspiring. The splendid record of the regiment and the respectful tone of the petition, together with the regimen is decimated members combine to make its appeal most touching.
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An exposition is to be held in Philadelphia in September, October and November of this year, the object of which is to promote the export trade of the United States. It is the first project of the kind ever planned in this country.
It would seem to be a wise conception and most timely. At this time when the enormous increase of our export trade has attracted the attention of the world to our productive capabilities, it cannot fail to be productive of great good.
Articles of natural growth and our varied manufactured articles will be on exhibition, manufactured articles occupying four-fifth of all the exposition space.
Foreign visitors will be especially looked after, shown everything about the exposition and taken to sections of our country where they may study our processes of cultivation and manufacture.
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Now it is said the president is veering round to an extra session of congress. He wants to get the questions growing out of the annexation of territory settled before the campaign of next year gets under way. He also desires it is said to have congress do something on the currency question before 1900. And in order to have anything accomplished this year on these important issues it will be necessary for congress to be convened before the regular date.
As a rule congress does little before the holidays and as there will be a new speaker this trip, some time will necessarily be consumed in making up the committees.
If the president desires, therefore, to be able to at least report progress before the campaign is opened, he will call an extra session. The matter will depend of course on the termination of the campaign in the Philippines, but the indications now are that it is nearing its end.
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The news comes from Lansing that a substantial agreement has been reached by the legislature and executive relative to a law for the taxation of railways and other corporators. 
This, if true, indicates that Gov. Pingree for the time being at least has dropped his fight for the principles of the Atkinson bill.
It is said the new law will be in substance the Merriman law with an increase of rates which will swell the revenue from this source nearly a half million dollars. The important fact for the people to note in this connection is the creation and growth of sentiment in the state during the past two years favorable to making the great corporations pay a more equitable share of the burden of government.
Had the corporations been willing two years ago to permit the rates of taxation they are apparently now anxious to accept, there would never have been any Atkinson bill. But their lobbyists who controlled the situation would not bear to it.
The house made the rates much higher two years ago but the senate would have none of it and the conference committee cut them down, practically to the senate rates. The Pingree agitation has accomplished good, therefore, though the Atkinson law does not stand.
If as a result of it a half million dollars are turned into the primary school fund it will ease taxation in other directions. It will be no mean accomplishment of hizzexcellency though it is not all he fought for.