Priemer Laurier

Priemer Laurier now says he did not mean it. He declares that war is not to be thought of. He knows too well that the Yankees have some reputation as bluffers themselves and that it would not work therefore. No doubt the phrase was used for home consumption and that it accomplished its purpose.

The wholesome effect of the presence of the military in Cleveland is a demonstrated fact. It is unfortunate that the situation should not have been taken in hand by the authorities in time to prevent the loss of a single life. It should not be deemed necessary to wait until blood has been shed before such a situation as has existed at Cleveland for some days is taken in hand by sufficient power to control it.

It is believed among republicans in this city, that Congressman H. C. Smith does not intend to be a candidate for a second term - Ypsilantian.

While the Argus is not admitted to the sanctum sanctorum of the republican push and cannot, therefore, speak from knowledge as to the above, it had supposed that whether Heinrich Christian Schmidt (excuse us dear Ypsilantian for our correction of your spelling) was to be a candidate or not would depend upon on Eugene Helber, who is reported to still have in his keeping the "unabated confidence" of Heinrich.

There is a big revolt of Kentucky democrats against the machine. When the democratic state convention was held the machine, after one of the bitterest fights in the history of old Kentucky politics, forced Senator Goebel, author of the notorious election law which bears his name, on the head of the ticket. But the nomination was obtained by such methods that it caused a revolt and the bolters have induced ex-Gov. John Young Brown to head their ticket. At the head of the Goebel committee to manage the campaign stands ex-Senator Joe Blackburn, a resourceful leader. The fight will be a hot one even for old Kentucky the state of proverbally hot political fights. It will result do doubt in the election of the republican ticket.

The civil service league make a sorry exhibition in attacking President McKinley's recent order modifying the civil service rules. They claim that the president has taken a step backward and renounced the pledges made by the convention which nominated him. The hue and cry that went up when the changes were made would fain have led the devotees at this shrine to believe that the president had assaulted the temple itself. - Ypsilantian.

Yes, sorry exhibition indeed in the eyes of all such blind, deaf and dumb idolaters of everything labeled republican as is the editor of the Ypsilantian, but with none others. It was as square a back down from platform pledges as it is possible to conceive. Not only that, it was a repudiation of the direct and unequivocal pledges made by the president in his letter of acceptance. The only defense ever undertaken by anyone, except those included in the classes above mentioned, is that the president had removed but a few positions from the classified list and those such as are in their functions confidential. But even those who offer this defense dropped it when they discovered that 10,000 positions had been exempted. The joy among the spoilsmen over the action of the president showed very plainly that they did not consider the order an extension of civil service reform. In various other ways the president has shown that he has turned his back on his pledges. Even in the military arm of the service, various appointments were made solely on the spoils plan. Men, without any military training at all, were appointed over men who had been educated for the army and had spent years in the service, simply because they were their fathers' sons. He also appointed a known spoilsman as superintendent of the census, thus practically making every place in the army of enumerators a reward for political service rather than of merit. Yes, the president's recent order while in keeping with his whole public career, placing politics before every other principle, is a vicious assault on the "temple" of the merit system itself. There are the best of reasons why the devotees of a public service of merit rather than of spoils should raise a hue and cry.