The Argus Democrat

The Argus Democrat and Ypsilanti Weekly Times.

Published By The Democrat Publishing Company. D.A. Hammond, President. Eugene K. Freauff, Vice-President. S.W. Beakes, Secy. and Treas.

Published Every Friday for $1.00 per year strictly in advance.

Entered at the Postoffice in Ann Arbor, Mich as second-class mail matter.

Friday October 6, 1899.

The tension in Transvaal matters appears to be at the breaking point. Chamberlain is quoted as saying that Kruger can have peace or war, which ever he wants as the whole matter lies with him. Kruger in turn says it all depends upon Chamberlain. In the meantime Boer commanders are reported to have been ordered to take the field and Britain is hurrying troops to South Africa. Unquestionable the British authorities have a greater desire for war than the Boers, for the reason that they see an opportunity to settle for all the time, the question of supremacy in South African affairs. Of course neither side to the controversy is wholly wrong or wholly right, but there is just as little doubt that Britain is the aggressor.

The labor unions of Chicago are making a pretty mess of it in demanding that every one taking part in the laying of the corner stone of the new United States building ceremony must be members of labor unions. It is strange that men who so loudly denounce the tyranny of the great trusts should place the labor unions on exactly the same plan. Nothing they could is better calculated to injure the real cause of labor, than this manifestation of rule or ruin policy. Of course the purposes underlying labor organizations are the same as those which lead to the organization of the trusts, but what do they hope to gain by the demand they have made except to exhibit their power. The American people have no sympathy with any such manifestation of tyrannical spirit. Our people never approve of any manifestation of power simply for the purpose of showing authority.

Now that it seems assured that the University of Michigan will have about 3,700 students this year, much the largest in its history, the question of its relative rank in numbers may prove of interest. Last year it was the second in numbers of the colleges in America. This year it is but fair to presume that it will hold the same relative rank. There were only five universities of colleges in the United States last year which had over 2,500 students. The enrollment of these according to the World almanac was as follows: Harvard 3,829, Michigan 3,229, Minnesota 3,010, Pennsylvania 2,834, and Pratts Institute 2,791. According to this same Worlds almanac Harvard had shown a gain in two years of 229, Michigan of 215, Pennsylvania of 82, and Minnesota of 485, while Pratt's Institute had shown a loss of 82. This year Michigan comes to the front with a gain of between four and five hundred students. It is not likely that Minnesota, with all her mushroom growth will eclipse this gain and so Michigan will still be second and probably nearer Harvard than last year.

As time passes and no finger of warning is held up to Great Britain, she becomes more and more frank as to her purposes in South Africa. Sir Walter Peace, Agent General for Natal in London, said yesterday that the purpose of the Orange Free State to support the Transvaal gives Great Britain the opportunity she has been looking for. The acquisition of the Transvaal and the Free State is the real purpose of England and has been from the start. She means to control all of South Africa and she will do it. If either the Transvaal or the Free State ever intend to resist absorption now is the time, but the ultimate result will be the wiping out of the independence of both. It is bound to come, however, anyway. The Free State is just as sure to loose its independence if it does not join the Transvaal as if it does. All England is waiting for before entering upon the conquest is to get their forces well in hand in South Africa. In many respects it will probably be an advantage to the world to have small countries absorbed and under the control of a great power, never the less the sympathy of the world goes out to the Boers in their sore difficulties. But as hard as their fate appears, they will be forced to take on a different and probably more liberal civilization or be annihilated. 

President Schuman of the commission sent to the Philippines by President McKinley, appears to hold thoroughly American ideas as to our duties to the people of those islands. Speaking to the student body of Cornell university at the opening of the college year he said: 
 

"What is the end of colonization? Why should we extend our sovereignty over remote countries and alien peoples? I answer that the only justifiable object of such expansion is the establishment of good government in the territory annexed, the elevation of its people in civilization and the training of them in progressive self-government with a view to ultimate independence whether by partnership in, or separation from the sovereign state. As the end for the moral being is perfection, and the end for the economic society is wealth, so the end for the political community is independence. In the divine education of the race no people can be permanently kept in a state of subjugation to, or even dependence on another people. Of all the colonizing nations. England is the only one which realized this great principle and it took a successful rebellion in her first empire to impress the truth even in England."

This is sound doctrine and if followed in its spirit by our government will bring order out of the chaos existing there sooner than anything else. In order to carry out these principles the civil service then must in no sense be of the carpet bag kind. There must be no confusion of government and property. The great danger lies in the disposition to regard these islands as a most valuable acquisition from the property standpoint. Of course selfishness enters into all human acts but of we would succeed in performing the only mission which gives us any rights in the Philippines, the idea must be subordinated to that of good government and the elevation of the people in civilization. The people are familiar with that form of government which has for its principal function the wringing of the last dollar possible from the people with as little return as possible. The fact that government has always meant this to them is what makes them so suspicious toward our motives. They have possessed no rights of property or life even that have not been invaded by the Spanish tax gatherer. Should our government or its citizens seek to enrich themselves at the expense of the Filipinos we shall deserve the returns which the Spaniards received. And in order to avoid such disgrace we shall have to give them a very different civil service that was accorded the southern states during reconstruction days. And if the Washington authorities were unable to control the vicious officeholders in those states while they were under military rule they will find it more impossible to give the Philippines good government under the spoils system. Our only chance of succeeding in the performance of our duty then lies in establishing there a civil service of merit, a service from which every root and branch of the spoils system have been cut out. In no other way can civilization be advanced there and the people trained for self-government.

Lived for Twenty Years

After Both Arms Were Torn Out of Their Sockets,

Death of John Steeb, Jr Who Met with a Fearful Accident at Fosters.

John Steeb, Jr., son of John Steeb, No. 144 Fifth st., died Thursday. The funeral services were held at his parents' residence Saturday afternoon at 2 o'clock, and at the Bethlehem Evangelical church at 2:30 o'clock.

The deceased had the sympathy of many on account of the terrible accident that befell him Sept. 21, 1879. He was working at the time in Cornwell Bros.' woolen mill at Delhi. He was an expert machinist. While engaged in fixing the machinery his two arms were caught and jerked out of their sockets, so that it was impossible for any contrivance to be rigged up by which he could help himself.

He was born Dec. 4, 1854, at Huzenbach Ober Amt Freudenstadt, Wuertemberg. With his parents, he came to Ann Arbor in 1867. His parents and one sister, Christine, and two brothers, Michael and George Israel, all of Ann Arbor, survive him.

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