Gen. Pió del Pilar is said to have made...

The Argus Democrat and Ypsilanti Weekly Times.

Published by The Democrat Publishing Company,

D.A. Hammond, President.

Eugene K. Frueauff, 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 27, 1899.

Gen. Pio del Pilar is said to have made a proposition to place Aguinaldo in the hands of Gen. Otis, and also to surrender his army for a consideration of $500,000. This might be the cheapest way of terminating the war, if such a deal would bring it to a close.

Wonder if the Yankees would feel in the same kindly spirit toward Sir Thomas Lipton were he winning the races instead of the other fellow? At any rate Sir Thomas has shown himself a gentleman of the keenest sensibilities and a genuine sportsman. He has certainly won the admiration of many Americans.

William Jennings Bryan has finished his speaking tour through Kentucky and it is said will now do some talking in Ohio. Everywhere he goes he is greeted by immense audiences. The hold he has upon the people is simply marvelous. For three years now, as a private citizen only, he has maintained himself before the people without loss of prestige. Apparently he was never more popular with the masses than at present. He is certainly in many ways a wonderful man.

The Detroit circuit court Tuesday knocked out another law of the recent reform legislature. This law provided that all public utility franchises should be submitted to a vote of the people before being granted, and for the appointment of a commission relative to strict railway matters as a step toward municipal ownership. Thus do they fall, one by one. Soon there will be nothing left in the way of legislation accomplished by the great friend of the people, and the reform legislature. There will still be left, however, the hazy, ill-developed notions which they tried to enact into laws.

A party of Germans who attended the commercial congress at Philadelphia as delegates, is touring the United States for the purpose of investigating American methods of manufacture and agriculture. They are experts in their lines. They have visited the Brill and Carnegie works, and are now doing the Pullman plant, the Illinois Steel Co. and the Western Electric Co., of Chicago. They express themselves as amazed at the magnitude of the eastern plants. They declare that the output of the Carnegie company is one-third as great as the whole output of Germany. They expect to visit some of the great farms of the country before returning.

Now that chief conspirator Oberlin M. Carter has been taken care of, it is said that Attorney-General Griggs will pursue his accomplices who helped him defraud the government. These men are said to be high in station and wealthy and will no doubt put up a hard fight as did Capt. Carter. But the attorney-general appears to know how to fight also, and if he does as well by these people as he did with Capt. Carter he will deserve the commendation of all good citizens. The public conscience appears at times to be very low relative to what should be done with those who defraud the government, and so it is decidedly refreshing to have such rascals dealt with according to their deserts, as appears to be the intention in this case.

The republican majority of the board of supervisors is killing every democratic official head that appears in any office within the purview of its authority. The majority has no intention of missing a single one. Bills of various officials are being slashed right and left, bills which republicans have voted for hitherto without a question for so long a time that the memory of man runneth not to the contrary. When the matter of equalization comes on, we shall see whether there is any politics in that. But one thing is certain - there will be left no stone unturned to put the county back in the republican column. The democrats, if they expect to hold their own will find it necessary to put on their war paint. It must not be forgotten that harmony pervades the republican fold now as thick as fleas on a dog.

The statement that has been going the rounds of the newspapers that England is calling out a large military force for the purpose of making an impression on other European states, appears to be far-fetched. If there be any such purpose, it mast fail of its object, it would seem. Reports of English military forces indicate that she can muster only 742,421 men of all sorts, including reserves, volunteers and militia. This force would scarcely make much of an impression on the continental nations, the smallest and weakest of which have nearly as many. France has 1,998,604; Germany, 1,963,517; Russia, 3,500,000; Austria-Hungary, 749,868; Italy, 652,612. No, it is not the British military forces which impress the continental powers, but her navy. The military strength of the Empire is not formidable, but the nations have a full appreciation of her naval power. A display of her navy would make more of an impression.

Now that the Columbia has proven herself the better constructed craft and the faster sailer in all sorts of conditions, the proposal has been made by the New York World that the crews of the two yachts be changed and a race sailed for the purpose of determining which are the more expert yachtsmen. It is not known how this proposition appeals to Messrs. Iselin and Lipton, but it is safe to say that Americans generally would be delighted to have the race pulled off. Such a race would no doubt furnish pretty strong evidence as to the relative merits of the seamanship of the Englishmen and the Yankees. The conditions are most favorable for such a contest. Sir Thomas Lipton is a gentleman of such genuine sporting instincts that he would no doubt enjoy the proposed contest, notwithstanding his defeat in the races for the America's cup. We hope the race may be arranged.

How perfectly clear appear the weaknesses of the other fellow's case while the big holes in one's own are hidden from his sight. Canada has experienced no difficulty in seeing all the weaknesses of our Philippine trouble, but she is so cock sure of the righteousness of the English cause in South Africa that she hastens to offer Great Britain 1,000 soldiers, twice as many as she was asked to furnish, for service there. Her press has placed every weakness and imaginable weakness of our cause in the Philippines in the highest coloring, and has been especially caustic in condemnation. But she sees nothing wrong in England's war of aggression in South Africa, but everything to commend and support. Her position illustrates how difficult it is to give to the arguments against a cause in which we want to believe, their just weight, and how easy it is to accept as fact those arguments for our cause which, if presented for the other side, would be utterly rejected. Inability or indisposition to weigh the arguments of both sides with equal care and honesty, is responsible for much wrong doing.

Again the criticisms of General Otis are becoming severe. If reports from Manila have any truth in them at all, he is pursuing a policy which is most costly in lives without any proportionate results. It appears to be the opinion of military men that captured territory must be held before any headway can be made against the insurgents. But it is Otis' plan to send out a column to capture some stronghold and immediately after taking it, to leave it and permit the Filipinos to return and occupy it. In this way the work has to be done over and over again, and each time valuable lives are sacrificed. Practically all soldiers who have returned from the Philippines have told of these things and have denounced Otis as a fussy old incompetent, and yet he is retained in the chief command. The administration must certainly know the facts as to his blundering incompetency, and yet he is kept there to the detriment of the cause, while abler generals are chaffing under his blundering tactics. What has he done to entitle him to such consideration as he is receiving at the hands of the administration. Or is he left in bis position simply because the president lacks the nerve to perform his plain duty?

Colonial Secretary Chamberlain, in defending himself against the charges of the opposition in the British house of commons yesterday, was perfectly frank as to the purpose of the government in South African matters. England, he says, proposes to hold the supremacy in South Africa at all hazards. He said, in substance, that a dutch confederacy was forming there with the purpose of becoming the dominating power and the British government, knowing this, had thought it proper to press the issue before the Boers were ready to spring their scheme, which they were certain to do as soon as all was ready. This is all there is in the British case and all there has been from the start. England is simply pursuing her long time policy of grabbing all land in sight. There is one thing, at least, to be admired in Chamberlain's statement of position - there is no hypocritical cant about it. England needs the Transvaal and the Orange Free State to insure her paramountcy in South Africa, and she proposes to take them. He who runs may read.

The Columbia lost another race Thursday because of lack of wind. When the race was declared off, about 10 minutes before the time limit expired, the Columbia was three miles ahead of the challenger and only about the same distance from the end of the race. All doubt as to the retention of the cup had disappeared, but the races thus far have been far from satisfactory. It would be more satisfactory to all interested in the international races to pull off at least one under conditions which would try the qualities of the respective yachts thoroughly.

All Right Now.

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Otto H. Shemmer, 2316 State St., Milwaukee, Wis.

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Dr Miles Medical Company, Elkhart, Ind.

NO WONDER PEOPLE GROAN

Taxes Increasing All Along The Line.

COUNTY TAXES BOOSTED

Finance Committee Asks for $2,400 More Than Last Year.

State Tax  1898: $60,557  1899: $104,516

A. A. City Tax  1898: 42,304  1899: 68,461

County Tax  1898: 25,000  1899: 27,400

Total  1898: $127,861  1899: $100,377

Increase this year - $27,516

The school tax is not included in the above, but Secretary Mills says that it will be about the same as last year.

The financial committee on the board of supervisors made its report this afternoon and recommended that $27,400 be raised for county expenses. The estimated expenses are $44,400, but it is calculated that $17,000 will come in from liquor taxes. Last year the estimated expenses were $4,500, and the liquor tax offset $17,500, showing an increase this year of $2,400.

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